It’s too easy to order food online and have it delivered to your home. You can bring back diners by bringing them the right concepts, menus and ingredients.
Hotel restaurants that are successful strike a balance with personal taste and perceived worth. When I dine out, sometimes I think: “I’m a consumer.This dish could have been made better at home” or “This meal is not cheap.“
It’s a problem that this new way of thinking replaces FOMO with JOMO. This consumer mentality can have a negative impact on a restaurant’s bottom line and reputation. When I find myself questioning my dining choices, I put on my corporate director of F&B hat and try to identify the root of the problem. “What’s wrong with this restaurant? What’s wrong? What about the menu? The menu? The portions? Lack of local flavor?“
Here are 5 trends that chefs and F&B directors can embrace to help put joy back into the on-site restaurant experience or JODO (Joy of Dining Out):
- Crave-Worthy Menus: People got creative during the pandemic and prepared their own meals using ingredients they had on hand and a smaller budget. For them to feel comfortable dining out again, they will need a strong and often urgent desire for specific foods that satisfy a taste, or bring emotional satisfaction. Start by reminiscing about childhood dishes and looking for new spices that will enhance your menu. Salad toppings with special flavors. Gourmet chili dogs. Oversized chocolate bars Giant cannoli Honey drizzled bacon and cheddar biscuits. By elevating comfort foods, you can create a menu that will appeal to the heart and make people eager to go to restaurants again.
- Smaller portions: People no longer eat the way they used to. The health-conscious travelers, along with the high-spending Millennials or Gen-Z consumers who spend a lot on food, are not interested in large unsanitary buffets where many hands touch food. Sharing plates and smaller portions allow them to try more food without eating as much. This is not only better for the bottom line of the restaurant, but also helps the hotel to be more sustainable. Be good neighbors and donate leftovers to the local foodbank whenever there are food leftovers (especially from large banquets).
- Local Flavors If you live in Maryland, then you have to serve a delicious crabcake. Even though you may get tired of it, travelers will still seek out your restaurant to satisfy their craving for this Maryland staple, especially if the dish is made with jumbo-sized lump crab meat. It is important for travelers to try local flavors. However, it doesn’t always have to be a boring old thing. There are many variations to menu staples, like serving crabcakes Carolina-style with more breadcrumbs. You can also play around with fusion. Add Old Bay seasoning to shrimp tacos and pineapple slaw, or use Tajin as a rim for margaritas. Add items that are popular in your area to the menu, such as a crab chowder and corn chowder served with a sourdough bread bowl. Although it may seem overly indulgent, this dish is flavorful and full of pizzazz.
- Enjoy a Coffee Experience Coffee is not just a beverage — it’s a strategic F&B pillar that drives revenue, enhances brand perception, and caters to evolving guest expectations. In 2025 properties that use coffee to enhance their guest experience rather than as a mere utility will have an edge. Coffee can generate revenue throughout the day (from morning service through afternoon pick-meups to late-night speciality drinks). It increases guest satisfaction and loyalty, particularly among Millennials, Gen Z, and X travelers. It also adds differentiation to the market and can be paired with food and desserts, creating opportunities for upselling at breakfast, brunch and in-room services. Coffee concepts can also work across multiple outlets—room service, lobby cafés, grab-and-go stations, meeting spaces, and events.
- Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em: Hotels are increasingly using aromatic smoke in drinks to enhance the presentation and sensory experience. Smoking can add unique flavor profiles like cherrywood or oak, and allow beverage teams to reinterpret cocktails, such as Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, that become customer favorites. Smoke is also a sensory experience that engages taste, sight and smell. The aroma and visual impact of a smoked drink leaves a lasting memory. It is a memorable and dramatic moment, especially if prepared on the table or at the bar. Socially, guests are more likely to share their experiences online when smokey drinks have a high photogenic factor. Smokey drinks are often more expensive due to their visual impact and quality. Guests will be more willing to spend a little extra on a drink that costs $20 or higher if they feel like it’s an experience.
Smoked cocktails are a great addition to upscale lounges and boutique hotels because they convey a sense innovation, mindfulness and luxury. They align with the current “experiential luxury” trend—offering more than just food and drink, but an atmosphere and feeling. Finally, smoking cocktails, cheeses, and even charcuterie items with a variety of woods, herbs (like rosemary or sage), teas, or spices, giving bartenders and wait staff creative flexibility and allowing for seasonal or local customization, which fits perfectly into themed menus or regional F&B programming.
The F&B industry is evolving faster than ever, and the businesses that thrive will be the ones that embrace change, not resist it. Diners today aren’t just interested in a meal. They want to experience a feeling, a story and a memory. If they don’t evolve, static operations may become irrelevant.
Adaptability = Profitability. The most successful F&B operators do not just chase trends — they anticipate them, test ideas quickly, and stay emotionally connected to their guests. It’s not a bad thing to embrace change. It is a strategy for growth.
About the Author
Guy Reinbold, Corporate Director of Food and Beverage at Meyer Jabara Hotels. An award-winning hospitality group that owns and operates 45 hotels, 36 food and beverage outlets and 20 states in the United States. The company aims to achieve success for everyone it serves. Visit the website to learn more about Meyer Jabara Hotels. www.meyerjabarahotels.com.
