Over 70 Restaurant and Hospitality Trends for 2012 Described
in Andrew Freeman & Co.'s Annual Report
November 2011 - Now in its fifth year, Andrew Freeman & Co.’s annual restaurant and hospitality trends report has become a highly-anticipated industry standard for anticipating market demand and consumer feedback. With more than 70 trends identified as a result of extensive research, the report is intended:
As a preview of the hottest trends and predictions in hotels, spas and restaurants for the coming year.
As a guide to help operators plan for the coming year.
LOCAL SF TREND
Castronomy - The Castro is hot, hot, hot (and we don't just mean the men). It will be the hottest neighborhood for new restaurants in the coming year. The good food movement moves to this vibrant scene.
Example: Canela, a new Spanish style bistro; Criolla Kitchen, a Southern restaurant
Next Up: Inner Sunset
DRINK
Tap Dancing – First it was cask-aged cocktails, pre-measured mixed drinks were barrel-aged for added nuance. Now mixed drinks are available on tap; barrel or not. It’s the new Manhattan project. It’s quick and convenient.
Example: Cask Aged Negronis at Clyde Common (Portland, OR)
It Was a Fine, Fine Beer – Vintage beers are coming of age. Offering intrigue and a taste of the past with higher alcohol beers meant to age.
Example: 1999 J.W. Lees Harvest Ale at The Modern (New York, NY)
Double Hitter – Bars are pitching double-hitters with offers of a cocktail or shot and a beer to chase it with. Call it a one-two shot.
Examples: “$25 Bourbon, Burger & Beer” at Fifth Floor (San Francisco, CA); “Beer & a Shot” at Hogs & Rocks (San Francisco, CA)
Drinks with Drive – The food truck craze has extended to drinks as cocktail trucks are taking to the streets and spirits brands seek to build recognition.
Examples: Leblon Cachaca Caipirinhas Truck (multiple locations, nationwide); BrewTruc (San Francisco, CA)
On Solid Ground – Everyone from bartenders, artists, and pastry chefs will break the mold and reinvent cocktails in solid form. Frozen beverages translate to sorbet and popsicles while artistically layered boozy jellies give jello another shot.
Example: Cuban Libre Gelatin Square at Tailor (New York, NY)
Ounce Upon a Time – Serious spirits enthusiasts and avid wine drinkers will pay for an opportunity to taste luxury beverages beyond their means --- one ounce at a time. Pay to play.
Examples: Nicolas Palazzi serves one ounce pours of premium spirits at cost in The Hooch Project (New York, NY); David Bouley offers menu items from caviar to wine at $5 per ounce at By The Ounce, a wine bar inside Bouley Bakery (New York, NY)
Fram-Booze-le – Breweries are adding fruit to beers of all types. This new fruit juice adds a little hop to your step.
Examples: Apricot Saison au Poivre by Nebraska Brewing Co. (nationwide); Fruit Beer Festival (Portland, OR)
Sip Tease – Mini cocktails offered as an amuse “wet” the appetite before the drinks and meal to come. Create a sense of generous hospitality, while enticing guests to try beverages from the bar program. We’ll drink to that!
Example: Sangria at Mercat a la Planxa (Chicago, Ill.)
"IN"GREDIENTS
Stroop There it Is! – The Dutch dessert (a dark treacle syrup)
Example: Hete Bliksem at Vandagg (New York, NY)
In the Schnitz… – Shnitzle sandwiches (or Milanese)
Example: Schnitzel & Things (New York, NY)
Yuzu Sexy – Yuzu Kosho (a Japanese spice)
Example: Yuzu Kosho Grilled Scallops by Chef Tadashi Ono at Matsuri (New York, NY)
Issan-ometric Exercise - Isaan sausage
Example: Pok Pok (Portland, OR); Thai Nakom restaurant (Stanton, CA)
‘Mallow Out Dude – Home-made flavored marshmallows in exotic flavors
Example: DreamPuff Marshmallows Handmade Marshmallows in many flavors including Guinness Stout and Blackberry Cabernet (New York, NY)
The Lovely Bones – Marrow bones, rib bones, ham bones, bone soup
Examples: Bone Marrow at L’Express (Montreal, Canada); Tripe with Bone Marrow & local Black Truffles at Artusi (Seattle,WA)
Duck, Duck, Goose Eggs
Examples: Pork Jowl and Goose Egg at Bolsa (Dallas, TX); Poached Duck Egg with Chorizo and Lentils at Nightwood (Chicago, Ill.)
