5 Hospitality Trends for 2015

As the year draws to a close we look at five trends set to shape the hospitality industry in 2015.

1. Health and wellness 

In 2015 customers will increasingly be asking, “Where has my food come from and how was it produced?” They will be looking for locally sourced, healthy ingredients. A number of factors are driving this trend. Customers want local food because it is generally fresher and tastes better. They also want to support local farmers. Then there are environmental concerns. Locally sourced food that has low carbon miles will be in demand. Healthy eating will see the continued popularity of super foods and grains at breakfast. Dietary issues are also a factor in the health and wellness trend. There is an increasingly prevalence of gluten-free, dairy-free and low-FODMAP diets. As customer also ask, “What’s in my food” we will see more hospitality establishments cater for different diets.

2. Sharing

Restaurants have been doing share plates for a number of years now. 2015 will be the year drinks join the party. Welcome to communal boozing. Cocktail bars will increasingly put together large punches to serve you and your friends. There will be no limits on price or ingredients.

3. Real time marketing

The influence of social media will be as important as ever for hospitality outfits in 2015. Engaging consumers, eliciting feedback, gaining awareness and customers are all benefits that come with embracing the social trend. The ability to interact with customers on review sites is an especially important component of this. Figures from deloitte show that 51% of peope they surveyed purchased a product based on an online recommendation.

4. Profitability

With the Australian economy growing below trend, industry profitability will come under pressure in the new year. Restaurants with two sittings will become more prevalent. Popular restaurants will consider pay for table systems. Often this fee will be non-refundable. Hospitality venues could increasingly ask for meals to be prepaid. This will occur even before food has been ordered. Surge pricing could increase with restaurants and cafés charging according to how busy they are.

5. Technology

Call us biased but we believe technology will be the biggest hospitality trend in 2015. It will be driven by fierce competition, the need to offer leading customer service as well as the demands of tech-savvy Millennials. Multinational hospitality companies are leading the charge. Pizza Hut is looking into the option of customising orders by dragging icons of toppings onto their virtual pizza. McDonalds is testing apps that enable the customising of your hamburger in real time. For small business the use of tablets connected to a POS system like ViViPOS will become more prevalent. These will be used by staff or by customers to order meals. The option to make reservations and place orders off-premise will also increase in popularity. Long waits at the bar could become less common if bars choose to use technology that allows customers to order from their mobile.


We’d love to hear your thoughts on the trends we have identified or what you see as critical drivers of the hospitality industry in 2015.