What Does The Restaurant Industry Look Like In 2021 And Beyond?

The COVID-19 crisis has forever altered most functions of the restaurant industry–how we forecast supply, how we schedule labor, how we configure our kitchens to meet off-premise demand, how consumers access restaurants in general.

Even when things started to feel somewhat “normal” again in the summer, with capacities and customers trickling back, things were different. And they will stay different.

So what does that mean for 2021 and beyond?

Well, the good news is that pent-up demand is huge. Data from the National Restaurant Association shows that 83% of adults say they are not eating on the premises at restaurants as often as they would like–up from 45% pre-pandemic. Baby boomers especially miss eating out, with 90% reporting they would like to dine at restaurants more frequently.