5 Culinary Practices Changing the Restaurant Scene

The restaurant space across the world is going through a transformation. The changing palette of customers, the awareness around healthy food habits, the coming in of technology and a lot many factors are fast changing the restaurant scene in India and also abroad. COVID- 19 too had a transforming effect on the restaurant ecosystem and has taught the industry a lot many new things while helping it unlearn some. In this ever-changing restaurant industry, here are 5 culinary practices that are fast changing the restaurant scene.
 
Integration of Technology

The restaurant industry has seen unprecedented technological enhancements that have completely changed the way people are dining out. From digital menus, mobile apps to order food and reserve a table, QR code to scan and pay to a backend Artificial Intelligence driven analytics, the restaurant experience is completely digitalized today. While for the consumer, the restaurant experience can be completely contactless, the back-end technology also supports automated inventory management and analysing consumer preferences to serve the customers better. With technology, the experience has become more personalised, curated and seamless. 

Focus on Health and Wellness

Consumers today are becoming more health conscious, leading to a change in eating habits. This has led the restaurants to respond by offering more nutritious menus. The restaurant menu has gone through a complete transformation in recent times with the inclusion of many healthier options beyond soups and salads, often with a calories’ breakup and other detailed specifications. Restaurants today follow the protocol of transparency providing all details about ingredients used along with their nutritional details. There have been new additions in the menu too such as vegan, gluten-free and a lot more options.   

Emphasis on Sustainability

Restaurant Sustainability is the new normal. A lot of emphasis is being given to sustainability, right from sourcing the right ingredients, to reducing food waste to even serving in eco-friendly tableware. The goal today is to reduce the impact on the planet and restaurants are making a positive shift toward sustainability. More and more restaurants are making an effort to narrow the supply chain by ordering locally grown produce. Recyclable paper napkins and linens are being used more often besides focusing on biodegradable packaging. Reducing food waste is another important factor that restaurants take into account very seriously and also go a step ahead in sensitising the customer and staff alike.  

Cloud kitchens are here to stay

The entry of cloud kitchens and their success is a big achievement for the restaurant industry. It has helped many small businesses to grow and expand. Cloud kitchens are a great way to cut overhead costs and hence build a flourishing business. With the trend of ordering food seeing an unprecedented rise during and after lockdown, cloud kitchens have come up as a parallel entity besides sit-down restaurants. And with the demand for outside food increasing among the consumers, there will always be a demand for food from cloud/ghost kitchens. Cloud kitchens also serve a widespread menu including healthy dishes and international cuisines besides the regular Indian fare.  

Celebration of Cultural Diversity

Restaurants today have the most widespread menu. With consumers today becoming more and more experimental in their food choices, restaurants today cover a wide range of global cuisine. While there has been a rise in multi-cuisine restaurants, there has also been a huge growth of restaurants serving international cuisines. There are many restaurants today that serve authentic Pan-Asian, Japanese, Korean and other cuisines. Restaurants today celebrate the diversity in world cuisine besides holding on to the all-time traditional Indian fare.