Top 10 Food Trend Predictions for 2020

During peak seasons, AI plays a vital role in streamlining operations and enhancing safety. AI in food safety with predictive analysis helps reduce contamination risks, protecting both consumer health and the brand’s reputation. It also improves efficiency by accurately forecasting demand, which prevents over-ordering and cuts down on food waste benefiting both the business and the environment. Let’s see how AI helps the brands to enhance themselves.

The Peak Season Pressure: Why Food Safety Risks Multiply
Peak seasons always test the limits of brand’s operations from sourcing and storage to kitchen efficiency. 

Commenting on this, Hardik Shah, Chief Technology Officer, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd said, “We use tools that are helping us plan better rather than just react. Even simple pattern recognition like understanding consumption trends or monitoring temperature consistency goes a long way in maintaining food safety.”

The brand is also using data to get more visibility into what’s happening in real time and where potential risks could arise. “It’s less about replacing human judgment and more about giving our teams the right insights at the right time,” he added.

It also helps in improved consumer safety, lower operational costs, quicker decision-making, and stronger compliance.

Significant Impact from AI
AI tools have automated menu digitization and onboarding, enabling restaurants to go live faster, facilitate real-time order matching with delivery partners, and recognize demand patterns for strategic pricing and promotional purposes. 

Referring to this, Anirudha Kotgire, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Waayu mentioned, “We utilize AI for faster onboarding, more efficient order matching, and insights that enhance restaurant margins. Waayu enhances restaurant profitability with lower operational overhead, reduced food waste, quicker revenue capture, and higher average order value, all while safeguarding restaurants’ control over pricing and customer data on Waayu’s zero-commission ONDC-native platform.”

Monitoring Real-Time Data
AI supports regulatory compliance by providing real-time, data-backed proof of safety measures and continuously monitoring critical control points. This gives brands and food outlets the confidence to handle peak production periods while maintaining quality, consistency, and cost-effectiveness.

Sharing further, Kotgire noted, “Waayu empowers restaurants to observe order status, kitchen load, and order execution in real time via POS, new POS functionality, and delivery telemetry.”

The quality of service is not affected because the immediate visibility and alerts reduce order delays and cancellations; as a result, customer satisfaction will remain high. Automated quality checks and smart resource allocation help businesses respond faster and more efficiently.

Focus on sustainable operations
AI also supports sustainability by minimizing waste, reducing energy use, promoting traceability, and encouraging circular economy practices and eco-friendly packaging. It’s not just about efficiency; it’s about building responsible, future-ready operations.

Chef Vijay S Sahu, Chef de Cuisine, Courtyard by Marriott Mumbai International Airport added, “AI can help detect potential issues early, provide end-to-end supply chain transparency, and improve traceability. With real-time monitoring, businesses can forecast demand and spoilage more accurately, order ingredients in the right quantities, adjust production schedules, and quickly identify any batches at risk.”

By analyzing supplier histories, delivery patterns, and ingredient shelf life, AI systems can flag batches that have a higher risk of contamination. For example, if a supplier has had previous cold chain issues or delayed deliveries, the AI can recommend closer inspection or alternate sourcing.

The Foreseen Challenges 
A key challenge is the heavy reliance on large amounts of data. If the data is limited or inconsistent, AI models may be inaccurate. There’s also a lack of standardization on how data is collected, along with high costs and complex systems, which can make it difficult for smaller food businesses to adopt.

The challenge, of course, is balancing technology with the human element that hospitality thrives on. Shah mentions, “For us, it’s about using tech quietly in the background so that operations feel smoother, safer, and more consistent.”

Commenting on this, Agilesh R, Director F&B, Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa shared, “While challenges like data integration, high setup costs, and staff resistance exist, they can be overcome through clean data practices, employee training, pilot projects, scalable cloud platforms, and robust cybersecurity.”

The big opportunity lies in shifting from a reactive to a proactive approach. This helps reduce overproduction and food waste, lowering environmental impact while supporting the company’s sustainability goals all with the assurance of strong food safety standards.

The restaurant business has always run on thin margins, and the challenges have deepened in recent years. With ingredient prices climbing, staff wages increasing, rentals soaring, and demand patterns fluctuating, operators are being pushed to reimagine their financial strategies.

Even as cost management becomes critical, quality and quantity remain the heart of hospitality. The most successful restaurants today are proving that profitability doesn’t have to come at the expense of excellence it’s achievable through sharper operations, thoughtful menu design, and agile use of technology. Here are the few tips and techniques to overcome the same.

Importance of Smart Sourcing
The journey toward sustainable profitability begins with smarter procurement. Since ingredients make up nearly 30–40% of a restaurant’s total expenses, even minor inefficiencies can quickly eat into margins. Regular stock audits, strict adherence to FIFO (First In, First Out), and close monitoring of yield percentages can help save thousands each month.

