Restaurant Industry Roundup: January 2020

Does anyone else think January lasted eighty days instead of thirty-one? Wow. Welcome to February, let’s look back at January’s news. Today’s menu will take us across the globe, beginning with the U.K. Next, follow us on a tasty tour through ghost kitchens and their impact on the QSR landscape with additional notes of Starbucks’ efforts to tackle mental health. Finally, for dessert, we have an exciting dish with both sweet and savory flavors from Popeyes. Alright, let me take your menus. Your restaurant industry roundup should be ready soon!

Sustainable Delivery, Food Halls Amongst Trends to Watch in 2020 

A new decade means new trends! In the U.K., meat substitutes will “play a major role,” according to the NPD Group. Food operators will be answering the need to increase their sustainability efforts, which will reshape Britain’s out-of-home or eat-out industry this year. In the foodservice market, from October 2019, delivery is one of the fastest-growing order channels in the OOH foodservice market as visits have increased 11 percent. The NPD Group also forecasts food and beverage purchases through delivery will represent the foodservice market by 2022. Over the next decade, The NPD Group determines that operators must find a balance between delivery and using sustainable packaging options to reduce their restaurant’s environmental impact.   Other trends and data from the NPD Group include:  

• Three percent of consumers’ decisions are influenced by whether an establishment has vegan or vegetarian options. 
• Children’s menus should evolve to meet “increasingly sophisticated eating out tastes.”  
• Food halls allow less-structured eating options for street-food vendors and established eateries to target different and regular consumers alike. 

Starbucks Strengthens Commitment to Employee Mental Health 

Starbucks has partnered with Headspace, which is a business that helps its clients relieve stress through guided meditation sessions. Through the partnership, Starbucks partners in the U.S. and Canada can subscribe to the app for free. However, this isn’t the company’s first initiative to help combat mental illness. In the fall, more than 10,000 leaders across the United States and Canada met in a session to address mental health. After that event, thousands of partners participated in the company’s Mental Health Matters forum, and series training reported Starbucks in the same article.   Later this year, Starbucks wants to launch two more initiatives concerning mental health. One will be an employee-centric program that will use feedback from partners to connect them with mental health experts for care that meets partners’ specific needs. Then Starbucks plans to train store managers across the U.S. and Canada to respond to signs of mental illness. According to the company’s website, these mental health efforts will help to “ensure that every partner, in every store, feels supported and knows how and where to seek help for themselves and others.” 

Popeyes Launches Clothing Line Inspired by Comparisons to Beyonce’s Ivy Park Brand 

In the last week of January, Popeyes launched merch, triggered by Beyonce’s efforts to build buzz ahead of her collaboration with Adidas for her Ivy Park capsule collection. She sent out boxes to celebrities, and her collection was, in turn, sold out in hours. Popeyes released items from the chain’s work uniform in the “That Look from Popeyes” clothing collection.  The clothing will be available for a limited time as supplies last. The company will donate any proceeds from the collection to the Popeyes Foundation. The models featured in the campaign are real Popeye’s employees.   This collection isn’t Popeyes’ first “fast-food fashion” adventure. In December 2019, the chain released its Ugly Christmas Sweater, which sold out less than 14 hours after its release.   Subscribe to the blog for more interesting restaurant content!

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About the Author

Devyn is the Social & PR Specialist on the Marketing Team. She has a B.S. in Communication and an M.S. in Global Strategic Communication. She liked QR codes (before they were cool) ever since a two-week trip to China. She’s obsessed with true crime and enjoys quality time with her friends and family. Ask her about books she’s read, Criminal Minds, her dog-child, or her favorite cocktails!