When did consumers begin staying home all the time?

People usually assume it’s a direct result of the COVID pandemic, but the trend actually began earlier. “There’s a long-term structural shift toward all of our lives becoming a little more home-centric,” Circana Senior Vice President David Portalatin explained on the Food Institute Podcast. People are working from home, entertaining at home, and eating at home.

It’s no wonder restaurants are worried about what the future holds. But take heart! As Portalatin puts it, consumers still need “to have those occasions where we say, ‘You know what? We’re going out. We’re going to have a great experience. We’re going to have that treat, that reward that we deserve.’”

So how can you get them in the door?

Focus on value.

Restaurant operators need to ask themselves: What special value do I provide? One major differentiator is simply serving food that’s not easy for customers to cook themselves. One example: “I can make pancakes and waffles at home, and they’re very cheap to get at the grocery store. … It’s a low-value food, and the customer knows this,” said Eric Gonzalez, a restaurant-industry analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

Examples of menu items that customers typically can’t make themselves (or prefer not to):

• Fresh juices
• Coffee drinks
• Specialty smoothies and other customized beverages
• Complex, customizable meals with a long list of ingredients (such as salads, burritos, and bowls)

Seize the moment.

Not all that long ago, consumers followed fairly predictable eating schedules. Not anymore. The lunch business is about 50% of what it was pre-pandemic, according to Portalatin. With so many people working from home or on hybrid schedules, that’s probably not going to change.

The upside of this daypart shift restaurant trend: new opportunities between traditional meal occasions. Think mid-morning snacks, mid-afternoon treats, and late-night bites. If you can provide portable, convenient, delicious and (for some people) healthy meal options at these times, you’ll boost your business.

Service is key.

In an age of impersonal kiosk transactions and order pickup, customers recognize and appreciate great service. There’s more than one way to go about delivering it, however.

One is the human-centric approach. Take a look at coffee chain Dutch Bros, where employees often make regulars’ drinks before they’ve even ordered and give customers cute stickers in the monthly Sticker Drop. These small, personal touches have won the company devoted fans.

But great service can be delivered in the digital realm as well. The advantage of automated ordering: high accuracy, high speed, and personalization options. Your staff might not recognize every customer’s face, but a well-designed ordering and loyalty program can recommend dishes and reward regulars.

Be original.

Many independent restaurants closed during the pandemic. Now, there’s a surge in new stores opening. For them success means finding their own unique value proposition.

Don’t forget your local culinary roots, Portalatin advised. Give customers something special, real, and memorable.

“What’s the next big restaurant trend?” operators often ask him. They want a simple answer. Instead, he tells them, “There is something emerging out there that is going to be the next hot thing.” It could be you!

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