You are what you eat! That’s exactly what most consumers are following these days. Health & Wellness is a priority for the majority of consumers buying food or dining in a restaurant. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the ingredients used to prepare a dish due to the growing rate of obesity. Health is no longer measured in the number of calorie intake. Instead, it’s measured by what you eat and its nutritional value. The hospitality industry is catching on to this growing trend by many fast-food chains offering healthy food choices to its customers. Though the heavy hitters are doing all things possible to capture this new market here is how your restaurant can benefit and maximize profits from the growing consumer health trend!
Innovate Your Menu
If you haven’t changed your menu since the time you opened your restaurant now may be the time to reconsider! Introducing food with high nutritional value is a good way to start. Providing your customers with information on calorie intake, nutritional value & ingredients used will enhance your customer dining experience. It’s also crucial to introduce vegan cuisines and plant-based meat alternatives to your menu. According to 2018, Food & Health Survey, 8 in 10 consumers prefer plant-based meat alternative due to a focus on health. Having a diversified menu will help you attract new customers and avoid cancellation of group orders. Lastly, don’t forget to market your new menu on all your social media platforms to reach out to your existing and future customers.
Farm To Table
Even though this concept is not relatively new now would be a great time to implement it in your restaurant. Consumers strongly believe that fresh and local is the only way to eat. Reports indicate that 4 in 10 consumers are willing to pay 50% more and 1 in 5 would pay 100% more for products with no artificial ingredients. Providing cuisines made from locally produced ingredients will appeal to a larger audience and enhance your brand identity. Locally produced ingredients are fresh, healthy and available throughout the year. Moreover, it can be a great way of marketing your restaurant while reducing your carbon footprint.
It’s All About Tech
Millennials and Generation Z are all about technology. Ordering those healthy cuisines should also be convenient and introducing technology will help you do just that! Presenting menu on in-house tablets or mobile applications will enhance your customer’s dining experience avoiding the wait for someone to take their order. It also reduces the food wasted due to human errors and simplifies the whole process of ordering the food to the final payment of the bill. For customers with time constraint ordering food online and collecting it on the go can be time-saving. Providing options for tracking ingredients to their source on your digital platform could be appealing to those health-conscious customers.
Micro Dining
Time to bid goodbye to super-size plates. Consumers today focus on quality over quantity. The primary reason attributes to healthy choices but interestingly customers today are willing to try modern distinct cuisines. Serving small portion sizes at an affordable cost enables your customers to try new items increasing your revenue. Restaurants can reduce food waste considerably while saving huge cost on resources. Chefs can create more dishes using the same ingredients. Restaurant owners can also diversify their inventory by investing in premium ingredients.
Moving ahead with the trend is important for any business and when we talk about Health & Wellness in the hospitality industry it’s surely here to stay! Small changes in your restaurant can have a bigger impact in the long run and help you stay in the game. Leave us a comment on how your restaurant keeps up with the changing trends!
