What To Expect From Dining Out In 2021
2020 was indeed a difficult year for the hospitality industry around the globe. Lagos, with the COVID-19 lockdowns and insane food inflation, was no exception. While there were a few unfortunate exits from the scene, most restaurants in Lagos tried to survive by pivoting to delivery and home experiences to stay afloat, with a slight increase in prices to manage overhead costs. Just as things began to look up, Nigeria reared its ugly head: record breaking food inflation, an increase in cost of living and more instability of the naira.
All of these have impacted the way the industry operates in 2021. We spoke to 7 chefs about what diners can expect from the industry for the rest of the year - from improved customer service to intimate experiences.
Chef Croffs
Moonshine Cafe
“Meal pricing will reach an all-time high this year because of our economy, produce has doubled or tripled in price, along with electricity rate. All these will reflect in the pricing of meals at restaurants.
For food trends, I think a lot of restaurants are tapping into “inclusive”, “DIY” meals, where customers get the experience of being involved in the cooking process of their meal. You’ll see a lot of restaurants setting out hot plates and raw seasoned steak in front of the client. It’s fun, but I don’t think it’s for everyone.
This year, and for the past few years, the dining experience has gone past just good food. Ambience matters a whole lot now, people are looking for picture-worthy restaurants first before looking for restaurants with good food. A lot of new restaurants have considered and tapped into this trend, making their space aesthetically pleasing for the public. Also, more restaurants are adapting Nigerian dishes or African fusion dishes into their menu which I think is great!”
Chef Khudu,
Atmosphere Rooftop
“With meal pricing, I don’t think we’re going to see any difference in what’s happened in the last year with the price hikes, because we’re at the mercy of procurement. Seeing as there’s a shortage of many food items, it’s only going to get worse.
With the pandemic, and now the increase of fuel prices; everything is affected, supply, transportation; and all that expense has to be factored in. so food prices are going to go up. I can’t say an exact percentage, but it’ll factor in to what restaurants are going to charge ”
“With menus, most chefs are a little cautious about including items on the menus because there’s so much uncertainty with food produce. One of the worst things you can have is curating a menu where you’re not sure if you’ll have the supply of certain ingredients. Because of that, I think there’ll probably be a lot of inconsistency with menus, because we can’t honestly predict what we’re going to get.
In terms of trends to look out for; people seem eager to celebrate their culture a little more, so we’ll see people giving a different twist on Nigerian and African cuisine and celebrating more of their heritage this year.
For the overall dining experience; because competition really high right now, people are going to put in more effort to give people a bang for their buck.
New spaces are opening up; so people will want to create more of an experience beyond the food. Even if the food is great and the service isn’t so much, people may not come back. So if people are leaving their homes to spend their money, restaurant owners need to make sure they’re creating a comfortable space to make it with their while.
Factoring in COVID and everything else happening in our economy, it’s a very difficult time for anyone in the restaurant industry. There’s no saying if it’ll go back to pre-COVID times, the best we can do it take it one day at a time and give customers the best service possible. ”
Chef Uzo
El Padrino
“First of all, the way COVID-19 impacted, the industry all over the world is not necessarily representative of how impacted the hospitality industry in Nigeria right there. A lot of restaurants suffered, but we will probably find that the closures of restaurants here were not as significant as they were, in other parts of the worlds.
A lot of restaurants here focused on how to serve people better from the comfort of their homes.
At the beginning of the pandemic last year, a lot of restaurateurs were forced to think outside the box. But because things sort of normalized and opened up within the last 9 to 10 months, a lot of people are just going to find ways to make people feel comfortable to come back to their restaurants.
In terms of produce and in terms of food, I would anticipate that people are going to work on more on localized fusions, figuring out ways to use more local produce, proteins. That way, when uncertainty comes up, it’s easier to source your produce, which a lot of people struggled with when importations got high.
I anticipate that Lagos will go back to what it was like, but due to the volatile pricing of FX, we might expect higher prices.
What I do anticipate in the food industry is a lot more high-end spaces. I think restaurants will have the assumption that the luxury consumer, the 1% of Lagosians will be able will be able to pay regardless of the weather.
So people are opening all these high-end restaurants to ensure that if they have 10 seats they can make 10x off of that number.
And it’s also experiential, COVID has made people realise that time with loved ones is precious. So it’s not about going to a restaurant with 300 people and having to struggle for drinks. It’s about going to a restaurant with 10 of your best friends and having t he best experience.
