Restaurant trends 2026: What does the market say?

The restaurant industry uses the word trend for almost anything that attracts attention. Three burger bars open in the same neighbourhood. All of them install exposed brickwork and industrial lighting. Soon afterwards, sourdough pizza, cocktails or Vietnamese food is declared the next big thing.

But a viral dish, an interior style and a lasting change in customer behaviour are not the same. Testing a new dish is relatively inexpensive. Building an entire concept around a fad that may disappear before the investment has paid for itself is far more costly.

What is a restaurant trend?

There is no universal time limit. Gastroplan therefore uses this practical definition:

A restaurant trend is a sustained and measurable movement in customer behaviour, market supply or restaurant operations that can be observed over time and has commercial consequences.

A trend is a direction, not merely a high level or sudden fluctuation.

Four questions make the assessment more rigorous:

Does the movement persist over time? A single season is a signal, not proof.

Can it be seen in several places? Evidence from multiple cities, markets or restaurant types makes the signal stronger.

Does it change behaviour? Bookings, visits and sales carry more weight than likes.

Does it affect the business? For example, pricing, product mix, service or capacity.

Level	Example	Sensible response
Attention	A viral dessert	Monitor the development
Menu fad	Hot honey on pizza	Test as a temporary dish
Concept trend	Smash burgers or social dining	Investigate local demand and economics
Structural trend	Value, less alcohol or digital ordering	Build it into strategy and operations

Research distinguishes between a trend and a fad: The article Cross-Cultural Cuisine: Long-Term Trend or Short-Lived Fad argues that the distinction directly affects restaurateurs' investment decisions.

What does the market tell us in 2026?

The most important signal is not one particular dish. It is that many customers have become more selective.

Circana reports that foodservice spending across the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain was 10 per cent higher in June 2025 than in June 2019. At the same time, the number of visits was 10 per cent lower. In other words, more money is being spent across fewer visits. Price changes explain part of this, and the countries are developing differently, but the direction matters.

In Germany, inflation-adjusted revenue in the hospitality sector fell by 2.2 per cent in 2025, although nominal revenue rose by 1.8 per cent. In the US, the National Restaurant Association expected nominal sales growth of 4.3 per cent in July 2026, but only 0.8 per cent after inflation.

The market is not enjoying a growth boom: Circana reports fewer European visits than before the pandemic, while Destatis records falling real revenue in German hospitality.

This does not mean customers only want inexpensive food. It means a restaurant must give them a clearer reason to visit.

Four markets reveal different parts of the same picture:

Market	Strong signal	Limitation
Denmark	Simple quality, value, personalisation and technology are prominent among HORESTA members	Primarily measures the industry's expectations
United States	Value, comfort food, experiences, local ingredients and global flavours	Many figures come from industry organisations and booking platforms
Germany	Falling real revenue, occasion, offers and local atmosphere	OpenTable covers only customers on its own platform
United Kingdom	Selective visits, happy hours, experiences and global food	National figures conceal differences between cities and segments

No single source can identify the next guaranteed concept. The evidence becomes stronger when expectations, surveys and actual visit or revenue data all point in the same direction.

Trend 1: Value - without necessarily being the cheapest

Value appears repeatedly across several markets:

In HORESTA's member survey, 64 per cent of Danish restaurants expected simple, high-quality food offering value for money to become more important.
In a US OpenTable survey, 61 per cent said that eating out in 2026 would increasingly feel like a special occasion. Visits between 4.00 pm and 4.59 pm rose by 13 per cent on the platform.
In Germany, 62 per cent regarded eating out as more of a special occasion, while 38 per cent wanted more happy hours and promotions.
In the UK, the figures were 68 per cent and 54 per cent respectively.

The surveys are not directly comparable, and OpenTable only covers its own platform. But when the same direction appears repeatedly and is supported by weak traffic, the signal becomes stronger.

Value can mean a clear price, a generous portion, reliable quality, a quick lunch or an experience the customer cannot recreate at home. An expensive restaurant can deliver high value if the product, service and occasion work together.

Trend 2: A reason to go out

On OpenTable, experience bookings rose in 2025 by 46 per cent in the US, 62 per cent in Germany and 19 per cent in the UK. The category includes pop-ups, collaborations, tastings and themed evenings.

These are platform figures and the growth may come from a low base. Even so, three markets point in the same direction: as visits become more selective, customers want something that feels special.

An experience does not have to mean theatre. It can be visible preparation, a strong sense of local identity, personal hospitality or a dish with a story customers understand.

OpenTable sees the same direction: The United States, Germany and the United Kingdom all show growth in experience bookings on the platform.

Value and experience are not opposites. When customers eat out less often, a visit can still become more expensive if it also feels more meaningful. This helps explain why the market is asking for both offers and special occasions.

Restaurants do not therefore have to choose between low prices and luxury. They must choose a clear occasion. A quick lunch calls for simplicity, speed and an understandable price. An evening restaurant can place greater emphasis on atmosphere, hospitality and products customers do not make at home.

Was the hipster restaurant a trend?

The classic hipster-friendly restaurant might have featured exposed brickwork, wooden tables, industrial lighting, craft beer, burgers and cocktails made with house-made ingredients. At first, the style signalled a break with the formal restaurant.

The brickwork was not the long-term trend. The deeper movements were:

Ambitious food in relaxed surroundings
Visible craftsmanship and local ingredients
The restaurant as a social meeting place
A clear visual identity
Familiar products elevated in quality and price

The style has now become so widespread in many places that it no longer creates differentiation. A 2026 study of independent North American coffee shops found that third-wave aesthetics had become so uniform that venues could be difficult to distinguish from one another.

