50 ultra-profitable restaurant trends and concepts for 2025

They're innovative AND they're big business! In this new Malou article, our food experts round up the latest restaurant concepts and ideas that are making a big splash in France. On the agenda: new mergers, mono-concepts, clever ingredients, minimalism... A brief overview to give you some inspiration. 

Creating a profitable restaurant concept in 2025

Are you preparing to open a restaurant? Or a new concept for a second establishment? You've come to the right place! At Malou, we've been working with restaurateurs for over 10 years to help them become as visible as possible and attract customers over the long term.

👉 The most important elements for success : 

• Have a solid, differentiating concept that meets a real need. That's why keeping an eye on current food trends, even if your concept is traditional, will enable you to meet the expectations of your future customers. 
• Your location has a huge impact on what you can offer. Depending on the demand in your neighborhood and the competition in the area, you'll know whether it's better to offer an evening or lunchtime service (or both), takeaway sales, whether you're taking too many risks because a competitor is right across the street... 
• From the outset, work on your digital marketing to boost your reputation and increase your revenues. Today, 8 out of 10 people choose a restaurant online. They also systematically look at reviews, even in front of an establishment's door. The good news is that this work will enable you to control your customer flow and ensure your long-term success.

💡 Our advice: lay all these elements out flat in a dedicated a business plan dedicated to your restaurant project.

‍Itwill serve as your compass and help you secure financing (loans, investors). 

Finally, the financial aspect is essential. You will prepare :

• A budget dedicated to the opening of the restaurant;
• A forecasted financial plan to achieve ideal control of your margins, sales, break-even point, etc.

Then, throughout your project, there are several strategies to help you improve your margins.

👉 As you've probably guessed, a successful restaurant is all about a strong concept, gourmet good taste, know-how and good control of your margins. This year, a number of restaurants have understood this: here are the latest ideas that have stood out in the restaurant business!

Single-dish or mono-concepts

Minimalist menus, inexpensive raw materials, low production costs, optimized preparation times... Mono-concept restaurants can offer high quality and expertise, while making economies of scale. 

New sandwich shops

In the land of ham and butter, sandwiches are always a winning bet. 

What works in 2025: premium versions likeAlain Miam Miam 's gargantuan sandwiches or the jambon-comté at the Ritz (the most expensive in Paris). 

But there are also exploding international versions such as bokits bokits(Banmbokit, Chick'n Kreyol) or even the sanguches (Compadre Paris). 

Our customer Nonette had the excellent idea of creating a concept based solely on banh mi and donuts with kaya cream.

Pizzerias and related products 

Known as one of the most profitable dishes in the restaurant business, pizza is a firm favorite with the French. 

What works: "real" Italian-style pizze(Pizzou) that focus on fine products and authenticity.

There's also New York-style XXL pizzas(The Slicerie Paris), sold by the slice in a pop decor. 

You can also launch a mono-product like pizza. For example: flammekuech(Flam's), "quicheries" (MOF Christophe Haton's luxury quiches) or Turkish pizza "lahmacun"... Anything is possible!

Premium burgers

With 1.5 billion units consumed in France every year, luxury burgers (French meat, aged cheeses, brioche buns or American-style "buns") have literally exploded since 2015. Examples: the dazzling success of PNY (Paris New York) or Dumbo's famous smash burgers. 

Beware: according to L'Officiel de la Franchise, the burger market could be saturated!

The right idea: create a franchised restaurant, set up in a city where the market is not yet mature, or reinvent the burger concept.

For example, Disco Burger's Korean-style sealed burgers.

Pasta with authentic sauce

Pasta is a benchmark dish, both gourmet and highly profitable because it's based on few ingredients and seasonal ingredients.

Go for real Italian-style pasta(cacio e pepe, carbonara) for maximum authenticity. Like Big Mamainsist on decoration, portions and Instagrammable effects (giant pecorino scraped off the plate, cast-iron pasta pans...).

