Entering a restaurant in 2025 will not be much different from doing so in 2024, but as always happens in the world of trends, there will be new paths gaining popularity in architecture and interior design, closely linked to the gastronomic experience. Will it be the end of gastrification, the phenomenon that standardizes gastronomy by eliminating local essence? No, but the reaction to so many gyoza and ramen everywhere will start to gain importance.
In a context of inflation and with the crises of recent years, there will also be more attempts by the industry to diversify its sources of income by offering experiences that go beyond a plate of food. Moreover, the weight of sustainability, increasingly demanded by consumers, will continue to grow. Here are some of the trends that will mark 2025 in the restaurant sector.
Reclaiming local
That all airports in the world resemble each other has always seemed normal to us, knowing that on the other side of the terminal, in the city center, different and surprising cities awaited us. Gentrification and touristification have made this no longer always the case in many places, something contributed to by gastrification: you don’t have to go to Hawaii to eat poke, not even to Hawaiian restaurants; similarly, gyozas seem to have replaced croquettes in many restaurants.
In 2025, we expect to see more of a response to this: a reclaiming of the local, of the traditional, without so much search for an exotism that ceased to be surprising long ago (and ceased to resemble the original dish it aimed to emulate). It’s about returning to what differentiates us in origin, instead of looking for it outside. Consequently, interior design and architecture will reflect local styles and reclaim roots.
Native ingredients
Hand in hand with this reclaiming of the local, a special focus will be placed on making the most important thing in the restaurant the food offered: that local quality ingredient, that dish that might be simple and common at home but prepared exceptionally.
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Restaurant interior design and decoration will also seek to ensure that nothing steals the spotlight from the food. In many cases, interiors will be rustic, calm, and simple. In others, especially in the luxury sector, dark spaces will be chosen. The goal is the same: to focus attention on savoring the dish in front of them without external distractions. This is the opposite situation to that offered in gastrified establishments, where decoration is usually striking (though similar to many other restaurants), aiming for patrons to take a photo and upload it to social networks.
Experiential restaurants
Not all restaurants will opt to put the food back at the center. In parallel, more establishments will seek to offer experiences beyond the purely gastronomic. Again, it’s about finding something that differentiates the restaurant. The New York Times already announced that this would be one of the main culinary trends for 2023; in 2025, it will continue to gain importance.
The challenge is to offer something different and special that can also be durable, as many experiential restaurants close when the novelty boom passes. Simple and classic options like tastings, live music, cooking classes, game nights, or art exhibitions, the most mentioned experiences by those surveyed by SquareUp in a report, will be seen. Pop-up restaurants, collaborations with chefs, or themed dinners will also be popular. Interior design will adapt to offer surprising stylistic lines that encourage play and discovering new sensations.
Multifunctional spaces
As a result of this opening up of restaurants to offer new experiences, the multifunctionality and flexibility of spaces will be key. The goal is to be able to reconfigure the interior according to the needs of each moment without much effort: making room for a stage when there is music, being both a café where people work well and a destination for afterwork events, etc. As anticipated by Dorotea Estudio in this CONNECTION WITH…
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A place to disconnect
In line with experiential restaurants, many will also position themselves as places of disconnection and tranquility: a refuge against the stress of daily life (a growing trend in the hospitality sector). The escapist theme, as Technomic calls this trend, will sneak into dining rooms in the form of menus that invite diners to travel to distant and even nonexistent places: meals that evoke space, references to science fiction, fantasy menus…
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Inside the establishments, this trend will take different forms: picnics in calm spaces, decoration that transports us to the past or future for immersive experiences, etc.
Health and sustainability from the restaurant
A large part of those who frequently visit restaurants—especially millennials and Generation Z—value having healthy and sustainable options in the food and beverage offerings. This trend, highlighted by the 2025 What’s Hot Culinary Forecast of the National Restaurant Association of the United States (NRA), will make hyper-local and organic production restaurants increasingly common or, when not possible, transparent about the origin of their ingredients. “Younger generations, in particular, seem to want more transparency about where food comes from. They are asking for more restaurants to commit to sustainable practices”, said Chad Moutray, Vice President of Research and Knowledge at the Association.
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Sustainability is also often related to health, one of the major trends in many sectors, especially since the pandemic. Just as there are hotels offering all kinds of medical treatments, increasing importance is also given to ensuring that what we eat in restaurants is beneficial for the body. Following this line, in 2025, we will see more food options to suit different diets (vegan, gluten-free, etc.) and non-alcoholic beverages on restaurant menus.
Special offers and the rise of quality-price ratio
Special offers are another macro trend highlighted by the NRA in its forecast for 2025. The target of these offers are people who may not frequent restaurants regularly but are willing to eat out if offered something good at an affordable price. This will also be what makes them return, so many restaurants will opt for this route to achieve customer loyalty.
