Comfort led choices, acknowledging overseas influences and a focus on elevated sharing based experiences are just a number of the food and drinks trends that operators should consider for 2025, research has shown. Future trends from the report included:
Flavours less travelled
More than half (55%) of consumers are interested in expanding their palates and exploring newer flavours when choosing to eat out. This trend is centred around consumers immersing themselves in the ‘new’ with exposure to different flavour and format combinations.
Research found global cuisines gaining momentum this year include Southern States, Turkish, Greek and Argentinian as well as Swiss and Portuguese. With an emphasis on hearty comfort food as well as the feel-good factor. With opportunities for operators to adapt dishes incorporating more authentic and robust flavours.
Closer to home
According to the report, nearly half or 43% of consumers are also interested in trying Scottish, Welsh and Irish cuisine with a curiosity of trying new dishes that differ from classic English options. Addressing key trend insights and points of note for operators, head of corporate marketing and insight Catherine Hinchcliff told The Morning Advertiser: “Some of the trends we’ve seen surface this year have come from a sense of adventure people have built since the pandemic when they couldn’t go on holiday and therefore wanted to travel through food.”
She continued: “A key factor being a drive for comfort foods and the relationship between holiday experiences and people wanting to find the same quality of food options at home.” Hinchcliff added people are also interested in nostalgia and tradition. With social eating also having a profound influence on consumers, as dining out is starting to be seen as she states, “more of a social experience than it ever has been.”
On-the-go options
The report indicated that over 40% of consumers already eat staples such as wraps and cakes when out of home, however options such as poke, Buddha, and acai bowls as well as chia pots are increasing in popularity. With consumers looking for increased quality and health conscious on to go options, as well as higher levels of convenience and availability. These elements are paired with desire for hot and cold premium sandwiches, that hold variety in fillings.
Hotels and restaurants development chef Damon Corey said: “Most of our customers are looking to order lots of starters instead of main courses so they can have that social dining experience.” He continued: “I know the hotel industry is seriously looking at sustainability and ethical suppliers. We have a lot of smaller suppliers coming through with ethical credentials and wild and regenerative farming are also outstanding practices we should be rallying for”
From a drinks perspective, the report showed that products such as Crème Liquers have significantly increased in popularity, having grown in the on trade by 29.6% where “Dec 23 volume was up by 75.3% and value at 81.1% CGA” Ready to drink cocktails were also gaining traction, with the number of consumers drinking out weekly rising 7% since last year.
Pornstar Martinis were noted as the number one consumer drink of choice with 14.2% choosing to drink this in RTD form, and Mojito at the least favourite noted at 5.6% in consumer preference. Wine as a category also saw positive growth across the board, with Portuguese wine exports up 8.58% throughout the first six months of 2024, as well as Argentinian Malbec recorded as the biggest wine seller in the UK. Sustainable, environmentally friendly packaging was also a key factor throughout, with the use of cardboard bottles and cans increasing in popularity.
Friendly fibre
Healthy eating, gut health and an awareness around maintaining digestive health were other significant elements of consumer focus. 73% of consumers agreed that eating a wide variety of plant foods is important for good health, with 38% disagreeing that food naturally high in fibre doesn’t usually taste good. Seven in 10 consumers also report that sustainability is an important cause for them when choosing an out of home venue to experience. According to the report, key areas that consumers are looking to see operators get involved in include:
- Food waste
- Carbon reduction
- Seasonality
- Certifications
- Regenerative farming
- Sustainable seafood
The report also detailed, 30% of business leaders valued consciousness as the most crucial long term consumer trend to affect the eating out and grocery market. With 37% opting for higher quality options and 41% choosing items they believed were worth the cost. With emotional drivers consistently incorporating comfort, tradition, reward and sharing.
Chocolicious
This trend is centred around innovation within hot drinks and desserts. With consumer preference focused on affordable luxuries and 81% of consumers viewing chocolate as an affordable treat. With 38% of consumers also viewing hot chocolate as a low cost option to boost their moods. Premium hot chocolates, mochas, white hot chocolate and flavoured hot chocolate are predicted to rise in popularity over the next one to two years.
Hinchcliff said: “It’s great to see that this year’s trends are shaped by consumers eagerness to experiment and try something new, along with their desire for indulgence, premiumisation and comfort. This will allow chefs to showcase their creative skills, while providing operators the opportunity to increase margin.
“Encouraging sustainable practices remains incredibly important for us as a business, and so it is reassuring to see this reflected within the trends this year. Similarly, gut health is also emerging as a key area of interest to consumers in 2025, something we feel well equipped for with our expert nutrition team on hand to support with implementing this trend.
“We once again worked with CGA by NIQ to conduct our own bespoke survey and exclusive research, as well as visiting and interviewing out of home operators in London and Bristol to understand how these trends are being incorporated on the high streets.”
