F&B IN 2023: MANAGEMENT & DESIGN EXPERTS LOOK INTO CRYSTAL BALL

As you’re intimately aware, few industries have changed more in recent years than food and beverage. A handful of F&B architecture, design, and management firms share their insights and forecasts with you.

• Overcoming Staffing Shortages

— Richard Garcia, Remington Hospitality: When the pandemic hit, many restaurant workers either left the industry or were burned out. To make up for the staff shortage, the industry had to figure out solutions without sacrificing service, quality of food, and overall guest experience. Potential solutions include:

• Robotics: Robots can help prepare and even serve food. With a sharp focus on food safety since the pandemic’s beginning, robots remove the need for human touch and crosscontamination. While robots cannot tion or request extra salt, they can help with the overall efficiency when serving and preparing food.

• On-Demand Apps: “On-demand” apps can allow cooks, servers, and/or bartenders to see which restaurants or bars are in need of help each night, giving them ad-hoc access to jobs. Through these apps, they are also given an option of when they would like to be paid, e.g. at the end of the shift or at the end of the week. Many people who are searching for more flexibility in their professional lives find this avenue helpful.

• Flexible, Accessible, ChooseYour-Own Seating Options –– David Tracz, //3877: F&B spaces are moving towards allowing guests to have greater control over their visit (while not losing out on the curation of the overall experience); one component coming to fruition is integrat the communal table to banquettes, high tops, bar chairs, and everything in between, an eclectic mix of accommodations diversifies the dining room, allowing restaurants to cater to larger group celebrations and intimate date nights simultaneously. Offering a selection of seating options proves that restaurants value the individual experiences of customers, a key design consideration that can drive a brand into the future, keeping their business alive and competitive in the market.

• The Lasting Impact of the “Instagrammable Moment”— Griz Dwight, GrizForm Design Architects: The impact of social media on the food and beverage space isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Restaurants are continuing to create important hype around their spaces by integrating buzzworthy moments that draw in customers and generate word-of-mouth. It will be crucial for designers to up the ante and make sure that these “moments” look as good in person as they do on Instagram, and that they, along with the entire dining experience, provide restaurant and bar patrons with lasting memory, not just a pretty image for their followers.

• The Convenience Store of the Future is Food and Beverage

— Carlie Russell, CRTKL: Convenience stores like 7-Eleven have provided communities with everyday items such as coffee, groceries, lottery tickets, over-the-counter continued on page 128