With the pandemic, human interactions have undergone a radical change, and this is reflected in the increase in interactions on social networks, digital platforms, and e-commerce.
The restoration business was not far behind, before the pandemic, many restaurants had already started the trend of opening their websites, their reservations online and the chefs on their social networks had once again become stars. On their accounts, their followers learn not only about their creations but also about their personal life.
This phenomenon created a global push towards more local, organic, and sustainable foods to grow.
Even before the beginning of the pandemic all restaurants from simple neighborhood restaurants to haute cuisine have been redesigning their menus, but now with Covid-19 the change has been dramatic, driven by the changes in economy and the lack of products from abroad in addition to the drive towards Vegetarian or vegan dishes causing the trend for animal protein substitutes or plant-based protein. With the pandemic local products are sometimes the only products available, so flexibility and creativity have become part of the daily routine in any kitchen professional or amateur.
We have seen social support from consumers that understand the problems everyone is facing, and they focus to consume more local products. We have seen a focus on local wines and the rediscovery of them, although they can sometimes be more expensive than imported wines. The pandemic has also brought a change in food delivery, how food is prepared and how it is designed to pack and deliver. Complete menus have been modified to reduce the number of products and ingredients in inventory and to offer what is economically viable for restaurants and the consumer.
This situation has helped restaurants to have less waste in their menus, without losing sight of the experience that the restaurant seeks to offer the customer. This has been a very big challenge for chefs because in restaurants the diner is exposed to a series of things that together encompass the customer’s experience, not just the food, the music, the service, the setting, and these intangible things that the chefs we do to offer our services.
Food delivery has become the lifeline for many restaurants that had to close their doors, but that also was redesigned, dishes are prepared but not put together until they arrive at the consumer house, other times the dishes are semi-cooked so they can be finished by the diner.
Packaging evolved dramatically in no time, environmentally friendly packaging and reusable packaging have become part of the norm, and the bond with delivery apps has become literally the “vehicle” to reach to consumers. With the increase in digital services, many of the neighborhood restaurants had to adapt to this new offering and the learning curve caused many to close and others to find a niche to exploit. On the other hand, we have many people who have become more environmentally conscious and are reducing animal protein and others who are against animal cruelty, both valid reasons are driving changes in the way we cook and have been amplified during the pandemic since fewer products are available and cooks have sought and found substitutes in plants and vegetarian diets that still include dairy products and eggs. And not only cooks and chefs are experiencing this, but people in their homes also began to cook more and more consciously too.
As a TV chef, I was in high demand from my audience to cook simple, quick, and delicious recipes. This experience has changed, because although many people can enjoy my television programs, social media has made the relationship of my viewers closer, now with a tap on the phone, we have access to personalities that in the past we would not have thought we had. With the confinement, a way for people to save is preparing their food at home, that is why the increase in easy-to-prepare and, above all, inexpensive recipes have been increasing. Nowadays people like to interact with chefs, see beyond their recipes, they look for sources of inspiration, their family recipes, the best kept secrets before, and this makes the commitment greater and communication much more. fast and efficient.
Consumers’ values have changed, today they demand more environmentally friendly dishes and packaging. But we are still looking for a wow factor in the flavors and dishes and we are looking for comfort food that evokes a happy moment amid the confusion we are experiencing today. Going out has become more about having a place to go rather than going to a restaurant, the experience is now more important than ever before.