Here are the top 5 trends that are set to shape the Singapore food and beverage industry. It is clear that environmental sustainability and online platforms are the buzzwords in 2019. To keep up with changing consumer expectations, restaurants owners need to rapidly adapt to these latest unstoppable trends. Are you ready?
Trend 1: Eco-Friendly Packaging
To cope with the increasing awareness of the sustainability in food and beverage packaging, restaurants are seeking packaging methods that make less impact on the planet. This measure will build better reputations among your like-minded customers in the long run.
Here are some practical tips to try:
· First, substitute plastic straw with strawless lids or straw made of eco-friendly materials
· Second, switch to biodegradable packing box and cutlery made from, for example, recyclable cardboard, bioplastic or corn starch
· Also, consider high-tech materials: using inks made from soy and milk protein instead of harsh chemicals
· And finally, think out of the box: using palm-leaf packing box or edible cutlery made from rice, sorghum, and wheat, which can be eaten as a biscuit
Trend 2: Drinks for Teetotalers
Alcoholic drinks are commonly paired with foods to complement the taste and to cleanse the greasy feeling. Teetotalers should not miss out flawless dining experience! Sometimes, it can be overwhelming for teetotalers to look through the menu at a bar with their colleagues. But carefully crafted non-alcoholic cocktails allows teetotalers to feel comfortable and included in social events. More and more restaurants are discovering new mocktails and alternative pairing menus. Some of the notable trends include no-alcohol spirits, Kombucha, ginger ale, agua fresca.
Trend 3: Less is More
In this new year, people will seek small niche restaurants. Instead of offering a wide range of choices — which may lead to decidophobia, these restaurants only provide a narrow selection of chef’s specials. What positive impacts will it bring about by doing subtraction on your menu?
· On one hand, you will impress customers from mass competitors by spotlighting your exclusive specialties
· On the other hand, you will gain cost leadership by realising the economy of scales and getting rid of unnecessary resource occupation
Trend 4: Buy Local
Local purchasing has been a new philosophy for restaurants owners in Singapore. A growing number of restaurants start to look for what ingredients can be purchased locally or close to Singapore.
The main rationale behind this trend is about environmental protection. First of all, bringing produce from afar consumes more energy than transporting locally-sourced ingredients. Transportation contributes to environmental contamination in addition to the pollution caused by chemical inputs in the growing phase. Moreover, local agriculture rarely uses genetically modified crops, monoculture production, or chemical fertilizer-intensive processes.
Trend 5: Online Platform
Finally, the rise of mobile apps sounds an alert to traditional restaurant managing model. A few years ago, customers were owned by restaurants. Back then, customers had to go through the merchants to order and pay in their POS systems. But nowadays, this power is gradually shifted to the mobile ordering and payment apps, such as Waitrr. It bypasses the traditional offline POS systems and enables customers to finish all the processes on their phones.
The power shifting benefits restaurants owners in multiple respects. Some of the most direct advantages are:
· First, it solves the problem of labor shortage and cuts operating expenses
· Second, it substantially reduces average waiting time
· As a result, it improves the overall dining experience
· Moreover, these apps now are the sources of customers. So mobile device becomes an efficient tool for restaurants to retain their customers and to establish a one-to-one connection.
