LESSON 2.1. FOODSERVICE TRENDS AND CHALLENGES

• Kitchen space is shrinking as rent prices go up. As a result, many restaurant owners are choosing smaller kitchen equipment that can perform multiple functions to optimize their space.

  Space saving and multifunctional
• Manufacturers continue to discover new ways to avoid using 100% plastic in their disposable products. With new innovative products like straws made from hay or mineral filled polypropylene containers, restaurant owners can limit the amount of plastic they purchase and distribute to customers.

  Innovative disposable material
• You can now buy a $6 burger made by the first all-in-one burger machine at the Creator restaurant in San Francisco. One of the benefits of using robots in the kitchen is that repetitive or high risk tasks can be allotted to machines.

  Robotics
• Now kitchens in restaurants, schools, and healthcare facilities can produce fresh, organic micro greens without the need for a local garden. Green growing cabinets are designed to hold growing trays and regulate lighting, water, and humidity to produce the best tasting organic greens and herbs.

  Green-growing cabinets
• Equipment that would normally be out of sight is now front and center for all customers to see. Features like transparent windows provide a view of food while it cooks, creating an immersive experience for guests.

  Transparent windows
• This will circulate air and collect the grease produced by commercial cooking equipment without the need for outside venting. This allows operators to install hoods in locations that won’t support a traditional hood system, like food trucks or historical buildings without duct work.

  Ventless hood systems
• restaurants are giving customers the option to order their favorite breakfast foods any time of day.

  All day breakfast
• The collective taste buds of consumers are becoming more sophisticated, so why shouldn’t that cross over into kids menus? Parents want healthy meals for their kids, but they also want a kids menu that features creative dishes with new flavors

  Diverse kid menus
• The availability of allergen-safe kitchen products is allowing cooks to designate completely allergen-free work spaces and storage solutions.

  Allergen friendly kitchen
• some establishments are choosing to create a __ kitchen by dropping disposables and coming up with innovative ways to use all parts of their food.

  Zero waste
• These are communal dining spaces where operators can rent a booth to test out their restaurant concept. Many food halls feature a list of rotating vendors that showcase the best cuisine in the area.

  Food halls
• The demand for plant-based options is on the rise, and restaurant owners are realizing that even omnivores want to see a greater variety of healthy, sustainable choices when they look at the menu.

  Plant–based option
• Not just for convenience stores, healthy _-_-_ foods can boost sales in coffee shops and fast casual stores as well.

  Healthy grab and go stores
• Most __ takeout containers are 100% biodegradable.

  Eco-friendly takeout containers
• Manufacturers have to adapt by creating ultra-lite delivery equipment for their delivery people who are taking more orders with them or are riding bikes or scooters to navigate the city.

  Ultra lite delivery
• digital menu board, data mining, training technology, voice operated ordering kiosk, food pick up lockers, tap to pay devices

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