"The 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry report
(from the National Restaurant Association) is considered the most authoritative source for restaurant industry sales projections and trends. It is based on analysis of the latest economic data and extensive surveys of 6,000 restaurant operators and 1,000 adult consumers."
And this year, as a gift to restaurant owners, they are giving it away for
free for non-members (normally $149).
There is extremely valuable information in the report. We highly recommend downloading a copy for your business!!!
The report confirms 2020 was the most challenging year ever experienced by the restaurant industry and covers:
- The restaurant sales forecast for 2021
- Operational changes including off-premises business and accelerated tech adoption
- Consumer influencers, opinions and intentions
- Food & menu trends including best sellers
- Employment levels by state
- And more…
And we were very interested to learn about the new technology trends. Here is a sneak peak:
TECHNOLOGY:
Roughly half of full-service, fast casual, and coffee & snack operators say they devoted more resources to tech including online or in-app ordering, mobile payment and delivery
management since March.
While the technology itself hasn’t changed much since pre-COVID-19 days, tech adoption rates accelerated. What might have been “nice to have” became “need to have.” Operators implemented changes with increasing focus on safety and convenience to help keep the business from going under.
And a reminder, please support your local restaurant associations! We are grateful for all their hard work!
