Cutting-edge restaurant industry trends and innovations

On the menu at CES 2025: Cutting-edge restaurant industry trends

Explore current trends in the restaurant industry—including AI, automation, changing consumer behavior, and sustainability—in this LinkedIn Live discussion featuring Deloitte’s Evert Gruyaert, restaurants and food service leader, and Ed Lee, a managing director who focuses on restaurant strategy and growth topics. They discuss opportunities for restaurant leaders to create deeper connections with consumers through personalized experiences and enhanced loyalty programs while leveraging technology to improve convenience and engagement. Additionally, they highlight the need to prioritize training and upskilling to prepare restaurant workers for using new AI tools and systems to make their work easier and more efficient.

Dive into the conversation for more insights.

Evert Gruyaert: Hi everyone, and welcome to our LinkedIn Live from CES! We're here to talk about what's happening in the restaurant industry.  Ed, CES must be something you look forward to every year, it’s a big show for our industry.

Ed Lee: Yes, there’s always great stuff to see here at CES. This year, AI is a big theme. Automation is also a promising opportunity for restaurants facing hiring and turnover challenges to simplify and automate some aspects of their operations. Here, we’re seeing robots making coffee with designs in the foam and mixing drinks. However, for now, some of these innovations seem costly and potentially unreliable.

Evert Gruyaert: It’s always inspiring to see what’s new and talk with the companies who are bringing innovations to market. I’m fascinated by the autonomous vehicle and drone manufacturers. A few years ago, we wondered how they would impact restaurants. But it's reality now. In some cities, autonomous vehicles are already on the street and drones are delivering food from restaurants. 

Ed Lee: It’s amazing, right? We've spent a couple of years really thinking about the changing consumer.  Some seismic, unprecedented changes are taking place that impact restaurant companies. Restaurant companies need to be thinking about evolving consumer tastes, the aging population, more single person households, and consider the implications for menus, food deliveries, service, and experiences. The second big change is technology. AI adoption is growing quickly, and restaurants need to think about the next big thing. Convergence is underway, particularly in biotech and food tech. Soon, your smart watch could make healthy lunch recommendations.  These changes will have massive implications for restaurants.

Evert Gruyaert: In the last few months, we’ve talked with restaurant industry executives about what keeps them up at night. They are concerned about the risks, challenges, and opportunities of operating in a today’s environment. They think about connecting with customers, creating a cohesive digital experience, and how AI will change restaurant operations. Based on what you’ve seen here at CES, what are the most promising opportunities for restaurant leaders? 

Ed Lee: Today’s challenges are about driving traffic and attracting more customers. Given the changing demographics, we want restaurant companies to consider new horizons that will impact future growth. For example, experimenting with new foods and beverages to appeal to a younger consumer.  Another potential area for growth is national or international expansion. While increasing traffic to existing restaurants remains a primary goal, leaders may also want to evaluate the feasibility of strategically adding more locations.

Evert Gruyaert: What are some potential risks to avoid? 

Ed Lee: They should be cautious about doing new things simply for the sake of doing them; instead, be intentional about the consumers being targeting and why. If you're a consumer, there's always something cool and new to try and it can be overwhelming.

Evert Gruyaert: Being intentional with new ways of growth, got it. What’s the next one? 

Ed Lee: Building a deeper connection with consumers, as well as offering a much better restaurant experience. AI enables a very personalized experience: you can be greeted by name when you come into the restaurant, or maybe even by an AI robot in the drive thru. Convenience has always been king, but digital technology has raised the bar, especially for younger generations. So, consider how that experience can be replicated in a physical space while creating a personal connection. Could a server in a sit-down restaurant approach a returning customer, address them by name, and suggest their favorites? Restaurant loyalty programs are abundant, but they're often simply rewards programs. In other industries—such as airlines, hotels, and credit cards—those rewards are much more meaningful and lead to stronger relationships. Consider reimagining these reward and loyalty programs to attract and retain new customers.

Evert Gruyaert: That makes a lot of sense! Let's start digging into AI. What does it really mean for restaurants? 

Ed Lee: Restaurants have two key opportunities to improve their efficiency and effectiveness with AI—using AI and GenAI to enhance experiences for consumers and to simplify work for employees. There's excitement around agentic AI and having a personal agent who knows our restaurant preferences and schedules make dinner reservations for the weekend. Those applications are already coming to the forefront. From a day-to-day perspective, it's finding ways to leverage data, AI, and automation to help employees become more efficient. Autonomous robots in the kitchen may not be ready for prime time, but there are lots of tasks in a modern restaurant kitchen that are a bit of a grind. Think about prepping and chopping tomatoes. Leverage automation to free up your employees to offer a higher level of service for the things that that matter the most to a consumer.

Evert Gruyaert:  The high cost of scaling technology across restaurants is a hurdle, but that mentality is changing. Will this help accelerate automated solutions? 

Ed Lee: I think so. As any technology is refined, it becomes less expensive over time. Restaurant companies need to consider what initiatives will be meaningful to their business and consumers. Consider a coffee making robot. Just a few years ago, it was the size of a house. Now it sits on the tabletop. Restaurant companies have an opportunity to identify the technologies that will impact their business and collaborate with suppliers to reduce costs and shape it to suit their needs. 

Evert Gruyaert: What's the next one on the list?

Ed Lee: The next one on the list is also technology-related: Prepare your workforce for the future. The changing consumer will require different marketing strategies than in the past, including personalization and customization. A lot of different skill sets will be needed, and restaurant companies may want to invest in up-skilling and reskilling employees. For the restaurant employees, some of the most unpleasant tasks may become automated. But they will need to be prepared to use AI to automate scheduling, purchasing, and more. Restaurant companies need to think about how they can prepare and upskill their workforce to use new tech tools efficiently and confidently.

Evert Gruyaert: What’s the final consideration on your list? 

Ed Lee: The last thing has to do with sustainability. Discussions about sustainability in consumer food have been underway for a while because of the amount of packaging involved in grocery stores and delivery. Now, restaurants are thinking more about waste, recycling, packaging, and energy consumption because it’s such a priority to the next generation of consumers. 

Evert Gruyaert: For sure. Let's wrap this up by looking forward. What do you wish for the restaurant industry in 2025?

Ed Lee: While there are many new technologies and ideas to choose from, restaurant companies should take a step back to consider where the brand and consumers are heading, then decide on your key priorities. Focus on ten initiatives that align with your goals and focus on fewer, more impactful projects.

Evert Gruyaert: Don't just wait for the future of restaurants, shape your own future.

Ed Lee: Exactly. Be intentional about it, but don’t wait around. Things are moving too quickly. Your competitors are not waiting. In the past, you could sit back and wait a couple of years, now it’s only a few months. So, think through how to get started, hone your skills, learn and make progress, but be super intentional.

Evert Gruyaert: This was a great, super insightful conversation, as always, Ed. Thank you so much.