Not one to miss a list, here’s one from a restaurant consulting company, (Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman), ready with predictions for next year.  Their list recognizes that we are different consumers and diners, and our agenda for the coming year is to match food with our own personal needs. They believe restaurants have to align themselves with the consumer who is still suffering the extreme economic woes that significantly impacted numerous restaurants to close this past year. Time to digest.

Some of the hot buttons are: Economic survival, artisan and hand-made, neighborhood and local, and authentic and real. These are the themes that run through the trends restaurants must focus on: The diner is a different customer than he was not so long ago and missing these concepts may mean missing the proverbial boat.

–Time for more appetizers and small plates that guests can share. Dining is more comarderie; the concept adds to the comfort level of dining out.

–Upscaling the Downscale. With gourmet hamburger sales and artisan hot dog sales increasing and steakhouses sliding, this is the time for chefs to be inventive with their burger options. Lamb burgers have become popular as have the list of homemade condiments and relishes to accompany the popular new foods.

–Get over the “organic”and “natural” labels which the company believes are overused and lost in translation. Instead opt for fresh, local, and hand-made, all terms that have an inherent level of trust. We can visualize the farmer, the farm market and the chef’s garden. It’s about trust.

–Fried chicken is the new pork belly. No more emphasis on getting the diner to crave new foods. Fried chicken has become the norm from all manner of chef including Thomas Keller’s new Ad Hoc Restaurant in Yountville, CA where Monday nights are chicken dinner nites. No one wants to miss this gravy boat.

I’m saving a few from the list for later in the week as they encompass the other type of diner or shopper we have become. Consider this a reflection of our dining habits and styles that are important for a comfortable restaurant experience. As the list focuses us on the new decade, so much of the theme sounds a lot like this year, doesn’t it!

Hope everyone’s listening.

What do you think it takes to get a restaurant to survive the economic elephant that is still in the room?