The Restaurant & Takeaway Innovation Expo of 2018 was a diverse mixing pot of technology, food, drink and product with exhibitors and attendees coming from near and far to take a peek at where the Restaurant and Takeaway sector is going.
Having spent two days exhibiting at the show we’ve put together a list of the key themes and trends that we think the restaurant and takeaway industry needs to be keeping an eye on.
Firstly, eco-friendly packaging.
We’ve spoken about the rise in environmentally friendly packaging and products before on the Kafoodle blog, but never has it been clearer that this is the direction that the industry is taking. There was an abundance of eco-friendly packaging stands with innovative ideas including bamboo straws and 100% compostable takeaway containers. Seminar theatre 4 was also packed full for Graham Corfield’s, (UK Managing Director for Just Eat), talk on how sustainable businesses can thrive as he introduced the crowd to a new age of seaweed sauce sachets which fully bio-degrade in just 6 weeks and have been successfully trialled across several Just Eat sites. With the demand for more environmentally friendly packaging and food-processes increasing supply is also widening and there’s never been a better time to begin the switch to a more sustainable business.
Next up, plant power. Another thing to marvel as we walked around the show was the very noticeable increase in the number of plant-based food items. Dutch-balls was keeping everyone satiated with their crunchy vegan croquettes and Heather Mills delivered a powerful talk about her V-Bites range of vegan products with many of the audience struggling to believe her vegan macaroni cheese was made entirely without any dairy. Violife cheese and Ben and Jerry’s were also highlighting their plant-based offerings and the crowds seemed eager to try them. Plant-powered options are not only catering to the vegan market but also to those with a food allergy to dairy or egg. With the re-surfacing of the Pret inquest, the topic of allergens and compliant labelling was at the forefront of many people’s minds, it’s a shame it took such an incident to bring about this shift in priority.
Finally, turning our focus to technology.As a technology company ourselves, this line-up wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the boom in technology at this year's show. From printers that will put your face on a latte to Apps that will donate a percentage of your bill directly to a charity of your choice, the food-technology sphere is still growing and operators are getting increasingly excited about it. When we first started out nearly five years ago there was a definite fear about the introduction of technology into the hospitality sector and we met a lot of opposition, now just a few years on people are coming round to the idea of mobile ordering, menu-management software and even robot delivery systems! We went into the technology sphere to make chefs lives easier, safer and more consistent and it’s fantastic to see operators embracing the work we are doing.
We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came and visited us at the show, we had a wonderful two-days discovering the best in restaurant and takeaway innovation and can’t wait to see what 2019 brings. If you’d like to find out more about how Kafoodle could revolutionise your restaurant kitchen processes, get in touch today on 020 3371 0450 or email us at info@kafoodle.com
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