What New Trends are Taking Over Restaurants

In this bonus clip from the premier of Run the Pass, The Main Course host and Executive Editor of Modern Restaurant Management magazine, Barbara Castiglia, sat down with Tyler Kern to explore the entirety of COVID-19’s effect on the restaurant industry – and it’s a large one.

In terms of family-owned restaurants, the pandemic was the final straw for many, particularly those that had already been struggling or had failed to adapt to a shifting foodservice landscape.

However, other restaurants, both family-owned and not, have adapted to this uncertain period and could emerge forever changed for the better.

“Technology has been the best friend of the restaurant industry throughout this whole thing,” Castiglia said. “The best example I can give of this is, in the town I live in, there’s a local coffee shop. You used to go in there, and you’d get a menu that had coffee stains and who knows what … now, they have QR code menus.

“They realized that, in order to survive and have people come in, they had to be that responsive.”

Particularly for family-owned restaurants, it’s critical to find a balance in blending innovation and sometimes decades-old culture and atmosphere. It’s certainly possible, but it requires commitment.

Kern and Castiglia also highlighted how vendors and suppliers have navigated the pandemic, the impact of an increase in home cooking, and more.

The Next Episode Airs October 6th!

Want to stay up to date on what is happening in Food and Beverage and Run the Pass? Subscribe here.