On the Asian side, soups based on fresh, hand-stretched pasta continue to delight the French. The ingredients remain simple (broth, pasta, vegetables), but what counts is the authentic know-how. These include ramen fromIppudo and phôs from We Cantine.

And yes, soup (also) boosts sales. 

Taquerias and empenaderias

The market for tacos and empanadas in France is very dynamic and promising.

On the agenda for 2025: authentic, ancestral recipes such as Taco Mesa's like Taco Mesa 's tacos and tamales or Clasico Argentino's ultra-tasty empanadas.

💡 Good idea: "upsell" with trendy extras like traditional dulce desserts or the pisco cocktails so popular with Parisians.

Poutinerie and pataterie 

Let's talk potatoes! A delicious, inexpensive, highly volatile and much-loved product in France, it can be the subject of viral concepts for the younger generation. 

Examples: the success of Pataterie for gourmands and Poutinerie for those nostalgic for Canada. A good idea for 2025: play on the "wow" effect of large platters and melted cheese in "food porn" style on the networks.

💡Did you know: the keyword "raclette" is searched on Google around 75,000 times a month, as of October 🤯. Real stars on Instagram, French specialties based on melted cheeses from our regions are shared enormously. Why not open a racletterie?

The "tiktok" and "insta" desserts 

You see them all over the web: Korean-style fluffy pancakes,flat croissants, trompe l'oeil desserts and artisanal doughnuts.

These sweet, "street food" products are the subject of real trends on the networks. The secret: do less but better! Play on product excellence (flours, butter) and visual appeal. 

Case in point: our Manteigaria customer, dedicated to authentic pasteis de natas, or Mamiche's famous buns and creations.

Coffee shops around the world

Coffee shops are a must. A business model that originated in the United States and Australia (notably the famous "flat white"), these ultra-cosy places are ideal for snacks, breakfasts and delicious, healthy drinks. healthy drinks. The advantage: high margins on drinks!

Successful concepts include increasingly original and healthy drinks (golden latte, CBD juice, charcoal and vitamins at Wild & The Moon), 100% matcha coffees, Vietnamese coffees like Caphette or Turkish coffee at Ibrik.

💡 For this concept to work, you need to insist on barista know-how, quality ingredients (especially coffee) and the comfort/decor of the venue.

Brunch 

We already told you about it last year: the brunch trend is indefatigable. Like all-you-can-eat buffets, it's a high-volume, high-margin business, especially at times of the day that used to be slow (10:30am-12pm, 2pm-5pm). So if you're a restaurant, a weekend brunch offer is an excellent idea for attracting more customers!

Like coffee shops, the premises must lend themselves to comfort (or even be "kid-friendly") and the menus offer a Franco-American range of sweet and savory dishes (hot drinks, mimosa, granola, viennoiserie, egg benedict, pancakes, etc.).

Champions to watch: Holly Belly and Loulou , who generate thousands of reactions on Instagram.

Epicurean wine bars, microbreweries and brew pubs

As with coffee, alcoholic beverages are highly profitable, with gross margins reaching 80%.

With their very "French epicurean" feel, wine bars are seductive. Oenological experiences, the pleasure of tapas and platters, unusual settings (a wine cellar, a microbrewery)... The famous "vins nat's"(natural wines) and locally brewed beers are particularly fashionable!

Good examples: wine cellar-style at Grains, concept-store-style at Drink&Co, or microbrewery-style at BapBap.

Popular broths

Like wine bars, the new bouillons draw on French roots: retro decor, old-fashioned dishes, recipes from yesteryear... All with generosity and low prices. Why it's good value: popular and unpretentious, bouillon-style kitchens give pride of place to simple dishes and seasonal produce (mayo eggs, seasonal soups, vinaigrette leeks). 

To make it work, plan to open as late as possible! In Paris, the bouillons are in full swing from the aperitif to the end of the evening or the cinema.

