One aspect of the foodservice industry that makes it so interesting is the fact that the palate and preferences of its ultimate customer, the consumer, continue to evolve.

For example, we live in a time when mochi (page 18), a Japanese rice cake with a chewy texture, is having a moment on dessert menus.

Despite the evolving nature of consumer tastes, we never seem to lose our appetites for high-end experiences. And for good reason.

For example, as Lisa Shames notes in her article “Designing & Equipping High-End Properties” (page 28) exactly what makes a property high-end remains squarely in the eye of the beholder. For some people, high-end will apply to a fine-dining restaurant in a five-star hotel or resort property. For others, high-end might apply to the country club to which their family has been a member for generations. And for others, a high-end experience might call for visiting an “eatertainment” facility to play pickleball or oversized beer pong with red garbage cans instead of plastic cups and beach balls instead of pingpong balls.

Either way, the tie that binds all of these experiences is the simple fact that the customer feels a visit to any of these operations will provide a memorable and high-end experience. 

In creating these experiences, it’s not enough for the operation to have a facility that looks the part. Nor is it enough to simply have what customers perceive to be a high-end menu. It has to be both. When guests walk through the door the facility must set the tone for the experience they are about to enjoy. And the food must look and smell as good as it will taste even before the guest takes their first bite.

It’s important to note none of this happens by accident. Take the back of the house, for example. Thoughtful menu development and an operation’s equipment package must go hand in hand. Any new menu items or limited-time offers must work with an operation’s existing infrastructure. And if an operation needs to add a piece of equipment to support a menu item, that expenditure has to make both fiscal and operational sense. By that I mean it has to provide a quick and reasonable return on investment and the culinary staff need to have the chops to operate it. If the staff’s skill set does not match up with the technology, it will be difficult for them to reap the full benefits of that equipment.

Convenience represents another attribute where consumers won’t ever compromise. From location to ease of use to co-branding locations to help broaden their appeal, chain restaurants (page 38) continue to look for ways to make their businesses more and more convenient to consumers. This includes an emphasis on smaller or to-go-only units that allow operators to choose locations that would not have previously been an option to them when using larger formats. 

Indeed, variety remains the spice of life both on the menu and by design.