Predictions for the Food and Restaurant Industries in 2021

Consider this roundup of next year’s food and dining predictions as something we’d skip in pre-Covid times. It would have counted as one in a million. But how and what we eat in 2021 while still in the throes of a pandemic has drastically altered the culinary landscape—and we can’t help but sweat about what lies ahead.

In doing so, we tapped into the national dialogues occurring among industry experts, writers and economists. Below is a summary of what they predict is coming through the pipeline.

• A growing number of restaurants across the country are trying their hands at selling packaged merchandise to help compensate for their indoor dining losses. The trend is expected to grow exponentially in the first half of 2021, with items such as spice blends, fresh herbs, hot sauces, and heirloom beans taking center stage.

  

• Sales of plant-based proteins, spicy foods and non-dairy milks will soar. The latter category in particular is expected to net more than $3 billion globally by the end of 2021, according to marketing research firm, Mintel.
• Chefs we spoke to in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego and Atlanta believe numerous restaurants will retain their curbside pickup systems even after the pandemic is under control. This will be especially true from those with ample space in the fronts, sides or backs of their businesses.
• In ongoing efforts by manufacturers and chefs to reduce food waste, we’ll see an increase in “upcycled” products—ingredients that would normally be destined for compost. Think imperfect-looking produce; fiber bars made from “regrained” barley, wheat and rye; and Pulp Pantry “pulp chips” made from upcycled kale and celery, and available in several flavors.
• More people working from home means a sales boom in breakfast foods, whether cooked at home or purchased from commercial kitchens. The expected hot sellers in 2021, as reported in part by Whole Foods and Kroger: pancake and waffle mixes; meatless sausage patties; bacon (real and plant-based), and eggs. Another case in point: Wendy’s will have invested $13 million into its increasingly successful breakfast program by early next year.
• If you haven’t heard of “ghost kitchens” yet, you will sooner than later. In response to the mass shutdowns of restaurants, they are commercial food ventures with veritable menus executed from kitchens that operate without dining rooms. The dishes they crank out are tailored for delivery and pickup. The National Restaurant Association calls them “a credible solution to staying in business.”
• Virtual classes in cooking and mixology will become abundantly available (at a cost) by everyone from unknown industry folks to celebrity chefs and bartenders. It’s a win-win concept that rakes in cash for the instructors while giving the public a convenient education in culinary.
• Number crunchers say those enticing family-package deals restaurants offered during the pandemic will start to wane. The attractive, flat prices for bagfuls of food initially helped restaurants stay afloat. But as many of them continue bleeding financially, they are finding it no longer makes economic sense to give more for less.
• Upscale dishes that we rarely ever ordered for takeout in the good ole pre-Covid days are now flying out restaurant doors 50 percent more often. We’re talking about things like French onion soup au gratin, paella, surf-and-turf, lamb chops, etc. As a result, chefs across the nation are investing in nicer packaging designs while putting extra energy into making to-go foods look more attractive by how they are arranged and garnished inside their containers. As the saying goes: “We eat with our eyes.”