22 restaurant trends to watch in 2023

Bye bye 2022! What's in store for 2023? What do consumers want from their restaurant experience? Which restaurant trends should you be following?

Every year, new ingredients, consumption patterns and concepts emerge as trends to follow. Adapting to them means responding to consumer demand. And therefore essential.

In 2023, we want to feel good about our bodies and care for the planet, but we're also in search of "wow" experiences, and we're thinking more about our consumption with inflation.

We've put together a list of 22 trends you won't want to underestimate in your restaurant this year!

Cooking better for you

This healthyness trend must seem to come back every year! But since covid, consumers are more concerned than ever about their personal well-being. And every year, new ingredients, methods and movements take center stage. We want to feel good in our bodies, through physical activity and nutrition.

1. The super powers of superfoods

Superfood: those foods rich in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and more, that customers are increasingly adopting as part of their daily diet. In 2020, everyone is crazy about avocado, quinoa, chia and ginger. This year, it's the turn of kale, spirulina, matcha and goji berries to make their way onto restaurant menus. 

2. Healthy yet comforting cooking

We're no longer talking about pokebowls, but about intelligent cuisine that brings together what the body needs on every plate. Today's customers are looking for balance, not excess fat, sugar or gluten. In 2023, we need to meet the demand for low glycemic index desserts, or desserts with no added sugar.

3. "Alcohol free please

We're seeing this in January, with 34% of French people starting a dry January. But it's also true of the many non-alcoholic beverage brands that have been launched in recent months, and which are proving a big hit. So don't underestimate the number of mocktails, champagne, wine and non-alcoholic beers on your restaurant's menu. Make your non-alcoholic menu more comprehensive and varied.

4. Oils, fermentation and mushrooms

They're everywhere, in trendy restaurants and recipes: kimchi and miso are all the rage in 2023! These fermented foods, to be accompanied by a fermented drink like kombucha, are taking over Instagram. Full of virtues, explosive on the palate, including kimchi or miso in your preparations is catching the eye of customers! Other trendy virtuous products include essential oils, flax or hemp, and mushrooms!

Better cooking for the planet

The importance of personal wellbeing is in line with a growing awareness of the health of the planet. Catering plays an important role in this.

5. Closer to the earth

Customers no longer accept tomatoes in winter or clementines in summer. They want seasonal, homemade produce, and value short distribution channels, for ecological reasons as well as for taste (fresh produce without additives). This awareness has accelerated since the health crisis.

6. In search of transparency

Seasonal produce and short distribution channels mean local production! So this desire to be close to the land goes hand in hand with a desire to know where food and its producers come from. A sector long left in the shadows, yet at the origin of every plate served in a restaurant. Customers like to hear stories about products and farmers, and this can be done via social media as well as within the restaurant. The label "Gruyère from the farm of xx" will have more impact on the customer than "Gruyère".

7. Towards a more ethical regime

And yes, it goes without saying! Today, 6% of the French population follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, a figure that continues to grow. And 24% of French people call themselves flexitarians. With this wave of people eating less or no meat at all, put the emphasis on plant-based proposals in your restaurant ! And don't forget to include dishes adapted to vegan diets.

8. Natural products in vogue

Chickpea water, plant milks, coffee grounds: ingredients that replace others in your recipes. These vegan alternatives, which our customers love, can also add a new sparkle to your dish! And when it comes to beverages, natural wines and craft beers are booming in popularity. Add them to your selection as a matter of urgency!

9. Monitoring daily activities

Customers are becoming increasingly attentive and concerned about the "hidden" workings of your restaurant. Plastic has become a fashion faux pas! So you need to ban all plastic packaging in their eyes, but also show your attention to recycling and non-waste. Even better? Food composting! These initiatives, which are generally invisible to your customers, can be highlighted on your social media website!

10. An ecological approach expected on the plate

But you can go even further! Reduce the size of your menu to prioritize quality and respect for the environment, rather than quantity, and use products from A to Z in your recipes: your customers are looking for this type of action more than ever.

11. "Wow a label!"

Recent labels, such as Ecotable or the Michelin Green Star, are gaining in importance. They are becoming genuine added values in the eyes of customers, and even selection criteria. To obtain one of these labels, certain conditions must be met.

An experience beyond the culinary

Confinement far behind us, we want to make up for lost time today! Live real restaurant experiences, let yourself be surprised, share it on social media.

12. Let's get moving

In addition to the expected promise on the plate, customers are now looking for a complete experience, action in the restaurant, to feast their eyes on, to be able to Instagram ! With so many conceptual restaurants springing up, their expectations are changing. We need more than just a nice plate today. In 2023, trends are moving towards fire, embers, show, immersive, live cooking, an open kitchen to be part of the action from the stoves.

13. Eating out

Food courts, pop ups, tables d'hôtes, caterers, festivals, food markets, events of all kinds: in 2023, we love to dine in unusual, ephemeral places that arouse curiosity, a sense of urgency and the impression of a unique experience. So get your restaurant out of the restaurant!

14. Unique limited editions

Collaborations work in fashion, but also in the restaurant business! Limited-edition menus with a chef, another restaurant or a brand - we're seeing more and more of them! Customers are looking for something new, so when two universes they love come together, they're ready to line up! The advantage for your restaurant: reach twice as many customers. A model that also applies to delivery.

15. Flexibility in supply

Vegetarian, flexitarian, vegan, gluten-free... consumers are demanding flexibility to enjoy a catering experience that suits them. Since 2022 and in 2023, the "Make Your Own" concept has been a hit. The ability to create your own dishes for a personalized experience.

16. Voyage voyage

Asian cuisine is as popular as ever, with new specialties arriving every year! After sushi, bobuns and ramen, okonomiyaki is set to take center stage in 2023. If you're not an Asian restaurant? Simple inspirations, little touches of foreign countries, which make your cuisine a fusion between several countries, bring that originality that consumers love.

17. Instagrammable recipes and foods

social media, Instagram and TikTok in particular, are influencing the expectations of your "connected" clientele. Trendy ingredients, such as edible flowers, recipes that have gone viral and butter platters, attract this clientele.

Spending without breaking the bank

Inflation is having an impact on the purchasing power of the French, limiting spontaneous restaurant visits. Delivery, on the other hand, continues to play an important role in French people's daily lives.

18. Restaurant at home

47% of French people have meals delivered, compared with 39% in 2019 before covid. Eating at home will be more than decisive in 2023 as purchasing power declines. But without sacrificing quality! New ethical platforms are emerging, and with a more pronounced ethical commitment, customers are turning to them.

19. Quick but delicious

Top-of-the-range sandwiches, sophisticated salad bowls, focaccia...: in addition to the speed factor , quality is a must for lunch breaks in 2023. Artisanal grocery stores and bakeries are all the rage!

20. Low prices

Feel like you're getting a bargain! Offers, promotions and discounts will have an impact on customer consumption this year.

A world of connected foodservice

21. From the video from the video from the video

When they're not in the restaurant, your customers are consuming content on social media. And what they prefer, and can spend hours watching: videos! So if they land on your Instagram profile and find gourmet video content, you're going to increase your chances of getting them to come to you!

22. A digital experience with subscription

Today, digital technology is an integral part of French people's daily lives.