The star example: Bouillon Pigalle, which has spread throughout Paris.

Grocery and dairy-style creameries and cheese dairies

Dedicated to good food, these restaurants are making a comeback. The concept: a cheese shop/grocery store where you can do your shopping, as well as enjoy platters and tapas on the spot. Cheeses, charcuterie, yoghurts and wines all make good margins, and the dishes require little preparation (just setting up). 

Examples include the La Chapelle dairy and Benat, where you can enjoy a mini-terrace.

Vegetarian and vegan canteens

We're not telling you anything: meatless dishes are in vogue. The big advantage: meat is one of the most expensive products, with the highest carbon footprint. Conversely, local, seasonal fruit and vegetables are cheap! The vegetarian and/or vegan business model is therefore both profitable and sustainable.

What's working in 2025: ultra-festive , gourmet atmospheres like the Ora restaurant , where you eat right at the table (without a plate) and the waiters dance and party. Farm to table"is also very much in vogue, where customers like to contemplate the vegetable garden from which their dish comes directly.

French creperies

What if every day was Candlemas? In the land of buckwheat and buckwheat, the crêpe is still the talk of the town.

You can opt for a classic concept, either directly operated or franchised like Breizh Café.

Another good idea: modernize the crêperie concept! Just as Brutus and Armelle have done with their "make crêpes great again", "cidrologues et crepophiles", tapas supplements and a "cider bar".

Immersive all-you-can-eat buffets

Is the all-you-can-eat buffet really profitable and up to date? The answer is yes: the concept is making a comeback in 2025, and can work, provided that the dishes offered are of high quality. In this case, profitability is ensured by high customer turnover (which increases the number of covers) and by savings on staff.

Leading concepts: experiences! Japanese buffets on TikTok(Kumo Restaurant), the immersive Under the Sea by Ephemera, the all-you-can-eat Indian Tandoori House or the Brazilian meat experience by Rodizio porta da selva.

Salad bars

Like all-you-can-eat buffets, salad bars have the advantage of reducing staff costs. They also rely on large volumes of green, seasonal ingredients, which are less expensive. What works well: franchises like Mister Garden or Picadeli, which focus on "healthy" and connected products.

Takeaway sales

5 years after the pandemic, delivery-based concepts continue to innovate. 

Why is it profitable? It's a well-known fact that delivery and sales often go hand in hand. This model reduces the most important expense items: rent, room, staff costs... And allows you to rapidly test new food concepts.

Food trucks

They're still all the rage! A business model on wheels that originated in the United States, food trucks require less initial investment andpay for themselves quickly. Ideal for testing new street food or fusion cuisine concepts . They're nomadic, so you can pick up customers anywhere and offer special deals (festivals, events, weddings...). There are also a number of ways in which you can help set them up.

Models to follow: after the explosion of Le Camion qui Fume, the trend is towards sweet desserts (vintage ice creams at Glazed) and fusion concepts (arepas fromAji Dulce or pastels from Chweet).

Dark kitchens and ghost kitchens

No room, no staff, no furniture: the dark kitchen business model is still going strong. A recent Apur study pinpoints the favorite locations of the best-known brands (Paris and suburbs, notably Bagneux and Aubervillier), enabling them to flourish. 

Models to follow include Big Mamma's Napoli Gang, Frichti, Deliveroo and Not So Dark, who are testing virtual brands. 

Microplaces

These places are often described as "the smallest xxx in Paris ! Compared to their high quality, their small size is impressive. The advantage for the restaurateur: a small place means low rent, no room (or reduced cover) and few staff.

Good examples: the smallest Japanese restaurant in Paris, Asuka, and the famous sourdough bread from Éléments, the smallest bakery in Paris. What works: the secret, unusual feel of the little "boui-boui"-style place. 

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👨🍳What did you think of this catalog of ideas? One thing's for sure: 2025 is full of trends and new concepts to try out!

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