2022 has been a challenging year for the hospitality industry, with ongoing staff shortages, soaring bills and decreased consumer spending causing a myriad of pressures. As operators start 2023, they will be sure to consider how to increase footfall and foster long-term loyalty. Jumping on the latest industry trends is a surefire way to attract attention for their venue and allow them to put their restaurant’s offerings on the map. Making the business a community staple In a world of choice, it will be more crucial than ever for operators to foster loyalty this year. With more and more venues waking up to the importance of guest data, utilising customer information to personalise the guest experience to both individual guests and the wider community can help cement a venue as a local staple. Offering incentives by way of a loyalty program will encourage customers, especially locals, to keep coming back through the doors. Whether operators provide diners with a free dessert with every fifth meal, use loyalty cards to allow guests to unlock secret menu items, or pre-empt their birthday and offer a free bottle of wine if they book with you, adding that special touch is a great way to instill a strong community bond between a restaurant and diners. This will create a feel-good atmosphere, in which locals can reap the benefits of supporting the business. For restaurant brands with multiple venues or locations, we’re seeing that diners want a more personalised, authentic experience. Taking inspiration from each location’s history and local community could serve to influence the interiors or could even be used to develop specialised menu items. Making these with locally sourced ingredients or investing a percentage of profits from this dish back into the local community are great ways of humanising larger brands. Opening the doors to local businesses by way of partnerships or offering to host community events will foster stronger ties with the community and help establish a venue as a ‘go-to’ place within the area. Menu curation As palettes and food trends inevitably vary and change – for example, retro food is expected to make a comeback, and Pan-African cuisine is predicted to be huge next year - operators must do all they can to cater to a wide range of preferences and restrictions, whilst minimising food waste. A large part of this will require restaurants to become more intentional about optimising the ingredients they order. Utilising guest data to keep track of top selling dishes and patron favourites at different locations and times of year will help operators plan menus in advance. If, for instance, a venue offers more plant-based dishes in January to coincide with Veganuary, operators will be able to reduce cost and waste by ordering less meat for that month. Developing themed menus that explore plant-based trends or focus on a few popular ingredients will help pique diners’ interest and spread the word about the menu. Implementing social bookings Social media channels such as Instagram and particularly TikTok are going to continue to have a significant impact on diner spending habits, particularly among Gen Z, who are spending £857 million a week in restaurants, pubs and bars. Despite 58% of Gen Z consumers stating that they would visit more restaurants if they could book through socials, nearly two-thirds of restaurants are still not taking bookings through social media. If operators are to capitalise on ‘going viral’, they must establish a clear online presence for their venue. Restaurants that curate their online presence with regular posts and accessible booking will be in a much better position to build stronger guest relationships in 2023. Thinking omnichannel More generally, an omnichannel approach that meets the needs of modern consumers, wherever they are, is crucial. Customers are starting to discover restaurants in more places than ever before, including places they never would have thought to look like TikTok, and these new pathways will require restaurants to change their approach to how they interact with guests. To address this head on, there must be a distinct, strong move by platforms and operators towards all-in-one systems that allow the customer to interact with the restaurant across multiple touchpoints and channels. This omnichannel approach means allowing operators to distribute their inventory in a way that meets customers where they are, and sell through multiple avenues – ultimately leading to a better customer experience for all, more revenue and stronger loyalty in a cluttered field. Maximising resources As we start 2023 and the dark cloud of a recession looms over everyone’s head, for many it’s about doing more with less: guests are increasingly cutting back on spending and restaurants have ever-increasing costs. We’re likely to begin to see the adoption of more automation to help streamline operations and a higher uptake of payment technologies to lock in revenue. However, above all, we’ll see a higher expectation for stellar experiences from diners. As a result, operators will need to remember more about the guests that come into their restaurants and will use more AI and data-driven tools to do so. It’s imperative that they embrace the role of data in the personalisation of the guest experience, to not only bring customers through the doors, but to drive loyalty that will keep them coming back time after time. Looking ahead As we enter a period of economic uncertainty, operators must be prepared for all eventualities that may lie ahead. Attracting more diners will depend on operators’ ability to tap into key trends and make the reservations process as accessible as possible. As dining habits and preferences continue to evolve, it is crucial that we keep our ears to the ground and take full advantage of guest data to predict and meet the ever-changing demands of diners. (source: Danilo Mangano, MD International, SevenRooms, image: pexels)