 As turbulent as the past few years have been for the restaurant industry, they have also sparked a positive transformation – in how restaurants are managed and operated, as well as in the design of restaurant concepts themselves. That is creating opportunities where they may not have been as visible before. Case in point: Food halls, once largely urban destinations, have been moving out to the suburbs, as well as onto college campuses. There are currently about 360 food halls in the U.S., up from 220 in 2019, according to research from the brokerage Cushman & Wakefield. That number is due to jump again in 2024, with another 124 food halls under development across the country, and is expected to climb even higher later this decade. The growth is happening in regions as diverse as Nevada, Alabama and North Dakota. The food halls are collections of chef-driven concepts that are providing opportunities for newer chefs to test their ideas in spaces available at a lower price point than would be possible in a city. The most successful concepts are tapping into consumers’ desire to have an entertaining experience around food. They have a captive audience in college students and in suburban hybrid workers who are motivated to try new foods and eager to connect with coworkers and friends.
 As you weave more plant-based ingredients into your menu and guests continue to seek health-boosting ingredients, floral flavors can help. Flavors such as jasmine, rose, lavender and hibiscus have been on the rise in recent years and continue to spread – particularly on the beverage menu in flavored sparkling waters, teas and alcoholic drinks. A new report from the Institute of Food Technologists says there is a lot of upside potential for floral flavors due to their association with wellness – think mood-enhancing lavender and calming elderflower. Flowers visually elevate an experience too. Look for more menu innovation with floral notes in foods as well, including the use of edible flowers in their pure form.
 Technomic recently released its predictions for the next year in foodservice. Among them is an anticipated shift in the occasions that will bring people out to restaurants. Specifically, there seem to be opportunities in both breakfast and brunch – largely because of the perceived value they offer. Technomic says more consumers will treat themselves to breakfast instead of lunch during the work week because of the affordable satisfaction it offers. Then once the weekend rolls around, brunch could become the “new dinner” because it offers an interesting mix of adult-friendly beverages and brings people together socially – all at a lower price point. Is your restaurant in a position to capture some of this interest in morning meals?
 It’s that time of year when people across the food industry are anticipating the trends we will see in 2024. Whole Foods recently shared the predictions of dozens of its team members, to include buyers and culinary experts. At the top of their list are plant-based foods that visibly include vegetables or other natural items. Think short labels and recognizable ingredients as opposed to substances that try to mimic meat. That means we’re likely to see more protein-rich ingredients that add satiety to a dish and which consumers are apt to have in their kitchens – walnuts, mushrooms, legumes and tempeh, for example. Across your menu, are there opportunities to weave in identifiable plant-based ingredients that can add layers, flavor and satisfaction to a vegetarian dish?
 If your guest response to plant-based meat replacements on your menu has fallen short of your expectations, you may be part of a trend. A recent Restaurant Dive report mentions that at grocery stores, repeat buyers of plant-based meat are becoming harder to find – and even those who buy it aren’t giving up conventional meat. Meanwhile, restaurants have been trying to figure out the extent of guest demand for these meat analogues. Some brands have dropped them and are instead focusing on offering a great experience with conventional meat, or simply innovating with whole vegetables to offer a less-processed plant-based meal. All of this goes to show that plant-forward consumers remain difficult to define – and it will be important to continue to collect data about how guests respond to your offerings along the protein spectrum.
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