If you had to choose one big growth opportunity this year, what would it be? For a rising number of U.S. restaurants, it’s catering. Expert Market Research anticipates 6.2 percent annual growth throughout most of the next decade for businesses that offer this service. A recent Restaurant Dive report says consumers’ return to the office is driving much of the demand, though private events are also fueling it. Catering is also looking different than it did before the pandemic. There is a greater range of restaurants getting involved – from small independents to large national brands – as well as an increase in offerings like boxed lunches and individual options across the channel. Appealingly for restaurants, the average spending per person on catered occasions is skewing higher these days, despite the increase in hybrid work environments resulting in a smaller critical mass of people in offices each day. At a time when company bosses are looking for ways to increase the appeal of coming to the office and want to encourage connections among employees who may be spending less time together, food from a favorite restaurant can be a useful tool. If you plan to increase your focus on catering this year, how might your menu accommodate consumers’ tastes for customization and choice? Does every menu item you offer travel well and also help you maximize profit per head? When you send your food out the door, how well does your branding and packaging represent your business and its values? From a distance, are there opportunities for you to build engagement and loyalty among the people who are enjoying your food as a group? What incentives and promotions might help your business stay in regular rotation with these groups?

It’s a theme that has persisted since the pandemic: Consumers simply want more from restaurants than quality food and drink these days. As factors such as food inflation, threats of recession, and the slimming down of menus and staff rosters have made ordering restaurant food a harder sell for consumers, more operators have turned up their experience factor to help attract traffic. The result is a restaurant that feels like it’s as much about the atmosphere and excitement of the experience as about the food on the menu. As a recent Forbes report details, experiential dining can involve such elements as immersive themes, interactive elements, storytelling or entertainment. This can be achieved by changing up guest expectations through rotating pop-up concepts, themed dining events, or collaborations with guest chefs or complementary businesses, for example. Similarly, US Foods reports that more restaurants are boosting their experiential vibe with entertaining tableside prep, such as fancy knifework displays and avant-garde, Instagram-worthy cocktails. These approaches also provide natural opportunities for businesses to promote their offerings on social media, entice guests who are active on social platforms to share content from their visit, and forge partnerships with online influencers who can further spread the word. Even if you’re not looking to put on a show for guests, think of experiential dining as simply a means of keeping things interesting for guests. This can be a natural outgrowth of the way you have had to make regular changes on your menu due to supply chain snags or the changing of the seasons. Consider rotating in more limited-time offerings or specials, or featuring a reinvented menu of drinks, appetizers or entrées each season to keep the experience new and fresh for your guests.

​It may be the ideal way to keep costs in check while offering guests the kinds of appealing options that keep them engaged and bring them back: Offer creative snack foods and beverages that are worth the trip outside of meal times. Think functional beverages – like smoothies that offer an energy boost or other nutritional elements ideal for the pre- or post-workout crowd. The same goes for smaller nibbles that can drive traffic during slower parts of the day, attract a younger demographic, and may be easier to feature on a rotating basis as limited-time offers to keep your menu fresh. A recent Restaurant Dive report says more foodservice businesses are taking this route – simplifying the main menu but growing their options in other areas – in an effort to reduce operational complexity in their kitchens and manage costs.

Chances are you’re serving more guests who are abstaining from alcohol these days. Whether for reasons related to wellness or simply a decrease in social pressures to consume alcohol, more consumers are opting for non-alcoholic drinks. In fact, research from Statista found that global revenue in the non-alcoholic beverages market has been climbing for the past seven years and is forecast to reach a new peak in 2027. Yet despite that upward trend, many menus still play it safe with non-alcoholic beverages – staying in the neighborhood of sodas, flavored coffees and teas, or a few simple stand-ins for alcohol. But there is a thirsty market for concoctions that aren’t simply alcohol substitutes but are worth the visit in their own right. As a recent Eater report says, the latest incarnations of non-alcoholic drinks break the boundaries of traditional cocktail culture. Case in point: The Sun Ship, a signature drink of Ghost Note Coffee in Washington, D.C., is “technically a coffee beverage, but you would be forgiven for forgetting that there’s espresso in it — there’s also coconut water, lime, and smoked grapefruit rosemary syrup. It’s refreshing with strong citrus notes, but the rosemary adds a deep herbal aroma to it.” These drinks call for a chef’s sensibilities around flavor complexity – and as a result, they can help justify prices more akin to those typically charged for conventional cocktails. What can you do to make your non-alcoholic beverage menu worth a special trip – or at least a second glance?