To imagine what the democratic restaurant of the future will look like, you need to listen to what restaurant technology experts and environmental planners have to say.

They see the collapse of fast food culture as inevitable. If we take into account the latest trends, the fast-food establishments we are accustomed to will eventually be supplanted by democratic restaurants seeking to win the favor of a new generation - a more fastidious one who strictly monitors their health. You can call this a kind of karma for what fast food chains did to American restaurants in their time.

Experts believe that these democratic restaurants will emerge in the very near future. They will be a cross between cafeterias and traditional fast-food restaurants. Also, if you take into account the style, price level, quality of food and service, they will be even more common and popular. One can only guess what will happen to such establishments over the next twenty-five years, but recent trends cannot but lead to certain thoughts.

According to Jeremy Julian and Gary Stotko, aka The Restaurant Guys, the restaurants of the future will have more computers and fewer people. As CEOs of restaurant technology company Custom Business Solutions, Inc., Julian and Stotko are trying to convince restaurant owners that the modern digital age inevitably presents them with a choice: either they keep up with the times or lose their customers, and maybe even lose them altogether. your entire business.

“Restaurant owners realize that if they don't use technology, they will have to raise prices,” says Julian. According to Julian and Stotko, in order to adapt to wage policies, cultural changes, and technology, restaurant owners must begin to incorporate modern digital tools into their business, such as wearable technology, big data, or omnichannel marketing. Thus, in the modern world, restaurant chains will be able to store various types of information about each customer, being constantly present in their digital lives and studying their wants and needs.

Based on this finding—as well as statistics, research into current trends with the help of an environmental designer and an illustrator—one can imagine what a fast food restaurant will look like in twenty-five years. Welcome to the visual tour!

An imaginary look into the future

It's 2040.
Millennials, who are known for their innovative ideas, are approaching their 50th birthday; The environmentally conscious Generation Z is gradually giving way to Generation Alpha - high school and college graduates, now the marketing world is targeting them. You are standing in front of a new democratic restaurant in your city, where they sell, for example, pasta or sandwiches. Your friend has already been to this establishment more than once, you follow him.

As soon as you walk into the dining area through the automatic doors, you see a combination of environmental consciousness and modern design: walls made from seemingly plant-based materials, cork tables, bamboo counters, solar-powered light fixtures. All this is beautifully emphasized by multi-colored LED lamps. You'd be amazed if you hadn't seen this shameless attempt to appeal to Gen Z eco-trends a million times in these kinds of restaurants. From all sides you hear snatches of conversation, energetic melodies of classic hip-hop and unusual electronic signals - all sounds unobtrusively merge into a cacophony, all this creates a relaxing atmosphere.

Your friend takes a smartpad (previously known as a “phone”) from his pocket and unlocks the screen. “We’re glad to see you again,” he receives a message. This is part of the loyalty program in which he takes part, like many others at this time. You look up and see a small black “beacon”, it reads your friend’s smartpad and delivers messages. “You got 10 points! Dial another 50 and you can get a free sandwich!”

Self-service terminals

Now you have to find free seats. You walk to the back of the restaurant, where booths with tables are located, and to your right you see self-service terminals. They remind you of the distant 2010s, when, due to ongoing protests caused by wage policies, many fast food restaurants, such as McDonald's, had to install self-service terminals.

You realize that that strange electronic signal you heard is coming from the terminal screens where young people deftly place an order or pay a bill.

A girl standing in front of one of the terminals brings a smartpad to the screen. "Thank you! Your bill is paid! Number 34 appears on the screen.

The girl passes you and heads towards a green wall covered with moss, in which about 50 small compartments are built. You recognize these automated "cells" that were so popular in the modernized, fully automated restaurant chains about twenty years ago. The girl approaches the cell numbered “34” and touches the door screen with her hand. The locker door opens and the girl takes away the brown bag.

Wearable gadgets

You and your friend finally chose a table at the back of the room. You are about to sit down, but he stops you: “This table is very dirty.” You notice that the countertop is covered in crumbs.

A friend swipes his hand across a digital screen on the table surface that was previously in standby mode. Then he presses the "clear" button. Within seconds, an employee appears, his badge reads "Jamie," and he runs up to your desk. Jamie is armed with an aluminum can of detergent and a rag. Are you wondering how long Jamie's work will be around? After all, 90 percent of restaurants these days are already managed remotely by computer laboratories, and the average number of their employees has dropped to 3-5. You know that Jamie's job is one of the most low-tech and low-paying jobs out there—and you remember your first job in high school at a fast food restaurant.

You see a neon green bracelet on Jamie's wrist. It vibrates and glows as Jamie wipes the smart table. After a few seconds, the word “Table 7” lights up on the waiter’s smart watch. You thank Jamie, who now rushes to wipe down table No. 7 - wherever that is.

"What did you choose?" – your friend asks, placing his smartpad on the table. The smart table “comes to life” again: “Welcome back! Review recommendations based on your previous orders."

You touch the surface of the table on your side with your fingers to let the system know that your friend is not dining alone. The screen splits in two and a menu appears. You run your finger along the surface of the table, studying the restaurant's menu, which features a variety of organic whole wheat pastas and freshly prepared sandwiches made from locally sourced ingredients. You grin, because “freshly prepared” used to mean “handmade.” Now meals are prepared by kitchen robots that replicate famous chefs' recipes and are designed to cut labor costs.

As you review the nutritional facts and ingredients of the dishes, you realize that the menu is tailored to suit your friend's vegetarian diet, so you look for the full menu section. After a while you are ready to place your order.

"Select a Payment Method". Your friend moves the smartpad over the table. The menu disappears and new screens appear. You watch without much interest as the news anchor lists the headlines of trending topics. Noticing that you're bored, your friend swipes the screen from right to left. Questions from the quiz appear. This time you swipe the screen, launching a game like Battleship.