However, Avik Chatterjee, Executive Director – Innovation and New Format, Speciality Restaurants Pvt Ltd highlighted that sourcing seasonal and local produce helps lower costs while enhancing freshness and flavor.

Maintaining Quality & Quantity
To cut costs while maintaining both quality and quantity, restaurants focus on streamlining the menu to highlight popular, versatile dishes that use overlapping ingredients, reducing waste and simplifying inventory. 

Vikrant Batra, Founder, Cafe Delhi Heights said, “We have maintained both without compromising, regardless of cost pressures. Each of our outlets follows set recipes for every dish, and we have a strong monitoring system in place to ensure consistency. This helps us stay close to our ideal food cost while delivering the same quality and portion every time.”

Challenges in Dropping Margins
Even top restaurants are under pressure as rising costs collide with guest price sensitivity. The key factors squeezing profitability include fluctuating demand, shifting consumption habits, high expectations, pricing constraints, talent retention, steep rentals, and technology expenses.

Adding to this, Chatterjee said, “At Episode One, we are taking on the challenge of dropping margins head-on by emphasizing efficiency, sustainability, and guest value. We have simplified our menu to cut down on waste and highlight seasonal, fresh foods, streamlined operations to keep expenses under control, and added new revenue streams like carefully planned events and takeout options.”

He added that the economic landscape is challenging, we remain committed to delivering a memorable dining experience without compromising on quality or hospitality. 

If restaurants are in prime locations, then it comes with huge rentals which can consume around 20-25% of the total revenue.

Elaborating his views, Krishna Tamang, Founder, China Gate Group added, “At Red Box Cafe, we understand that the restaurant industry is undergoing significant changes. From rising ingredient costs to labor shortages and inflation, maintaining strong profit margins is more challenging than ever. However, our commitment to delivering high-quality, satisfying meals to our guests remains unchanged.”

Control Labor Costs
Restaurants save labor expenses by decreasing overtime through better shift planning, cross-training personnel for numerous positions, and optimizing staff scheduling depending on peak hours. 

Furthermore, Tamang added, “Red Box Cafe is able to control labor expenditures by adopting labor management systems to avoid overstaffing, cross-training staff to perform numerous duties, and optimizing personnel schedules based on demand estimates.”

Labor costs which previously made up 18–22% of total expenses, now frequently surpass 25–30%, forcing operators to choose between raising menu prices or risking slower service and reduced quality both at undesirable outcomes.

“We source affordable, in-season ingredients, minimize waste through portion management, and streamline inventories to lower food expenses,” shared Chatterjee.

Menu Engineering
Menu engineering plays a crucial role in optimizing profitability. It helps by focusing on high-margin, low-waste dishes that are easier to prepare.

Batra stated that analyzing item performance and profitability, we can smartly position and price menu items to influence choices and improve margins. 

Hiring Right Talent
It’s always people and processes that drive efficiency. Having the right talent in the right place is key. Addressing this, Batra said, “We focus on quality over quantity when it comes to hiring. Skilled employees contribute far more to operational efficiency. For food cost control, our ideal costs are defined based on recipe costing and selling price, and we’ve built systems around ensuring those are maintained.”

Power of Technology
Technology adds an edge like inventory systems, POS integrations, and real-time reporting tools help us monitor performance, reduce wastage, and streamline operations. 

While, Chatterjee noted, “While technology like POS systems, inventory tracking, and kitchen display systems as it improves accuracy, reduces errors, and enhances operational efficiency, ultimately supporting better cost control without sacrificing quality.”

Batra mentioned that when technology is used right, menu engineering and tech together form a powerful strategy for cost control without compromising what we stand for.

With this, restaurants must operate with financial discipline equal to their culinary creativity. Thriving in today’s low-margin environment means doing more than just surviving, it’s about creating restaurants that are efficient, adaptable and built to last.

If a restaurant or bar opens its doors and no one is there to eat or drink, does it make a profit? Of course not. Customers are the lifeblood of the hospitality industry. However, even the busiest and most popular locations all experience the ebb and flow of business. There are certain times of year during which the stream of people can slow to a trickle, or perhaps even stop altogether. In markets that depend on seasonal visitors, such as skiing communities and along the coasts, the offseason can be a very lonely time for food trucks, family restaurants and others.

Just because your business may have to survive a quiet period doesn’t mean it should suffer. There are plenty of strategies you can employ to boost traffic to your location or become leaner. For example, you could create cross-promotional opportunities with other local entrepreneurs to attract new customers. You might streamline your operations when you expect activity to be at a low point and save money.

The accompanying guide contains numerous pointers you can use to help you become better prepared for winter or whatever form the slow months take. These periods of inactivity may be inevitable, but they don’t have to mean the end of your dreams.