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3 trends you need to know for 2024
With 2024 around the corner, you need to stay on top of the latest trends to keep customers coming through the door. Here are our top spots
Experience-led occasions
You’ve probably noticed the rise of venues offering something a bit extra – whether that’s interactive darts, shuffleboard or mini golf. This type of night out is becoming very attractive to customers who want to experience something new with friends, as well as having a catch-up over food and drinks. So how can you get involved in this trend without spending vast amounts of money? Board games are a good start; buy some fun games (easy to find in charity shops or secondhand websites) and host a games night once a week. Charge a small fee per hour and offer meal and drink deals to encourage more spend. Interestingly, 66% of consumers who say their on-trade visits are led by experiences say they’d like to see a better range of soft drinks targeted exclusively at adults. Make sure you have a premium selection available.
Plant-based seafood
We all know how big plant-based meat is in the culinary world now, but what about alternatives to fish and seafood? Have you got any on your menus yet? Research shows that demand is growing. More than one in ten UK consumers have bought plant-based seafood in the last 12 months, and one in five are considering buying these in the next 12 months. Commercial fishing has received some bad press in recent years from documentaries such as Seaspiracy. That, coupled with the fact that consumers are increasingly considering the environmental impact of their eating decisions, means that plant-based seafood options are due to become more popular. Look out for products such as fishless fingers and scampi, and large ‘fillets’ that are perfect for ‘fish’ and chips.
Tequila tequila!
The Mexican spirit has been growing in popularity for a few years now but could 2024 be the year when it really comes into its own? In our pubs and restaurants, the tequila category has outgrown pre-Covid times by 8% in volume and 11% in value. Over the past 12 months on-trade sales have increased by 2.9%. If your venue attracts the younger generation, or you’d like to appeal more to this group, then tequila is a must. Data shows that 70% of tequila drinkers are aged 18 to 34. These people also tend to be frequent visitors to on-trade – nearly two thirds drink out at least weekly, which is more than twice the average among all consumers. Tequila is famous as a shot but is also amazing in cocktails and with mixers such as citrus soda (think grapefruit or lemon and lime) and ginger ale. Mix up your margarita menu and try some new flavour variations to catch customers’ attention – blueberry, blood orange, peach and watermelon would all pair well.
Try this recipe for inspiration:
Paloma
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