Wurst Case Scenario – Currywurst
Examples: Currywurst at Berlin Currywurst (Los Angeles, CA); Currywurst Bro’s (New York, NY)
Lamb Belly up! - Lamb belly
Examples: Moroccan BBQ Lamb Belly at M.B. Post (Manhattan Beach, CA); Lamb Belly with Flageolet Beans, Pistachios, Cardamom, Yogurt at eVe (Berkeley, CA)
Show Me Some Skin – Crispy pig skin, chicken skin, fish skin
Example: Gravy in Chicken Skin, with Roast Foie Gras and a Peppercorn Biscuit at Recette (New York, NY)
Gnoc-chi Ingredient - Parisian gnocchi
Example: Parisian Gnocchi with Morels, English Peas, and Parmesan at Spur Gastropub (Seattle, WA)
Catcher in the Rye – Rye Whiskey
Example: Bulleit Rye Whiskey
Baby got Zwack! - Herbal liqueur made in Hungary with a secret blend of more than 40 different herbs and spices
Example: Lamplighter Cocktail at Violet Hour (Chicago, Ill.)
Big Bare(njager) hug – Honey liquor
Example: The Golden Rule cocktail with Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur, Dolin Blanc Vermouth, and Underberg Bitters at Grüner (Portland, OR)
The Date-ing Game – Date syrups and glazes on meats and in drinks
Example: Jallab, date syrup mixed with water and flavored with rosewater at Balade (New York, NY)
The Bitter Lemon Truth – Bitter lemon soda
Example: The London Calling Cocktail with Bitter Lemon Soda, Beefeater Gin, Smashed Cucumber, and Rhubarb, at BoBo (New York, NY)
HOTEL & SPAS
Warm Front – Hotels are warming up by eliminating the formal front desk. Enjoy a personal greeting at the door from a Welcome Ambassador and special gifts or treats in reward for repeat business. We have entered a new thank you economy that offers the combination of a curbside check-in and coming home to a Jewish mother.
Example: No front desk at Hotel Cipriani (Beverly Hills, CA)
Made to Fit – Ultra-targeted personalized service includes not only catering to guests with any special dietary requirements and providing culturally appropriate in-room amenities but also providing personal advice from finding the best off-beat galleries to the most avant-garde dining. Take advantage of your new personal hopper.
Example: Naturally Peninsula Menu at the Peninsula (Hong Kong, China)
Classy Vacations - Offer do-it-yourself experiences for every type, including, cooking classes, gardening opportunities, lessons on pickling or preserving, even massage instruction. Guests seek out experiential vacations and want to get involved.
Examples: Garden tours at Wente Vineyards (Livermore, CA); Cooking classes or guided hikes at Cavallo Point Lodge (Sausalito, CA)
Phone Home – Take advantage of smartphone technology that offers guests the comforts of home. Provide downloadable custom apps to order room service, drinks, movies, or even a local map. Be smart.
Example: Smartphone app to order room service at SLS Hotel (Los Angeles, CA)
Taking Charge – Lead the charge! Due to growing popularity, hotels and resorts offer electric-car charging stations for guest use.
Examples: The Ritz-Carlton (Charlotte, NC); The Grand Geneva Resort (Lake Geneva, WI)
Bedtime Suites – Encourage sweet dreams with customized turndown sweets recreating childhood favorites. Look for hot chocolate, rice crispy treats, cracker jacks, or cookies and a glass of milk of course.
Examples: During the holiday season at The Stanford Court, guests receive an "Elf Tuck in," a personalized family stocking filled with treats, and other fun add-ins (San Francisco, CA)
Cleanse-ing Diets – Eco-conscious guests cut down on cleaning -- saving labor, time and materials with elective daily cleaning programs.
Examples: The Sir Francis Drake (San Francisco, CA)
Shop and Drop – New lobby bar/marketplaces offer enticing places to grab a quick drink, gourmet snack, espresso, light meal or edible souvenirs any time of the day. Make yourself at home with self-service snacks or treats to bring back to your room or take with you. One size feeds all.
