FSR December 2022

2023 PREDIC T IONS

delivery drivers don’t even have to come inside. e Moxy Hotel, which is soon to open in Atlanta, plans to sell meals from its taco concept directly from a walk-up window from the kitchen, which leads out onto a busy street. And in October, James Beard nominated chef Peter Chang opened a full-service concept, Chang-In, with a completely separate Chang-Out for pickup and third-party delivery orders. Located in D.C., the dual restaurant has separate entrances for its two busi nesses, which “are designed to com plement one another and drive traf fic between themselves depending on what experience the guests are look ing for,” says Lydia Chang, the chef ’s daughter and business partner. ❿ SHOWPIECE EQUIPMENT As more restaurants feature open or exhibition kitchens, operators will

want to bring a wow factor to these functional spaces. Rick McCormack, founder of interior design firm Stu dio McCormack in Southern Califor nia, says that extending brand colors to kitchen equipment makes a strong statement and immediately differenti ates a restaurant from its competitors. Lisa Paige-Pretor ius, associate and project manager with Cini-Lit tle, a foodservice consulting firm in Maryland, says colorful open kitch ens also communicate that the res taurant owner is on trend. “Generally, your whole cookline is stainless, but the front of it could be a sleek black, [which is] super contemporary.” Adding pops of color can also help a restaurant coordinate the kitchen with the front of house. Furthermore, it allows operators to direct their guests’ attention to these presentation areas and away from the less desirable parts of the kitchen, Paige-Pretorius says.

THE DINE-IN EXPERIENCE ⓫ HYBRID MENUS

While digital menus, accessed via QR codes, were the height of safety during the pandemic, not all diners want to look at their phones to order food. Moving forward, Menu Engineers’ Willard predicts operators will use both print and digital menus, giving guests options and helping operators stay flex ible with their offerings. If a restaurant does use a digital menu, he suggests it be properly formatted to promote sales of the right dishes. And, he points out, guests’ attention spans can drop off when using their phones, so operators should give prior ity to the items they most want to sell. ⓬ THE NEXT THIRD PLACE Another new year opportunity for res

⓭ FINE DINING SHINES Recent Datassential surveys show that 30 percent of consumers plan to increase their visits to fine din ing venues in the future as they seek local ways to treat themselves. “Maybe they aren’t buying a new car or house, or going on vacation, but they can have a nice dinner,” Kostyo says. “Fine dining is actually the only restaurant segment that Datassential and [International Facility Management Association] project will see a slight increase in 2023 compared to 2022 when you adjust for inflation.”

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46 DECEMBER 2022

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