Atmosphere still matters, however. In OpenTable's German survey, 54 per cent identified a cosy or locally distinctive setting as the most attractive style, and 38 per cent were willing to pay extra for a unique atmosphere. In the UK, the figures were 52 and 45 per cent.

Design research warns against imitation: The study of coffee shops in the US and Canada shows how the pursuit of local authenticity can result in a uniform global style.

Generic hipster interiors have matured. The desire for a relaxed, local and recognisable atmosphere remains.

Burgers, pizza and cocktails: Mature categories

When a product moves from new to ubiquitous, it becomes a category. The category may still be large, but growth requires more than repetition.

Burgers

The burger bar became a symbol of casual premium dining: better meat, brioche buns, craft beer and industrial premises. The novelty faded as more operators copied the model.

But the burger has not disappeared. The National Restaurant Association's 2026 US forecast placed smashed burgers among the year's strongest menu movements. The burger is a mature category; the smash burger is a current variation that suits comfort food and simple production.

Pizza

DoorDash recorded more than 150 million pizza orders in the US in 2025. But size is not the same as growth. According to Technomic, sales in US quick-service pizza fell by 0.3 per cent in 2025, while Asian concepts grew by 7.8 per cent, chicken by 5.3 per cent and Mexican concepts by 4.7 per cent.

The figures cover large US chains, not Denmark. They nevertheless show that the word pizza is not a competitive argument in itself. Variation, price and occasion must create the difference.

Technomic shows a mature category: Quick-service pizza declined in the US in 2025, even though pizza remains enormously popular.

Cocktails

The craft cocktail moved from niche to expectation. The current signal is less about increasingly elaborate drinks and more about price, occasion and alcohol content.

Circana measured a 7 per cent decline in alcoholic drink servings across Europe's five largest foodservice markets in the first half of 2025, while alcohol-free alternatives rose by 2 per cent. IWSR measured 13 per cent volume growth in the no/low category across ten markets in 2024.

The drinks market is shifting: Circana and IWSR point to an international moderation trend, not the death of the cocktail.

The opportunity lies in a smaller number of better signature cocktails and attractive alcohol-free alternatives.

Vietnamese food: More than a short-lived fad?

The National Restaurant Association's 2025 US forecast listed Vietnamese food among the notable culinary movements alongside Korean and Filipino food. The organisation connects this interest with travel, cultural exposure, improved access to ingredients and customers seeking flavours they cannot easily make at home.

On OpenTable, visits to Korean restaurants in Germany rose by 46 per cent in 2025 and visits to Indian restaurants by 23 per cent. In the UK, contemporary Asian rose by 21 per cent. These are not statistics for Vietnamese restaurants, but they support a broader openness to regional Asian cuisines.

The US is seeing a broader movement: The National Restaurant Association describes Southeast Asian food as a trend rather than a short-lived fad because interest is supported by culture, travel and availability.

This does not prove that every Vietnamese restaurant will succeed in Denmark. Local demand, location, price and communication remain crucial. The opportunity lies in a clear format: pho for lunch, bánh mì as fast casual or a modern Vietnamese evening concept.

This also illustrates the difference between a cuisine and a concept. Vietnamese describes a culinary origin, but does not tell customers whether they will get a quick lunch, sharing plates in the evening or a gastronomic experience. The market signal must be translated into an occasion, price and production model before it becomes a business idea.

Technology is a trend - but rarely the concept itself

HORESTA and international industry sources point to more digital ordering, automation, data analysis and AI. This is a genuine operational movement, but customers rarely choose a restaurant because its rota was created with AI.

Technology has value when it enables faster ordering, better sales forecasts, less waste, more accurate staffing or easier reordering. Adding a new system to an unclear workflow merely digitises the confusion. Technology should be judged by the time, revenue or quality it improves, not by how modern it sounds.

What should restaurants act on?

Across the markets, five movements are stronger than individual product lists:

Clear value for money

A specific reason to go out

Recognisable products with a regional or technical distinction

A distinctive atmosphere rather than copied trend-led design

More flexible drink choices and less automatic emphasis on alcohol

Burgers, pizza, Vietnamese food and mocktails can be tested as products. The structural movements should form part of the strategy.

1. Find the movement behind the product

Do not merely ask whether smash burgers are fashionable. Ask whether customers are seeking crispness, comfort food, quick service or clear pricing. The underlying movement can often be used without copying the product.

2. Test the product before the concept

Try a Vietnamese dish, an alcohol-free cocktail or a new pizza style as a special, pop-up or time-limited offering. This tests interest without changing the entire kitchen or interior.

3. Measure more than the number sold

Record sales, contribution margin, add-ons, production time, waste and repeat purchases. A product can sell well and still be a poor business proposition if it takes sales from a more profitable dish or reduces capacity.

4. Agree the success criterion in advance

For example, define minimum sales, a contribution margin and a maximum production time before the test. Without a criterion, almost any response can later be described as positive.

5. Preserve the restaurant's own identity

Restaurants should learn from international movements. But customers must still understand why this particular venue exists. If the concept could take any name and be copied by any competitor, it is probably a style rather than a strong position.

Conclusion: The market is not asking for one new type of restaurant

Burgers, pizza and cocktails did not disappear when their novelty faded. They became mature categories. Vietnamese and other regional Asian cuisines are moving towards greater familiarity. The hipster restaurant demonstrated a desire for less formality and more craftsmanship, but the style itself was copied.

The international market does not point to one guaranteed concept. It points to a more selective customer who wants to see, taste and feel the value.

The most important trend is therefore the combination of clear value, familiarity, a genuine point of difference and an experience that gives customers a reason to choose the restaurant over the sofa, supermarket or competitor.

Restaurant trends 2026: What is a trend - and what does the market say?