Examples: CanteenM at CitizenM Hotels (multiple locations, worldwide); The Market at VINeleven at the Napa Valley Marriott (Napa Valley, CA)
The Royal Bedding – Sleep number bedding, hypo-allergenic organic sheets, and TempurPedic beds offer full customization. Now everyone is the princess, no peas needed.
Example: Pure Rooms mattress and pillow encasements at JW Marriott (San Francisco, CA)
Say Spa-aaah – Conan Owen, of Relax & Rejuvenate, predicts that spa goers will put a little more oomph in their relaxation regimen and undergo clinical treatments such as glycolic peels and other treatments that focus on rejuvenation from an almost medical perspective.
Examples: Ampoule Therapy at Ink Spa (New York, NY)
MARKETING
In the “Q” – Garner a quick response with QR codes. Capture foot traffic with QR codes in the window and on key collateral pieces that link to the website, facebook page or reservations link. Or use one for a virtual concierge site that guests can access on the go, a special contest, or a micro-site that tells a story about who you are and what you do.
Examples: Code Unique Hotel in (Dubai Studio City, Dubai) is a giant QR code; coasters at the W Hotel are printed with a QR code (Fort Lauderdale, FLA)
Follow the Crowd – Engage your fan base through surveys and contests via social media and other online efforts. Use crowd sourcing to determine special packages, perks, seasonal offers and other key features. Let guests weigh-in on key decisions, fostering a sense of personal investment and ownership to instill loyalty. Shift focus from “the cloud” to “the crowd.”
Example: Facebook questionnaires at Haiyi Hotels (San Francisco, CA)
Tuesdays are the New Thursdays – Promote slow nights with special events and promotions designed to draw traffic on off nights. Get creative with ideas ranging from Monday Movie Night in the lobby to Tequila and Taco Tuesdays and Sunday Suppers.
Example: Monday Movie Night at the W Hollywood Hotel (Hollywood, CA); Taco Tuesdays at Royal Palms Resort & Spa (Phoenix, AZ)
Hello Kiddie – Treat the kids like little grown-ups with custom tailored child-friendly services and offerings. This ranges from smaller portions of “adult” items and healthy alternatives on restaurant menus, to low temperature saunas or hot tubs in spas. Introduce age appropriate diversions including climbing gyms in the fitness center or cartoons for in-room movies. Let the kids play like the adults --- and forget baby-“sitting.”
Examples: Hotel Gstaad-Saamen (Switzerland) offers climbing wall and low temperature sauna; Le Meurice (Paris, France) provides kids sized bathrobse and slippers, tea time serving delicious sweets, and a child’s passport of Paris.
Bespoken For – “Bespoke” is the new buzz word in the luxury market as people search for customization in a mass-market world. Give people the opportunity to tailor their experience and show the extra care and personalization that comes with it.
Example: Bespoke Hotels (multiple locations,UK)
Do the Local Motion - Everyone is doing the "local" motion as hotels, spas and restaurants reinforce a unique sense of place. Hotels work with local artists and designers to incorporate indigenous materials in their construction and place local products in their mini bars, while spas rely on locally grown natural and organic ingredients for their products and treatments. Meanwhile, chefs are redefining what it means to be local by calling out region specific influences and reinforcing the sense of what it means to be local by emphasizing a precise place.
Examples: Raindance Spa (Sonoma, CA) works with a local apothecary to develop exclusive spa products and teas crafted from organic local ingredients. Chef Joseph Humphrey’s “Bay Area Cuisine influenced by his Southern upbringing” at Dixie (opening late 2011 in San Francisco, CA)
Music as Muse – Customized playlists are nothing new, but now hotels and restaurants are working with composers, musicians and designers to compose a soundtrack that enhances the experience and relates to the occasion.
Examples: Jenny-O performance at RLife LIVE shows at The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort (Sonoma, CA); custom playlist at Ace Hotel (Portland, OR)
Cell Serve – Take advantage of location based marketing synced to cell phones to make direct outreach to potential guests in your area. Tell them where you are and what you do. Can you hear us now?
Examples: Google Wallet integrated payment and loyalty program at Subway; Foodspotting; Urban Spoon; etc.
Profit-table – Explore alternative forms of payment including pre-purchased tickets, reservations by auction, and by-the-hour pricing to cut-down on loss, and spur excitement.
