4 New Behaviors in Post-pandemic Diners

Although the pandemic isn't over yet, the vaccination programs in some countries have enabled us to make great strides, with restaurants—major contributors to the economy, of course—able to open again. In Mexico, for example, approximately 90,000 eateries were forced to close in early 2021. This amounted to 15% of the total number, according to figures from the National Restaurant and Seasoned Food Industry Association (Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Restaurantes y Alimentos Condimentados – CANIRAC).

Before the COVID-19 crisis, there were just over 600,000 restaurants across Mexico, employing 2 million people directly and 3.5 million indirectly.

In a changing environment, how you bounce back is crucial. One of the best things restaurants can do is identify new behaviors in diners that were brought on by lockdown and have become the new normal in a post-pandemic world. After all, as the saying goes: adapt or die. This feels like the new rule in a changing environment where business models must be alert to new trends.

Here are some of the characteristics of post-pandemic diners that you must take into account:

Contactless, please!

Technology was undoubtedly the life raft that millions of food businesses clung to so they could navigate the pandemic a little more easily. The main example was contactless, which minimized the risk of spreading the new coronavirus. Restaurants had to digitize their menus via QR codes and adopt technologies for contactless payment, online bookings, delivery, apps, platforms and additional social media and website communications. To sum up, technological innovation is no longer a luxury or an option for restaurants; it has to be an integral part of any business model in the industry, something that post-pandemic diners will appreciate, and indeed demand.

Another of the World Health Organization's recommendations for the restaurant industry is to improve their cleaning and sanitation practices, disinfect frequently touched surfaces, educate employees about the virus, teach them how to protect themselves and others and reinforce social-distancing and hand-washing protocols.

Comfort food

Food is great at comforting the soul, all the more so in difficult times like a health crisis. Some of the world's top chefs agree that in times like these, diners want pampering. That's where traditional cuisine comes in: giving our stomach something familiar and reassuring to make us feel warm and fuzzy.

As you can see, these recipes that reflect the cultural heritage of every region are so important. In countries like Mexico, these culinary traditions tended to be handed down from one generation to the next as a kind of inheritance in which food plays a comforting role. In short, now is a good time for food businesses to dust off these recipes for mole, tamales, caldos, garnachas, tacos, asados and special drinks.

Gen Z

Just as restaurants had gotten used to the tastes of Millennials, along comes Gen Z. Born between 1997 and 2012, and also known as Centennials, they will soon make up the majority of post-pandemic diners, which is why now is the time to start understanding their approach to eating out.

A recent Technomic report on this very topic reveals that Gen Z diners tend to prefer bigger snacks and lighter meals. Half of them snack more than once a day and do so away from home. They are also the generation that attaches the most importance to food quality and price. They are more conscious of price and more likely to justify eating out if they deem it to be good value for money.

Foodservice and the post-pandemic future

According to Innova Market Insights' top trends in the food and beverage industry in 2021, the changes born out of the pandemic have resulted in people eating whatever, whenever and wherever they want. As they spend more time at home, 46% of consumers believe restaurant-branded products are a convenient way to attain the restaurant experience and flavors at home, aided by delivery.

That is why restaurant owners, dark kitchens and grocery stores need to optimize their stock and improve the quality of their products. One example is Simplot's frozen potatoes, which are grown, picked, fried, frozen and packaged using an automated process that saves time but adheres to strict quality standards. It means that the product—one of the most popular with diners—stays fresh and safe.

Learn more about Simplot's potatoes, practical recipes, varieties and offers at Simplot México.