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Food | 11/11/2022

Trends in the catering world

BY THE END OF 2022, THE FIGURES FOR THE CATERING SECTOR ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO NEAR-2019 LEVELS

By the end of 2022, the figures for the catering sector are expected to return to near-2019 levels. According to the INFORMA DBK Industry Observatory, after losing more than 30% of its income in 2020, in 2021 the catering services sector recorded growth of 14.7% in comparison to the previous year, albeit 22% less than in 2019. By the end of 2022, growth is forecast to reach levels of around 15%.

Within the catering sector, the institutional subsector (schools, residences, hospitals, etc.) remains the largest, accounting for more than 92% of the total. Beyond this subsector, however, the reality is that the catering world has undergone a major transformation in recent years owing to changes in consumer habits. Long gone are the years when catering was reserved exclusively for weddings, baptisms and first communions. Today, catering services are hired for office breakfasts and lunches, meetings, dinners at home with friends, and more. As a result, the sector must keep up to date with fashions and trends in order to avoid being left behind.

This is not news to any of the 45 catering companies based in L’Hospitalet, all of whom are fully aware that virtues such as punctuality, a favourable price-quality ratio and high-quality service are taken as a given. Consumers are now demanding more: creativity, healthy options, variety and flexibility.

Healthy catering and vegan options

The emergence of new marketing and sales opportunities for catering companies, such as platforms that bring together various catering companies to make it easier for the end customer to hire them, demonstrates that healthy options are no longer mission impossible for those wishing to hire catering services. Customers do not have to be on a diet in order to want to healthy alternatives to pastry-heavy breakfasts or nibbles and appetisers comprised mostly of bread and fried food. As a result, catering companies have had to reinvent themselves and update their product range to include food that is healthy and on-trend, such as avocadoes, chia and other seeds, and rye bread.
There are numerous movements currently occurring in the catering world. In the last month we have learned of more proposals from new companies that are entering the market with culinary products based on much healthier nutritional principles, such as eliminating sugar, refined flour, trans fats, processed foods and red meat and replacing them with seaweed, wholegrain cereals, legumes, seeds and super-foods. These healthy food options also have a very substantial commercial capacity, as demonstrated by the proliferation of highly ambitious home-delivery services, tailored to a variety of time periods (ranging from a single day up to a scheduled programme of 66 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner), in which the consumer is advised by a nutritionist on how to reach their goals with regard to their mental and physical well-being. Initiatives like these offer a comprehensive food and nutrition service.

Other catering companies, highly sensitive to the need for vegan and vegetarian food, have added specific services to their businesses in order to cater to these types of customer, albeit without making the different services into separate, closed-off departments. The idea is that the creation of a range of food options for vegetarian consumers should not result in the creation of a “ghetto” or exclusive product lines; rather, it should enable traditional catering to be combined with vegan and vegetarian options. With this formula, companies will avoid losing customers who need to include products for vegans and omnivores alike in their menus.

Finger food: a trend in catering

In the past, the food offered by catering companies suffered a period of stagnation in which it seemed as though croquettes were the only informal option available. However, new trends have made it clear that consumers are no longer satisfied with traditional products and are demanding greater culinary creativity. The finger food trend is defined as a culinary format that mixes informality, practicality and fun in a single mouthful. It is a concept that has enjoyed great success in recent years. The aim is to provide high-quality products in small portions that are consumed with one’s hands, without the need for knives, forks, spoons or any other type of cutlery.

Many catering and delivery companies have embraced the finger food format. Its simplicity makes it ideal for social gatherings such as weddings, parties, birthdays and events with a more relaxed and laid-back atmosphere or where guests are standing up.

Remote working: virtual canteens

As a result of the pandemic, and as we have already mentioned, the use of catering services outside of the institutional subsector was reduced to a mere footnote. Large-scale meetings and social gatherings disappeared, resulting in a dramatic fall in sales. One of the segments that had experienced the highest growth in recent years was the office sector, as traditional canteen services had been reduced or removed altogether, along with the daily set menu option. Catering began to gain ground and the pandemic saw the creation of virtual canteens, a tool that enabled employees to choose their meals and receive them the following day.

Fudeat, the digital platform for catering companies, transformed the service into a digital tool in which customers only had to pay for the products consumed, without any form of longer-term commitment on the part of companies. The service could be stopped at any time and the employees could pay using meal vouchers (Sodexo, Edenred, Xec Gourmet, etc.) or the company could pay via bank transfer. This initiative has led to greater flexibility on the part of catering companies, who now strive to adapt to the needs of their customers, i.e. the end consumers and companies.

Similarly, and also as a result of the pandemic, many restaurants began to offer daily set menus and meal options for consumption at home. “Emporta't la cuina de L’H a casa” (“Take L’H’s cooking home with you”) is a takeaway and delivery project that was launched during the pandemic and continues to provide restaurateurs with an additional source of income for their establishments.