Travel Megatrends 2018

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Independents

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: A New Kind of Big Money Can Remake Independent Restaurants

6 years ago

Big opens need big money in destinations where real estate and talent come with big price tags. The professionalization of this restaurant investment community was the logical next step.

Operations

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Ordering and Payment Tech Create Haves and Have-Nots

6 years ago

As restaurants streamline their operations and hone app-based loyalty programs, technology dictates the divide between those who can participate and those who can't.

Tech

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Hit List Dining Changes the Game

6 years ago

Where to eat is important — but suggestions of what to eat are even more influential these days. But chasing after one famous and photogenic dish means you might miss out on all the rest.

Chains

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Fast Food Drops the Corporate Voice in Favor of Personality

6 years ago

As competition in the quick service market intensifies, having a rebellious streak that engages potential customers and differentiates concepts from dozens of similar brands no longer seems like a risk, but a necessity.

Independents

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Restaurants Make Sustainability Visible

6 years ago

With local sourcing no longer serving as a trend, but increasingly as the status quo, restaurants are making their commitments to sustainability more visible to diners than ever before, with specific design elements at the forefront of their efforts.

Tech

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Good Content Is the Path to Bot Recommendations

6 years ago

In a race to personalize everything, from your news feed to the ads you see, companies are embracing artificial intelligence to get to the perfect answer. But it's going to take much more human curation before the robots take over.

Tech

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Logistics Complicate Ambitious Delivery Algorithms

6 years ago

Delivery companies have done well to incorporate as much efficiency-supporting technology as possible, but the real barrier to total optimization will continue to be the complicated logistics of real life. 

Chains

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Chains Turn to Famous Chefs for Menu Development

6 years ago

Over the past few years, established chains have turned to chefs to add a dose of authenticity to their menus and a refresh to their brands. A chef and chain partnership adds value but should be only one part of a brand's reinvigoration.

Independents

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Fine Casual Is the New Fast Casual

6 years ago

Fine casual, yet another term coined to describe the new ways Americans dine, marries elements of fast casual and fine dining. No matter what you want to call these restaurants, expect many more.

Design

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Design Has a ‘More Is More’ Moment

6 years ago

Distinctive elements will dominate in restaurant design through 2018. Bold color choices, stand-out patterns, text-heavy neon signage, and witty branding will shape identities for new spaces, and the perceptions of those who experience them— virtually or otherwise.

Independents

Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Restaurants Use Experiences to Fight Delivery Boom

6 years ago

The in-restaurant experience is changing, and it’s a direct result of new technologies aimed at making our lives simpler. Sometimes the tech creates a threat, as has happened with delivery. And sometimes it creates opportunity, as we see in the ways smart restaurants are addressing said threat.

Operations

The Megatrends Defining Restaurants in 2018

6 years ago

These are the ideas that will shape the year ahead in restaurants from tech to design to finance and beyond.