The restaurant industry has undergone significant changes in the first half of this decade. Evolving consumer behavior, technological advancements, and shifting tastes require restaurant owners to adapt. Many restaurants have added online ordering systems, expanded their market reach, and reduced their carbon footprint.
So, what does 2025 hold for the industry? Here are 15 predictions for restaurants in the coming year.
1. Limited Menus
Limited menus are smaller than traditional menus. While they offer fewer choices, it expands what you bring to your kitchen and customers.
Smaller menus help cut food costs since you’ll be able to order fewer items and are more likely to use them up before they spoil. It can also enhance the quality of the food you serve. Fewer dishes for chefs to worry about means they can focus on creating the best meals possible.
Customers often appreciate limited menus, too. Fewer choices mean diners are less likely to feel overwhelmed by the options or torn between two dishes. Higher-quality food and offerings make spending more per dish worth the extra cost to diners.
2. Twists on Classics
Classic dishes are often popular favorites for a reason. People know what to expect and generally get exactly what they want. But in 2025, many chefs are giving the classics a new twist, like infusing caviar in desserts or using it to top chicken nuggets.
Other twists include pairing interesting flavors, like watermelon, feta, and jalapeno, or creating savory eclairs: the traditional eclair pastry stuffed with meat, cheese, or vegetables instead of custard or cream.
3. Price Increases
While there’s no way to tell what the future holds, the USDA predicts that food-away-from-home prices (restaurants) will increase by 3.6% in 2025. This is a modest increase compared to recent years, which may be a welcome relief for frequent diners and those who want to eat out more often.
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4. More Special Events
To keep customers interested and coming back, more restaurants will hold special events in 2025. Themed menus, limited offerings, pop-ups, and collaborations are all expected to pick up. Chefs may offer more plant-based options, global flavors, and experiential dining experiences.
5. Industry Wide Growth
Prices may be rising in restaurants, but restaurant owners are cautiously optimistic about growth in the new year. The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 State of the Restaurant Industry report found that eight out of ten restaurants expect to do the same or better than last year. The sector will employ 15.9 million people, add 2000,000 new jobs, and have nearly $1.5 trillion in sales.
6. Smaller Footprints
While the sector is poised to grow, restaurants themselves will shrink. The new year will find restaurants with smaller footprints as a way to reign in costs and provide a more intimate and personalized guest experience.
7. Labor Challenges Remain
Though the industry anticipates adding new jobs, the ongoing labor shortage remains a challenge, with owners and managers having to hire staff in an increasingly competitive market.
KPMG’s Restaurant Trends for 2025 survey notes that restaurant owners still face challenges, with 54% citing salary expectations as their biggest challenge to attracting new talent.
8. Sustainability
From ending food waste to getting more creative with leftovers, sustainability will be a key trend in 2025. More restaurants will partner with local farms to provide farm-to-table ingredients and more nose-to-tail cooking. Smaller portions, plant-based food, and on-site composting will become more popular this year.
9. More Digital Developments
While some restaurants have ditched the QR code menus in favor of physical menus, restaurants will continue embracing digital products and solutions.
Contactless and mobile payment solutions will continue to grow, while many businesses will integrate advanced point-of-sale (POS) systems to increase staff efficiency and streamline service. Casual restaurants will add more online kiosk ordering and digital menus.
10. Stronger Third Party Partnerships
Recent consumer trends and preferences have shifted diners from eating in restaurants to ordering delivery and eating at home. To keep up with this trend and satisfy customer demands, restaurants will grow their partnerships with third-party delivery providers to expand their offerings and make delivery available without hiring additional staff.
11. Reduced Online Order Fees
Between increasing food and labor costs, maintaining profit margins may be difficult in 2025. One way to improve profit is by reducing online order fees. Restaurant owners are likely to develop and roll out their own online ordering systems instead of relying on outside vendors and avoiding their fees.
12. More Promotions
With consumer budgets tightening and costs increasing, more restaurants are refocusing their marketing efforts to emphasize the value of their menu. Prices may not decrease, but consumers are more likely to become repeat customers when they feel they are getting the best value and quality for the price.
13. Better Guest Relations
To keep customers engaged and coming back for more, restaurants will up their efforts to improve guest relations. In many cases, the focus will be on a more personalized customer experience, but restaurants also plan to enhance the ambiance and overall dining experience.
14. AI and Automation
Improving service through more efficient workflows is another key trend in 2025. The KPMG report found that a majority of restaurants are focusing on operational efficiency in 2025, specifically in the back office. Accounting (67%), financial planning and analysis (50%), and procurement and supply chain (39%) top the list.
A majority (42%) plan on doing this through AI and are currently exploring how to integrate it into their workflows, while almost one-quarter (24%) are already testing and implementing AI.
15. Welcoming Workplace
KPMG’s report also found that restaurants are working hard to recruit and retain talent. Just over half of respondents (54%) said the primary difficulty they face is paying a competitive salary. However, restaurant owners say that to combat this, they try to create a positive work culture (82%), offering career development opportunities (58%), and including benefits and perks (55%) as part of the package.
Stay Ahead of the Trends
While chasing trends is generally not the best business plan, being aware of what’s popular and likely to take off in the restaurant industry will help your business stay ahead of the curve and position you as a trendsetter who understands what customers want — and gives it to them!
If you’re looking to partner with a consultant who keeps track of trends and can help you figure out which ones are worth pursuing (and which ones to skip), Kezner Consulting is ready to help. Contact us today for a free consultation and see how we can help your business grow.