Next to your desk, you notice a solar-powered mobile device charging station and decide that now is the time to recharge your smartpad. You connect the device to the universal connector and continue playing.

Multichannel Marketing

After 5 minutes, your game is interrupted by a message that your order is ready. The number 21 lights up on your side of the screen. You go to the green wall and look for the cell with your number.

The small box contains your sandwich and drink. You press the cell door, but it does not open. The message “Download our app and get $2 off your next order” appears. Instead of tapping “No, thanks,” you swipe the smartpad over the screen and feel it vibrate to load an app. The door opens, you take the tray and return to the table. For the next hour, you enjoy your lunch while answering quiz questions and listening to the sweet sounds of hip-hop and good old electronic music.

"Ready to go?" - your friend asks you, getting up from the table. You go to the solar-powered recycling bin and throw away your paper trash.

When leaving a restaurant, you feel your smartpad vibrating. “Did you like it with us? Please rate your lunch!” This is a message from the application you downloaded from the cell wall. Most likely, the tracking beacon above the entrance detected that you were leaving the restaurant. You give five stars, thank your friend and go home, not even realizing that this high-tech, democratic restaurant is already planning your next visit - selecting your favorite dishes, entertainment, and not forgetting about your companion.

Coffee mania

From 2006 to 2014, the demand for coffee doubled, and since 2000, by as much as 5 times. But once upon a time coffee was imported into the Russian Federation 8 times less than tea, but last year almost as much coffee beans were imported as tea - 124 thousand tons. If measured in monetary terms, imports of coffee amounted to 17.3 billion rubles, tea - 22 billion.

Both quantity and quality are growing. In 2013, the share of coffee beans increased to 40%. All over the world, little people drink instant coffee, as it is considered a harmful product. In rich countries the share of instant coffee is no more than 10%, in Italy and France it is 1%.

Why are coffee bean prices rising?

Coffee is grown in 65 countries. 70% of the world harvest is provided by Indonesia, Colombia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Brazil. Brazil experienced its hottest season in 2014, with the worst harvest expected in 50 years. At the same time, a pest fungus attacked coffee plantations in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatmala in the summer, destroying up to a third of the plantings. And in Inidia, an invasion of coffee stem beetles began. The price of coffee was affected by everything at once, so low prices are not expected in 2015.

But the price of instant drinks will remain stable. Powdered or freeze-dried coffee consists of a cheap variety of beans, plus up to half of the contents of the cans are not natural coffee, but food additives. That is why there is almost nothing to become more expensive there.

• The number of single visits has increased, people have become less likely to go in groups.
• It is also obvious that people are switching from expensive consumption to more affordable ones.
• Coffee shops turn out to be the most popular among people over 45 years of age. But over the past year, the number of visits from the most solvent part of the population - 35-45 years old - has increased, which confirms the thesis that visitors from the restaurant segment are coming to us. This is especially common in regions where Shokoladnitsa is considered an expensive coffee shop. In Moscow, our coffee shops are popular both among young people (20–30 years old) and older people.
• We have become more in demand for special offers. In particular, breakfasts and lunches at a fixed price. The share of package offers for breakfast and lunch increased by 20–25%. But this did not happen suddenly. We quite consciously and long ago began working in this direction - we are improving our package offers for breakfast and lunch once a quarter. And every time we note that their popularity is growing. Of course, there is a risk that they will become so attractive that they minimize other sales, but at the same time, we meet people’s needs to save and help them optimize their expenses. In the same “Coffee House” we have a very budget offer - breakfast for 149 rubles.
• In today's times of crisis, fast food is winning. But nevertheless, coffee shops are quite attractive to guests with their affordable offers, takeaway sales, and all sorts of pleasant little things.

Sales structure in our coffee shops

1. Coffee is the permanent sales leader at Shokoladnitsa. It is ordered in 61% of cases.
2. In second place in popularity are main dishes. Their share is approximately 50%.
3. Bakery.
4. Beverages.
5. Dessert
6. Salads.
7. Side dishes.
8. Soups.
9. Alcohol.

Guests want a personal approach

People want personalization, and this is partly a service. A high level of satisfaction is impossible without variability, especially among the younger generation - all these X, Y, Z. They say: I want porridge without salt or sugar, with skim milk or cream. And if they don't get what they want, this place is closed to them.

I want breakfast at two o'clock in the afternoon, and I don't care if you have it until noon.

Over time, the share of such people in business will increase significantly. We will notice this in a few years, but we need to focus on them now.

First of all, the menu must be 100% variable.

In the United States, there have long been restaurant chains with five basic products on the menu, but they can be turned on their head. And another 10–15 options for what can be ordered in addition to them or removed. That is, the guest must be given the opportunity to make a personal order within the dish.

Need an individual approach

To be in trend, an establishment must know about the individual preferences of its regular guests. For example: you come, they identify you, they know what you roughly order, and they say: are you as usual? From an operational point of view it is difficult. But this format will be more in demand than an assortment of 20 fixed dishes without the ability to change anything.

New pricing to increase loyalty

Everything is leading to the fact that pricing will be fundamentally different. Now this is happening in the field of the Internet and telecommunications. But this will also affect restaurants sooner or later.

Suppose we allocate a basic package - some simple things that can be conditionally free (for example, Americano), and food and desserts - at a special price.

Still fighting for guest loyalty! And in fact, the success of a business is determined by the number of repeat purchases.

Different industries have different potential for repeat purchases. Some industry may claim 80%, some - 20%. If the number of repeat purchases or the number of loyal guests in a coffee shop is 40%, then due to new pricing you can raise the attendance ceiling by 20 percentage points. Because loyalty is satisfaction, which means consistency.