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Sights are shifting to the industry trends we can expect to see as we head into 2025. In an interview with Fi Global Insights, Technomic’s Jessica Cravero shares her perspectives on what is set to influence restaurant operations, marketing and menus around the globe in the coming year and beyond.
Industry headwinds moderated over the past year, with labour, inflation and supply more predictable than in previous years. “This will likely persist,” Jessica Cravero, vice president of business development at Technomic told us. “International conflicts, extreme weather and the many seen and unseen effects of the pandemic will also create uncertainty that impacts many aspects of the hospitality and food services industry.”
As much as ever, the need to perk up consumers weary of the past few years will be high on operators’ to-do lists – all in the era of value-seeking and increased frugality from consumers. According to Technomic, this will be expressed through memorable dining experiences, marketing and menu development grounded in playful, whimsical, and escapist themes, along with the increased availability of simple everyday pleasures.
“Restaurant brands will also need to address shifting consumer attitudes, preferences and need states, particularly when it comes to balancing innovation with familiarity, healthfulness with indulgence, convenience with experience and trend with tradition,” says Cravero.
Top global restaurant trends in 2025
With this as the restaurant industry’s context for the coming years, here is Technomic’s glimpse into what it anticipates will impact the global sector over the next year.
Sushi, poke, and ceviche
These authentic seafood preparations from varied parts of the globe have become widely accessible at restaurants around the world. Combined, the trio of loosely related preparations has spurred some of the most inventive menu developments in recent years.
And – importantly – each has proved well-suited for the takeaway and delivery era. “Expect more innovation using sushi as a starting point, with the Mexican-style adaptation garnering a wider audience,” says Cravero. Poke concepts will continue to flourish around the world and make more inroads into the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
The coming years will also mark the emergence of the fast-casual cevicheria as a viable concept to scale. “Each will also inspire a new crop of virtual brands, including those that swap fried chicken for fish and some that bring more plant-based alternatives to the party to further democratise these exciting platforms,” adds Cravero.
Plant-flation
Is the bubble set to burst in the plant-based category? That’s the question Technomic poses as we move into 2025.
Some argue that plant-based products – and particularly branded meat alternatives – are still in a nascent phase, with increasing consumer appeal globally and significant white space for growth. Others say it was overhyped from the start and oversaturated now, representative of a niche menu category at best.
“While the category has received more than its share of attention, there’s no real bubble set to burst, at least from a global perspective,” Cravero confirms. Rather, the plant-based movement is primed for its next evolution.
Most significantly, restaurants and consumers will turn their attention back to more traditional forms of non-meat proteins such as tofu, seitan and – what Technomic says will be the new superstar of the plant-based ecosystem – tempeh. Also set to shine is perennial favourite cauliflower, as well as avocado and contemporary iterations of the black bean patty.
A new wave of Korean influence spreads
The next wave of Korean influence is set to wash over the restaurant world, according to Technomic, in a form of cultural and culinary soft power that is shaping new product development as well as food and beverage trends on menus around the globe.
With the mainstreaming of gochujang, chimaek, and bulgogi over the past decade, Technomic analysts believe that trendsetting independents, college canteens, food trucks, and emerging concepts will introduce the broader world to less-familiar offerings such as K ramen, spicy tteokbokki rice cakes, army stew, spicy-cheesy buldak chicken, gimbap rice rolls (including no-carb alternatives), and gopchang.
Mainland China chains mature
“China is far and away the global market where restaurant chains are growing the most aggressively,” Cravero says.
Only on the mainland would a burger concept such as Tastien have ambitions to reach 10,000 locations within its first five years of existence; only there would an emerging chain like Nowwa Coffee boast of opening 120 outlets in a single day, Technomic notes.
Beverage brands, in particular, are popping up across China and growing seemingly overnight. “But intensified competition and breakneck expansion on the mainland have become too fierce, despite rigid demand and opportunities in smaller cities,” Cravero notes.
So, what can we expect to see from China in 2025? Technomic believes that more and more brands from China will be growing their presence overseas in 2024 and 2025. Cravero explains that this period may mark the establishment of the mainland as one of the world’s leading exporters of restaurant brands, foundationally reshaping the global restaurant landscape for decades to come.
Eggs: The hero food
“Eggs are the new restaurant darling,” Cravero says. Egg sandwiches are having a moment in many parts of the world and will soon dethrone the chicken sandwich as the next must-launch restaurant item, according to Technomic.
There are a lot of reasons why eggs have become the chosen protein of today among restaurants. “Eggs are perfectly suited for a post-pandemic slot in the limelight – [they are] simple, universal, craveable, adaptable, symbolic of new beginnings,” Cravero says. Eggs also create opportunities for punny concepts and quirky branding. Operators will showcase eggs in more all-day offerings, complementing them with premium ingredients and elevated preparation methods, Technomic predicts.
