From a catering subscription and a dessert restaurant to digital appetite and escapism. According to Iris Kranenburg, editor-in-chief of Horeca Entree magazine, these are a number of trends for 2021. What else can the catering industry expect this year?
"Hotel bars and restaurants, in the course of 2021 they will be packed again," says editor-in-chief Iris Kranenburg of Entree Magazine during the online Horecava on February 1. "New locations and restaurants will therefore be just as booming as the hotspots," she says. This corresponds to what Jaime van 't Hoenderdaal (of Lightspeed) did during a previous session said. "Since hotspots will be full in no time, as a starting entrepreneur you have to be easy to find and ensure that you can fill those gaps," says van 't Hoenderdaal. But, which trends in the hospitality industry should they take into account?
Subscriptions and Escapism
First of all, the term 'escapism' is something that will crop up frequently in 2021. "This literally means: 'getting away from reality for a while', and if there is one thing that many people are ready for, that is it," explains Kranenburg. "In concrete terms, it means that dinner or lunch is covered with something spectacular. You can think of theater, but also, for example, live cooking." The so-called 'club restaurant' concept (including live music or dancers) comes close. In these restaurants you have the feeling that you are in a club and since that is not yet possible for the time being, that concept can score highly, according to Kranenburg.
Another trend is the 'catering subscription'. In the United States, Panera Bread launched a so-called 'coffee subscription'. Consumers can come and get coffee for a fixed amount per month. "The concept is popular, because within a short period of time it already had more than 800.000 subscribers. That is why I expect that this will also be introduced in the Netherlands (perhaps this year already)," says Kranenburg. Something that has also proved particularly popular is the dessert restaurant. Here you will find a 7-course menu with only desserts. "A pop-up restaurant was set up in Apeldoorn and it was fully booked within one day for the entire summer."
Influencers
Influencers will also continue to play a major role in 2021. "You should especially think of the micro-influencers. Since the lockdown, large, expensive influencers have become less important. After all, they could no longer fly over to the Netherlands." According to Kranenburg, the micro-influencers may even have a greater effect. "They have a better connection with the target group, for example because they have the same interests or live in the same area." Influencers also awaken our digital appetite through photos.
All in all, Kranenburg expects that this year can be compared with the 'roaring twenties'. In the period after the First World War and the Spanish flu, everyone was ready to 'celebrate life'. "If we are to believe sociologists and trend watchers, we will experience this setting again in the coming months."
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