In the first part of our new year series, Scott Freeman, Culinary Director for ESS, gives his predictions for some of the key catering and hospitality trends we are likely to see over the next 12 months.
Popular flavours and food formats
Flavours and food formats go in and out of fashion and it’s important that hospitality providers innovate and evolve to stay relevant. We’re seeing a rise in the popularity of big, bold flavours, often coupled with holiday vibes as people seek cuisines that evoke happy memories – whether from the Caribbean, Thailand or Turkey. Versatile formats like big sandwiches are on trend, providing an ideal base for a variety of exciting fillings, and we’re seeing some great independent brands extending their reach in this space.
Our menu development process dials into the latest trends in both flavour and format, with our chefs taking inspiration from industry insights, market research, social media, food influencers, national food tours and our global business. We’re committed to bringing what’s popular on the high street into the workplace.
Authenticity of ingredients and dishes
Customers are increasingly interested in where their food is coming from. Local sourcing has always been a priority for some, but more and more people want to know the story behind the dishes they are choosing – where the ingredients originated and what inspired the recipe.
For us, that means drawing on the broad range of expertise we have available when creating our menus. Whether we’re leveraging the knowledge and experience within our own teams, working collaboratively with our suppliers or gathering insight from our global business, we have an array of resources available to help us enhance the authenticity of our food.
Importance of reflecting health trends
The impact of health trends on dining habits can’t be ignored and we’re currently seeing unprecedented shifts. While a proportion of customers have always selected dishes in line with wellbeing objectives, there is now greater awareness and action – whether that’s choosing high protein or high fibre options, or simply dishes with more vegetables. The rising use of GLP-1 agonists will undoubtedly impact food decisions into 2026, and this is something the hospitality industry needs to quickly adapt to.
Our customers cover a wide range of demographics, with diverse wants and needs when it comes to food and nutrition. Our menus are developed to cater for a variety of tastes, with different cuisines, lighter and more indulgent options, and dishes suitable for specific dietary requirements. Many of our concepts are now customisable, giving consumers greater freedom with the meals and portion sizes they select.
Rise of social dining spaces
While people remain keen to get together and socialise over food, individual tastes and requirements are becoming ever more diverse – some stay traditional in their food choices, but others will be more adventurous and there may be varying preferences over portion size or budget. Social dining spaces like food halls are fast increasing in popularity. They meet everyone’s needs and offer the advantage of enabling grazing over several hours rather than an allotted timeslot or maybe even a minimum spend in a more formal restaurant environment.
As workplace caterers, we recognise the importance of attractive dining spaces to support socialisation and employee morale. The facilities we operate lend themselves to this style of eating, and our culinary team work hard to incorporate options to meet a variety of tastes in our menus. We also collaborate closely with our marketing colleagues to create great environments that encourage people to meet and relax over food.
Leveraging the power of data and AI
High-quality data is key to meeting consumer demand, increasing footfall and minimising waste. With AI enabling much deeper interrogation of information on all aspects of foodservice, the role of data in driving culinary strategy and shaping offer creation is only set to increase.
Across our business, we’re collecting and analysing more data than ever before. At the simplest level, it’s showing us what sells and what doesn’t and we make decisions accordingly, so dishes that aren’t popular will be replaced. It’s also giving us more granular insights, such as the popularity of food types in varying locations and at different times of the day, all of which will be woven into our future menu development.
