Welcome to the future of restaurants. We are in the year 2023 and restaurants have changed to adapt to the new times. This transformation has meant a totally different experience for customers. 

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In this post, we will explain the latest developments in the restaurant industry and see how they are reinventing themselves to satisfy modern customers.

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Restaurants of the future: discover the evolution of the restaurant industry

Before talking about the future of restaurants, we must mention the various historical steps that have led the restaurant concept to become what it is today.  

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Are you ready to dive into the world of catering? Let's get started!

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The birth of the modern restaurant is the result of the social and cultural elaboration of the restaurant "concept" that existed long before. 

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Let's discover together the evolution of the restaurant and look ahead to understand, in principle, what it will be like in the near future. 

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If you are thinking about starting a restaurant, you will be interested in this other article in which we tell you how to how to open a restaurant in 10 steps.

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How did the restaurant concept come about? 

France is the birthplace of the restaurant. In fact, in the years before the French Revolution, trattorias proliferated, offering a greater variety of dishes, with small tables arranged for a certain number of customers. 

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But not only that, in Madrid we have the oldest restaurant in the world still in operation: the Botín, founded in 1725 in a building of the sixteenth century. It was founded by the granddaughter of the French chef Jean Botin, who moved to Spain in the early 17th century. Here he married an Asturian woman and opened an inn, a temple of Castilian tradition!

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In 1782, moreover, Antoine Beauvillers, having left the service of the Count of Provence, opened such a restaurant in Paris.

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In addition, it should be remembered that in Paris, in the 1760s, there were already restaurants that enjoyed the grace of Parisian society. The clientele, however, was somewhat different from the usual restaurant clientele of today. These places were ideal for those who needed to get healthy, as they provided broths and soups for everyone at affordable prices.

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During the era of terror, they became an excellent refuge for aristocrats thanks to the discretion they offered. At the same time, cooks employed by the city's unemployed aristocratic residences created public places where they could satisfy a sufficient number of customers and thus ensure their survival. 

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In the European panorama of the 18th century, London was an exception, as it had a considerable number of taverns of a much higher standard than their European counterparts. 

They were often luxurious establishments where refined dishes were served, accompanied by good port or sherry. 

The clientele of the taverns was very select and was found among the men of the high bourgeoisie or the aristocracy, in particular the gentlemen who sat in Parliament. During the Napoleonic era, these connotations disappeared, becoming mere places for gastronomic tasting.  

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After the French Revolution, we found that the profession of cook had become a fashion, a social reality that literally exploded. 

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The end of the 19th century saw the development of luxury tourism and the emergence of a restaurant industry linked to hotels. During the wars, on the other hand, catering was only for the bourgeoisie, and the chef was finally seen as the supporting figure in the restaurant!  

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After the 1950s and the economic boom that also affected Italy, instead, there was a constant evolution and differentiation of the restaurant concept: before, it was mainly based on the concept of popular cuisine and even the kitchen-hotel binomial was associated with low quality. 

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What are restaurants like today? 

Today, restaurants have evolved and have become a world of their own. And if not, think of everything that has developed around restaurants thanks to the web and new technologies. 

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What will the restaurants of the future look like?

Although this 2022 was not like the movie "Back to the Future," full of technology and flying shoes, at least we can make a prediction of what restaurants will be like in ten years. 

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There will be three slogans:

• Sustainability 
• Technology
• Marketing 

Sustainability  

There will be more and more ecological awareness in the management of restaurants to take care of the environment. It will be more common toreduce the use of plastic, use sustainable energy systems and devices, as well as methods for saving, recycling and reusing resources. In addition, plastic or polystyrene utensils will disappear. 

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If you want to learn more about this concept, you can take a look at our 13 tips to make your restaurant more sustainable.

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Technology 

Trends show that portable payment terminals that allow you to pay directly from the table via your cell phone will gain popularity.

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Already today we find fewer and fewer paper menus, replaced by virtual menus accessible via QR code. Digital tablets, displays, menus and tables will help improve customer loyalty by offering restaurant-specific augmented reality experiences.

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Functional robots perform small mechanical tasks, allowing staff to focus on food quality and creativity , all for customer satisfaction! 

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There are already some franchises that use robots to deliver the food to the different tables. Not bad, right? 

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Marketing 

There will be marketing strategies adapted to different types of potential customers and according to the type of restaurant. 

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Advertising will be used more and more and online presence through different channels will be more and more important. 

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Certainly, during the pandemic months it has been crucial to have a presence on the Internet, and many in the foodservice business are realizing that it is an opportunity they can exploit to attract new customers and retain them .

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Being present on social networks, creating eye-catching ads and videos, having a highly optimized Google My Business listing to boost local marketing, being present on Glovo and having great reviews on TripAdvisor will be, and should be, a norm in this super-digital world.  

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Smart restaurants  

Smart restaurants are nothing more than the reimagining of the old trattorias. They create new dishes with tradition in mind and are a strong innovation in Spain. 

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Creativity is based on food and layout, with an excellent wine selection. 

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All this seasoned with an impeccable dose of entrepreneurship and marketing to better sell this new product.  

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The dark Kitchen

We can't end a post about restaurants of the future without talking about this concept that exploded during the pandemic months. 

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Dark kitchens (also known as cloud kitchens or virtual kitchens) are shared kitchen spaces where prepared orders are prepared and delivered to customers via food delivery apps such as Uber Eats, Glovo or similar. 

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These kitchens are located in large commercial buildings and multiple restaurants share the same kitchen space. Restaurants do not have to worry about location, décor, supplies, staffing or order management. This allows restaurants to save money and time by not having to invest in managing a location. 

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This format also helps restaurants reach more customers and increase profits. This is because customers can order food from the comfort of their home without having to visit the business, so restaurants can expand their geographic reach without having to open more locations. 

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Dark kitchens have gained popularity in recent years, as they allow restaurants to take advantage of the economics of home delivery without having to worry about a physical location (premises, waiters...). 

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If you want more information about what dark kitchens are and how they work we leave you our guide.

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We can conclude by commenting that the restaurant trend of the future will continue to evolve over time to offer customers the best possible dining experience. 

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Modern restaurants are transforming to create a unique experience that combines food, entertainment and technology. This includes offering personalized meals, smart technologies, ordering apps, live entertainment and many other features to enhance the customer experience.

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The restaurants of the future will offer customers a unique and memorable experience that will keep them coming back for more.