Top 3 Trends Shaping the Food Service Equipment Industry in 2020
The food service equipment industry is constantly evolving. The industry continues to innovate rapidly to keep up with the ongoing demands from restaurants & commercial kitchens alike.
Ever-shifting demands for sustainability, ease of use, & small footprints are guiding commercial kitchen design in 2020. As these developments connect & move forward, they’ll create a lasting impact on the food service equipment industry in 2020 & beyond.
Let’s take a look at the 3 major trends that are poised to affect the restaurant & food service equipment industry as we kick off 2020.
1. Sustainability
Eco-friendly materials are a major driver of innovation in nearly every industry. Right now, sustainability is one of the biggest trends in the food service equipment. But, why is that? Two reasons: efficiency & regulation.
It’s no secret that commercial kitchen operations are costly. Owners continue to look for ways to improve efficiency to help keep working costs down. For example, food service companies are banning straws in an effort to be more eco-friendly & cost-effective. Plant-based food packaging has also seen a rise in demand.
Food waste reduction is a major topic in food service. 4%-10% of the food purchased by food service operations is discarded before it reaches customers. This has given rise to a demand for equipment to reduce food waste like on-site recycling units.
Furthermore, federal regulations are requiring improvements in sustainability/efficiency. Executive Order 13693 along with the supporting Ancillary Report clearly outlines the upcoming regulations for a “green” & sustainable infrastructure for the next decade. Some of these improvements include purchase of biobased & compostable materials, decrease in water usage & utilizing reusable wares.
Stainless steel will continue to be used to complement the sustainability initiative of commercial kitchens. This is because stainless is one of the most eco-friendly materials used in the commercial kitchen today. It is 100% recyclable & requires very little maintenance among other things.
2. Increased Automation & Rise of AI
Those who follow the food service industry closely are familiar with the current hot topic about commercial kitchens that apply AI, robotics & automation.
2020 will bring even more point-of-sale technology like digital menus & payment options directly at the table. Essentially, these automated solutions are being adopted as a way to lower labor costs.
Cash registers are quickly becoming a thing of the past. They are being replaced by self-service kiosks instead. At these kiosks, customers are able to order from the menu & pay for their meal without human contact.
Robots are slowly being assimilated into the commercial kitchen as well. One of the benefits of using robots in the kitchen is that repetitive or high-risk tasks can be given to machines. Human staff members have more time to execute creative tasks & the labor savings can be accumulated.
3. Smaller Sized Equipment
Let’s face it: kitchen space is shrinking & rent prices are going up. Therefore, many owners are choosing smaller kitchen equipment that can perform numerous functions to optimize their space.
This trend has been going on for several years & advances in engineering have brought a slew of new space saving solutions to the market.
In a limited kitchen footprint, vertical space is just as important as floor space. This means that models with stacking options simply have increased value. This allows you to stack two or more pieces of equipment on top of each other using special hardware or stands.
To sum up, a well-thought-out kitchen layout goes beyond square footage. Operators can remove bulky equipment by choosing multi-functional equipment—designed for performance.
At IMC/Teddy, our product design team regularly scouts for new ideas & technology. We confer with the consulting design field, customers & the national grid of sales personnel for new & innovative products that fill the needs of an ever changing food service landscape. Ultimately, keeping up with the latest trends is important to restaurateurs, chefs, & really anyone working in the food service equipment industry. For more information about our mission, click here.
