For years now, the foodservice industry has been morphing, changing and evolving at a faster pace than in decades past. When you look at restaurants today, it’s a different world than, say, even 10 years ago. Recently, while visiting this year’s CRFA Show in Toronto, I had an interesting conversation with a supplier of paper products. When I asked her how important greening is to her business today, she told me she thought interest in eco-friendly products had waned in recent years. Surprised, I asked her why, and she explained greening had become a consumer expectation, as opposed to the hot trend it was just a few years ago. It makes sense.
Just as consumers now expect that all restaurants recycle, reduce and reuse, they also expect those same operations to nurture their nutritional (and allergy) needs, to be ethically minded when sourcing meat, to contribute to the good of the community and to post the calorie count on menus. Who could have imagined?
Take a look at the recent CRFA Show, and that trend is further substantiated. Local foods were spotlighted this year, with an Ontario pavilion; gluten-free products were everywhere and show seminars touted low-sodium products and healthy eating as solutions to the growing problems associated with childhood obesity.
Whether operators like it or not, they are becoming social custodians. Mark McEwan, Toronto restaurateur par excellence, has noted a shift. “Everyone developed a wheat allergy this year; it’s trendy,” he quipped at the Breakfast of Champions panel held during this year’s CRFA Show. The trend is also evident in the catering business, according to Debra Lykkemark, CEO of Culinary Capers Catering in Vancouver, also a panellist at the breakfast. “Of the 720 meals I prepared at a special event last year, 95 were special meals,” she said.
So what does this mean for operators? Basically, while it creates a great deal of challenges and sometimes headaches for operators, it also signals an exciting and dynamic time to create further opportunities for growth and evolution. “There are so many new landed immigrants here in Canada with ideas, and we listen to them,” said Paul Methot, VP, Operations, Pizza Pizza, also speaking on the panel. “We always want to make sure we execute in the restaurant, but ultimately it’s the customers who decide if it’s a flash in the pan.”
While these changes are fuelling intensified competition between operators who strive to outdo each other, and steal market share, it’s also creating a new food culture in this country. “We’re energetic, and we want to learn. Whereas in the past we were naïve and didn’t have a food culture,” McEwan told the breakfast audience. Still, as the industry grows and evolves even further, operators can’t forget that it’s all about pleasing the customer. Vikram Vij, owner/chef of Vij’s in Vancouver, one of Canada’s most popular restaurants, summed it up best. “If you feed the people well, they’ll feed you by coming back,” he said.
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