Is Your Restaurant On Trend? Here’s Why You Should Care.
Whether we like it or not, eating is a lifestyle. People often eat in social settings, and their social worlds tend to gravitate toward experiences that are memorable, photographable, and sharable. In this way, it’s no surprise that food has been a social media darling since such networks existed. With food-oriented audiences come seismic trends that literally shape tastes and require brands to either jump on board or react otherwise. According to a recent article, identifying as “fresh, customized, local, and authentic” is the key to staying on trend in today’s food world.
But is it enough to simply embrace existing trends? In our mind, probably so – to an extent, and it’s essential for restaurant brands to remain true to their core identity while doing so. Before jumping on a new trend, ask: Does this align with our brand’s values and mission? For example, if your restaurant prides itself on sustainable practices, incorporating plant-based menu items or promoting eco-friendly packaging would resonate more authentically than following a fleeting, unrelated food fad.
Even as you assess and adopt trends, your messaging should remain consistent. Whether you’re experimenting with a new menu item or embracing a marketing trend, it’s essential to reflect the same tone, personality, and values across all communication channels. Customers should be able to recognize the brand they’ve always known, even when encountering something new. This helps avoid confusion and builds long-term trust.
Trends move fast – and they can provide easy, low-hanging fruit opportunities for your brand to seize a cultural moment if you think it’s worth doing so. Before you make a full brat-themed menu or curate a full social media campaign around your ‘very mindful, very demure’ lunch specials, we encourage you to pause and assess the urgency and potential impact of such efforts. If you’re looking to anchor your trend-chasing to a substantial strategy, lean on the experts at ASTRALCOM. We bring decades of experience in the restaurant marketing space and can help you achieve meaningful results.
