Another year is almost over, and several trends have emerged, especially in the food industry, leading chefs to shift their vision and the way they approach their customers. The pandemic, and therefore COVID-19, has radically changed the restaurant industry due to the various restrictions imposed across the country, forcing professionals to modify their entire business model.

Among the effects of Covid, as stated by Marketing Journal, there is certainly a new, different way of relating to food and this has affected not only industry professionals, but consumers themselves.

But what were the restaurant trends for 2021?

The importance of breakfast

The pandemic has undoubtedly forced us to spend more time at home, and breakfast has become increasingly important. Gaining popularity and importance, more elaborate breakfasts, such as pancakes, eggs, and homemade smoothies, are becoming increasingly popular, not just on Sundays. In line with the increased time spent indoors, reinventing traditional dishes is becoming a must, adding new flavors to the palate with minimal effort. This is why we're looking at new types of pasta, vegetable soups, and new combinations of sauces and spices with traditional dishes.

The development of the dark kitchen and big data

Over the past year, as reported by MJ, a significant and surprising development has been seen in dark kitchens and food delivery. Dark kitchens represent, in a certain sense, the evolution of food delivery: they are kitchens closed to the public, where food and dishes are prepared centrally and then delivered to your home.

This process has encouraged the discovery of big data: user preferences and profiles are collected and stored. The available data makes it easier to understand product seasonality and thus better manage customer demand.

Big data and the birth of the first communities between producers and professionals

While the use of big data can enable optimal management towards the end customer, professionals are gradually abandoning the old, traditional method of purchasing from their local fishmonger, in favor of platforms that connect professionals with producers themselves . This provides them with precise and timely information and, thanks to digitalization, a nearly 24-hour consultancy service.

Conkilia , the platform created for the seafood industry, aims to create a community between producers and Ho.Re.Ca. professionals . Having anticipated the trend, the online seafood market is using digital tools to create a consultancy service with expert technicians available to provide any additional product information.

Using digital technology allows us to collect data that can be used to understand customer preferences based on geographic location and seasonality, in order to ensure products are always available and offer the best quality/price ratio.

The use of new ingredients

While the pandemic of the past year has prompted a revisitation of traditional dishes, it has also provided precious time to explore new dishes and encourage forward-thinking chefs to use new ingredients, improving menus and showcasing the quality of the products. In this regard, Conkilia has once again taken an important step: the platform now offers both commonly used products and those that are difficult to find and sell in Italy, precisely to make them available to chefs who want to explore new waters, while remaining in the seafood world, and discover new products.

An example could be the Green Abalone . The green-lipped abalone is one of the largest abalones in the world, and despite being a product for the most demanding global customers, few people use it in Italy.

Learn more about Green Abalone

Semi-ready products

Another trend that has emerged over the past year is the desire to receive semi-prepared products: having the ingredients for a dish and, why not, a drink delivered to your door, and then customizing them at home to suit your tastes, recreating dishes and appetizers as if we were sitting at the table of our favorite restaurant.

A semi-prepared product that has also impressed professionals: many, in fact, use IT tools to search for products they usually consume already cooked and prepared. By saving time on cooking, but still having a quality product at their disposal, they can focus their efforts on other elements, such as plating and service, which have increasingly become factors in the final consumer's choice.

Given this trend, it's inevitable that large companies are moving in this direction: Mar Barroso , a leading company in the octopus sector, has in fact been experimenting for some time with the sale of octopus and tentacles cooked in seawater; this particular process gives the product an intense flavour and quality, making it the best frozen octopus in the world.

Learn more about the Mar Barroso Octopus

While global companies are moving in this direction, it's difficult for small fishmongers to keep up with new trends, often due to a lack of funding and finances to implement such a service. For this reason, the growing trend is to source locally those products typical of the local area that are best consumed "fresh," while leveraging the potential of social media and the internet in general to find the right platform for frozen fish at the best quality/price ratio.

Awareness of waste and the pursuit of sustainability

2021 was also perhaps the year in which we became fully aware of the food waste we experience annually—an average of 1.3 billion tons of food is thrown away each year. Chefs and others have therefore fully understood that to combat waste, we must try to utilize raw materials in their entirety and cook in the right quantities, thus reducing waste.

For this reason, many professionals have moved against the eclecticism and overabundance of products that, if not consumed, will end up being thrown away. Therefore, simplicity is sought, from reducing the number of dishes on menus to only offering tasting menus, favoring quality products, both fresh and frozen, in line with customer demand and aimed at reducing waste.

Sustainability is undoubtedly closely associated with the concept of waste, becoming a buzzword across all sectors. The food industry is no exception, and while the trend consolidated in 2020, 2021 represents the year in which public awareness has grown even further. While efforts have been made to replace animal-based ingredients with plant-based products, efforts have also been made to be more sustainable and "green," especially in the seafood sector.

In particular, chefs and enthusiasts have highlighted their willingness to pay a higher price for a product that is traceable and sourced from sustainable fishing.

Some of the best sustainable seafood companies

In line with the needs, fishing companies have had to implement sustainable and certified systems to highlight their support for the cause.

One of the companies we'd like to mention is Hiddenfjord , a salmon farm in the Faroe Islands. The Danish company has established its farms across five different sites, with mobile stations allowing for movement between them. Hiddenfjord's sustainable approach is evident in the fact that, rather than merely seeking profit, the costly movement between sites allows for the natural recirculation of the water and the salmon within.

To find a similar example of sustainability in Europe, one need only look to Spain, and specifically to the JC Mackintosh company. The company, which fishes red tuna , is also particularly attentive to sustainability; for this reason, fishing is often interrupted to allow the tuna to grow and reproduce.

This focus on sustainability is also reflected in the methods used to catch tuna. We're talking about the Japanese Ike Jime and Green Stick methods, which ensure the fish offer the least resistance, are stressed as little as possible, and therefore struggle less to catch themselves, thus minimizing the animal's suffering.

If these are the trends, we need tools to acquire the information. This is why platforms like Conkilia allow free access to information released by the fishing companies themselves, both on sustainability and otherwise.

Through the product sheet, it's possible to see the manufacturing process, the formats, the product's flavor, and the sustainability certifications each company holds. Naturally, thanks to the dedicated consulting service, industry professionals can request further information at any time via social media, WhatsApp—and here again, the importance of digital—to complete the picture of the product they're about to purchase.

If established trends continue into 2022, in step with an increasingly frenetic and digital world, platforms like Conkilia will allow users to purchase the best seafood supplies for the restaurant industry whenever and however they want, from the comfort of their own homes . This focus is not only on affordability, but also on product sustainability and service, which is always available and punctual.

If you want to find out more about the Conkilia platform , register for free. If you don't find what you need or require support, contact us via WhatsApp at 080 442 6081 .