Introduction
In late March we were delighted to be invited to present at The Knowledge Bank’s Foodservice Channel conference at the EICC, sharing the findings of research which explored the views of chefs on the trends impacting upon their menu and ingredient choices.
The study involved a range of research approaches including 14 in-depth interviews with chefs from a variety of types of establishments across Scotland, a focus group with student chefs and a UK wide online survey of over 200 chefs.
Adapting to survive
We heard from our chefs about how difficult the last two years has been and how their businesses have changed their ways of operating to survive. However, as we emerge from the pandemic many of the chef’s we spoke to told us how changes initially made as a result of Covid-19 restrictions would be continued longer term as they’d been welcomed by customers and/or they provided more profitable ways of operating.
These changes included simplified menus, offering eating at home options, reduced opening hours and, for some, a diversification into new areas such as takeaway coffees or bakery. The pandemic has also driven some hospitality businesses to adopt technology in ways that they would not have considered before, for example at table ordering via a smartphone app, providing additional menu information via QR codes or increasing the use of social media to stay engaged with customers and local communities.
Food and drink trends here to stay
The research also uncovered a number of other interrelated trends which began before Covid but accelerated during the pandemic and look set to continue into the longer-term future. These included…
Environmental sustainability – a vital area, increasingly important to many chefs and consumers and driving a number of the other trends seen including veganism, awareness of food miles and provenance and concerns over packaging.
Plant based and vegan – an area of rising demand predicted to continue to grow fast, in part because of rising concerns over the environment but also due to customers becoming more aware of the health benefits of the food and drink they consume and the origins of ingredients.
Rising awareness and concerns over allergens – a general increased desire amongst consumers for transparency over the ingredients in the food and drink they consume and new legislation such as Natasha’s Law.
Health and wellbeing – growing in importance both in terms of consumer awareness of the health benefits of the food and drink they choose to consume but also a growing importance of promoting wellbeing amongst staff working in the hospitality sector.
Experiential dining – many of the restaurateurs and caters we spoke to were increasingly looking to provide diners with a unique experience which would leave them with lasting memories.
Provenance/ slow food – we heard how customers are also seeking more authentic food, made with love, made by smaller local/community producers and with a clear provenance.
Booming interest in food and drink – all of these trends are set within the context of consumers taking more interest and caring more about the food and drink they consume. This trend is driven by both social media and the significant numbers of programmes on television about cooking, baking, food production, etc. Customers are much more knowledgeable than before, more appreciative and adventurous but also more demanding!
The importance of Provenance
One of the key areas we focused upon in the research was Provenance. After being provided with a short definition of food provenance (“knowing where food was grown, caught or raised, how it was produced and how it was transported”) 3 in 5 of the chefs included in our UK wide survey indicated that this was something that was very important to them when they were making decisions on ingredients to include on menus.
When asked to explain why they felt this way, responses included including a desire to support local producers, the pride in using quality produce with known provenance and the promotional value of being able to tell a story around menu items.
The in-depth interviews provided an opportunity to explore this area in more detail; we found that promoting high quality produce with a clear provenance often reflected a chef’s own personal or business ethos, including a desire to operate an environmentally sustainable business.
Many of the chefs also valued the importance of building positive, trusted relationships with other businesses in their local area, particularly those that shared their values.
Also, when we talked to our Scottish based chefs about food and drink produced in Scotland response was almost entirely positive with Scottish produce felt to offer many benefits.
First and foremost, we heard how offering Scottish produce on the menu would meet their customer’s demands. For Scottish residents this appeal existed due to a combination of practical reasons, such as an expectation of greater quality and freshness, and more emotional reasons such as a sense of pride and desire to support producers in the local community. For visitors to Scotland, Scottish produce also provided a way for them to try something different from the norm, enhancing their visit experience.
Our chefs provided lots of examples of trusted relationships with local suppliers and producers and all of this added to the appeal of buying Scottish and while buying local could be more expensive, this wasn’t necessarily always the case and there was a recognition that offering dishes which were labelled as Scottish or local could support higher pricing.
Find out more
This short article has summarised a few of the key results from this new research. If you’re involved in the food and drink sector in Scotland and would like to see more of the findings, please get in touch with The Knowledge Bank
If you’d like to have a chat with the 56 Degree Insight team about how our services can help your business to better understand your customers, get in touch.