Examples: Advance purchase tickets at Next (Chicago, Ill.); "Cook by the Hour" menu at iNG (Chicago, Ill.)
Siberia is Hot! – Turn the least desirable room or the taboo table to the most coveted reservation by booking “problem” spots at discount rates or with special features. The worst seat in the house just got a whole lot better.
Example: Alexander’s Steakhouse (San Francisco, CA) offered 50% off the table located between two restrooms
Eat to Give, Give to Eat – Indulgence feels even better when they give back to the community. Expand marketing potential by partnering with a charity and tying the profits of a cocktail, wine or dessert purchase to a good cause.
Example: La Boulange Fridays, a monthly charitable dinner at La Boulange bakery where guests donate whatever they feel comfortable with and La Boulange matches the night’s donation up to $5,000 (multiple locations, CA)
Open & Clothes – Hotels and restaurants are partnering with designers and designer brands for uniform needs. Consider it couture for a pulled-together look. Give employees a variety of uniform choices as a way to express themselves, such as a plaid shirt of any pattern, or any tie in a given color scheme. There’s nothing uniform about it.
Example: Levi’s partnership with Saison (San Francisco, CA)
Virtual Break Down – People still want a personal connection. Create a tangible experience within your four walls with face-to-face interaction and something tangible to take away with them. Yes, the matchboxes are back! Reach out and touch someone.
Example: After tasting Domaine Chandon sparkling wine, guests are gifted their tasting flute at Domaine Chandon (Yountville, CA)
Seeing Double – Two concepts share one space with different menus, different cooks or different services, and different hours of service. Call it “multiple personality in order.”
Examples: Mission Chinese Food and Lung Shan (San Francisco, CA); Birch & Barley and Church Key (Washington DC, DC)
Keep the Change – Temporary restaurants are popping up in incredible settings: perched above a museum, on a cliff, in a park, or nestled tree top with food delivered by zip line. More permanent restaurants can regularly change their concept to reinvent themselves and keep guests coming back for something new or different. Take advantage of temporary infrastructure to keep costs down, and add immediacy to drive traffic up.
Examples: Pop-up Hotels by Living Architecture (multiple locations, England); Guest Chef Dinners at Baker & Banker (San Francisco, CA)
Social Sciences - Social media is getting savvy, as it continues to evolve and skilled practitioners are using it as a successful sales tool. Use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Foodspotting to connect with meeting planners, secure group business or attract new guests.
Examples: Carlton Hotel (New York, NY) reportedly sourced $186,550 in new group and corporate business in 90 days via LinkedIn; Inn at Laurel Point (Victoria, BC) uses Twitter to connect with meeting planners prior to a site visit or conference
The Name Game – Express yourself, your personality, and your concept with a name that speaks volumes and will stick in people’s minds. Goodbye Garden Court and hello Hairy Canary.
Examples: The Arrogant Butcher (Phoenix, AZ); My Fathers’ Office (Santa Monica CA); How to Cook a Wolf (Seattle, WA); Ruxbin (Chicago, Ill.)
Online Ditchcount - Hotels and Restaurants are moving away from online discounting sales like Groupon and instead partnering with online marketing firms that offer gift cards and one of a kind experiences.
Example: Online gift cards at Treatful (nationwide); Exclusive secret menus through Black Board Eats (nationwide)
Andrew Freeman & Co. is a high-energy hospitality agency with a unique blend of expertise in marketing, publicity and creative services. The AF&Co team will do whatever it takes to build awareness for clients and ultimately increase sales. AF&Co offers tailored, flexible programs that include: creative/concept development, branding, recruiting, graphic design, public relations, sales/marketing, training, event management, and more depending on the clients’ needs. The AF&Co team is creative, direct and fun, and focuses on the areas that they are passionate about: restaurants and wine, travel and hotels, and lifestyle personalities and products. For more information, visit afandco.com or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
An industry veteran, prior to opening AF&Co. six years ago, Andrew worked at legendary New York venues including Windows on the World, the Russian Tea Room and the Rainbow Room. Eventually Andrew left New York to become the Vice President of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, based in San Francisco. He spent ten years with Kimpton, launching the global brand and over 40 hotels and restaurants. Andrew is currently the head of a dynamic hospitality agency offering full service marketing, public relations and consulting for hotels and restaurants.
.
