2020 Trends: Expectations vs. reality

The restaurant industry had great expectations this year, but the pandemic completely changed the market's competitive landscape. Here's how the crisis impacted the trends we originally predicted for the year. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Dec. 23, 2020

How Sonic Drive-In swapped its iconic pitchmen for a 'pandemic-proof' campaign

Chief marketing officer Lori Abou Habib explains how the QSR shifted its focus from its long-running "Two Guys" to real families — right before COVID-19 upended the year.

By Chris Kelly • Dec. 23, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from Restaurant Dive

Check out a selection of articles about some of the biggest trends — from the rise of dessert concepts to a cohort of Mexican chains trying to overtake Chipotle  — shaping the restaurant industry in 2024.

By Restaurant Dive staff

Consumers want curbside, outdoor dining to stay in 2021, survey says

Diners also want to see more creative offerings from restaurants next year, including dinner and movie packages, cooking classes or virtual wine tastings. 

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 21, 2020

Pandemic increased urgency to adopt 'transformational' tech, survey finds

One in four food services and food retailers believe they are an early adopter of technology compared to one in eight in 2019, according to Panasonic research published in December.

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 16, 2020

New York to provide restaurants a free digital ordering platform through April

As part of New York's Empire State Digital Initiative, restaurants can use Ritual's commission-free e-commerce system for pickup and delivery.  

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 14, 2020

How to meet consumer expectations in a post-pandemic world

Among other lessons, COVID-19 has reinforced the evergreen value of menu transparency and the importance of sourcing premium ingredients.

Dec. 14, 2020

Conveying beef burger and steak quality on menus

Recently conducted research evaluated various consumer preferences for beef burgers and steaks, such as quality, choice of toppings, and more.

Dec. 7, 2020

El Pollo Loco unveils 2 restaurant designs prioritizing off-premise channels

The new models include dual drive-thru lanes, dedicated curbside parking spaces, cubbies for mobile to-go orders, digital menu boards and either no dining room or a smaller one.

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 3, 2020

Strategies for restaurants to address financial distress in the UK and US

Restaurants should identify cash shortfalls in their business models and share information with stakeholders to implement a comprehensive consensual restructuring, say attorneys at Goodwin's Financial Restructuring Group.

By Simon Thomas, Oonagh Steel, Michael Goldstein, Howard Steel • Nov. 30, 2020

Report: Digital expected to make up more than half of QSR sales by 2025

This marks a 70% increase over pre-COVID estimates, market research company Incisiv finds, and restaurants have plenty of runway for growth as digital maturity remains "low-medium."

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 23, 2020

Dunkin' pushes for TikTok followers with return of branded onesies

After its recent holiday merch drop mostly sold out, the brand is promising to bring back last year's onesie if it reaches two million TikTok followers.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 20, 2020

Over 30% of diners plan to cater a holiday meal, survey finds

Fifty-three percent of consumers also plan to buy a restaurant holiday gift card this season, according to a Tripleseat survey.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 18, 2020

Designing with distance: How restaurants are evolving to meet pandemic needs

Forced air blasted between bar seats. Chef's kitchens encased in glass cubes. Garage-style, floor-to-ceiling windows. Experts predict what could become dominant design assets across the industry.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 18, 2020

How 5 mega chains are designing restaurants for a digital future

From McDonald's to Chipotle, limited-service brands are spending big on drive-thru, drive-in and pickup technology to grow revenue as the contactless experience becomes king. Here’s a breakdown of their designs.

By Emma Liem Beckett , Julie Littman • Nov. 17, 2020

Chick-fil-A adds online ordering through its website

Previously, customers could only place orders via the restaurant's website for catering. But after testing the feature in two markets over the summer, the chicken chain is allowing online ordering across its entire system.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 13, 2020

Casual dining sales down 60% compared to 80% loss in March, study shows

The upcoming holidays could provide a tailwind — Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day both saw spikes in sales of up to 306%, but sales dropped dramatically in the 48 hours afterward, according to an Upserve report.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 12, 2020

McDonald's plants its flag in the alternative meat space

The QSR giant will start testing its McPlant product line in 2021, but controversy has already arisen over which company is supplying the products.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 11, 2020

Consumers expected to spend 29% more on restaurant gift cards, study says

Fifty-two percent of consumers plan to double their gift card purchases during the holidays, a trend that could help restaurants incentivize more diners to order out during the slow winter months.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 10, 2020

Arby's flips viral TikTok videos into special menu item

Inspiration for the campaign stems from a video of a user saying his new flat-screen TV only displayed a message from Arby's.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 9, 2020

Panera's second largest franchisee tests beer and wine

The bakery-cafe chain continues its push to boost the dinner daypart as it begins to sell alcohol for the first time in its 33-year history at five Kansas City locations.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 4, 2020

Third-party delivery is vital now, but operators believe curbside changes will be most permanent

A study shows that nearly 40% of restaurants said they would not have been able to stay open during the pandemic without the likes of DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 29, 2020

Nutrition without compromise: Reducing sodium while enhancing flavor

Consumers want nutrition without compromise. Umami can reduce sodium while enhancing flavor.

Oct. 26, 2020

New restaurant openings return to pre-pandemic levels, Yelp says

About 6,600 food establishments opened each in August and September, while 210,000 temporarily closed businesses reopened during Q3, according to the latest Yelp Economic Average report.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 23, 2020

Restaurant operating profits will rise 15% in 2021, Moody's predicts

Conditions are expected to continue to slowly improve in the next 12 to 18 months due to easing dine-in restrictions, but the ratings agency also cautioned that more closures are on the horizon. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 21, 2020

CMOs must decipher pandemic-related consumer behavior changes, Dentsu survey finds

Prepared CMOs were already shifting to digital and e-commerce channels, which are now table stakes for restaurants, evidenced by the dramatic growth of digital sales at chains like Chipotle.

By Chris Kelly • Oct. 21, 2020