People can also expect great customer service, because restaurants understand how much they need their customers coming back and feeling comfortable. People can also expect increasingly strict health and safety practices.
Restaurants now have people gunning for their money. People are selling meal kits, so if consumers are going out, it’s because they’re looking for that human connection. ”
Rotimi Alabi
Chez Ro
“Prices are going to go up and keep going up until we can do something about our food problem. We grow a lot of food, but a lot of said food gets wasted because there aren’t any structures in place to curb that. Add that to the insecurity in the North, and the ban on a lot of imported stuff, and the uselessness of the naira, prices are bound to rise.
A lot of people have been complaining that food inflation like this which we currently face hasn’t been seen in a while.
For menu structures, there’ll be more rigidity, due to less availability of certain things. That’s what I think, but I may as well be totally wrong. You see the food and restaurant scene is a consumer-driven market, so a lot of things are determined by the demand of said customers.
Restaurant guests should expect less human interaction at their dining-out experiences. It honestly is a necessity due to the pandemic, so purely digital menus. The only interaction should be when the food is being served and picked up. I think restaurants need to find a way to have people place their orders virtually, despite sitting in the restaurant. Some already have bar codes you can scan to see the menu, but there needs to be an improvement upon that, where after scanning the menu, you can order via the same virtual platform, and include whatever preferences or specifications. And then the only time when you get human interaction is where you’re getting your food, and your dishes are being cleared up. Virtual payments (with no human interaction can also be made available).
The industry will recover, it’s just going to take some time. Food is a necessity, it’s always going to sell. I think the people who made the biggest losses were the ones that weren’t quick to evolve their business model to accommodate the pandemic. I mean it’s not easy to do it, but it’s doable. If the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites could begin to offer their dining services as takeout, then of course anyone can adjust.
The pandemic is forcing us to evolve and it’s paramount that the restaurant and food industry evolves with it if it intends to stay afloat.”
Honey
Honey's Cupcakes
“Things haven’t been easy right in the middle of a pandemic.The way the baking industry is in Nigeria, one of the first few things you see go up when it comes to food is your so called your so-called luxury items. So your dairy products, and some of the basics which are even produced in Nigeria like flour and sugar.
I don’t expect prices to go down or remain the same given the current trend of continuously rising costs.
As a business, we tried to keep our prices around what they used to be.
What we did instead of increasing was try to streamline our prices, and introduced add-ons. So we kept the price of a cake the same, but buyers are getting a basic naked frosting, an any additions will cost extra. With this, you get the same quality and just a little less quantity for the same price.
With trends, we already saw the pivot to delivery last year. I think it’s going to be a two-way street. Some of the population is still cautious about dining out, because there’s still s pandemic. So I think restaurants will continue with delivery and virtual dining experiences.
Then for those who do come in, there’s going to be the demand for contactless service and a preference for outdoor dining. Better hygiene practices are definitely expected.
Guests will also expense better customer service, because there are fewer people dining in with the capacity. People don’t expect to wait an hour to get a meal.
We need to meet people’s needs properly, because the industry has always been fragile, but now there’s even more at stake; it’s not just about money, people’s health are at stake.
If we thought it was competitive before, it’ll definitely be more competitive than ever.”
Chef Kiki
Colclems
“I think meal prices will fluctuate in the coming months; a lot of businesses will increase the price on some items, and little by little some items will no longer be available. Prices may not be so much of a cap from where they were last year, but they will increase. For menu structures, I think a lot of people will try to stick with things that they can get locally and a lot of businesses will try to change their menus creates original recipes that might include local goods, importation is very difficult and expensive right now. Menus will be restructured to take out items that more to produce and try to sell items menu options and costs less to produce and will bring in more revenue.
For food trends, I think a lot of restaurants will try to start working on more Nigerian dishes because they include locally made ingredients. A lot of restaurants that are very particular about their brand will start to think of different ways to present and plate these dishes. I think a lot of twists will so be introduced to well known Nigerian dishes, as everyone is trying to appreciate heritage, cut costs and work with what is available.
For what diners can experience. I think a lot of diners should not be disappointed when they are favourite imported items are no longer on the menu also. They should honestly expect a lot of non-availability, and a lot of compensation, as most restaurants like to compensate when certain items are unavailable.
As for recovery, I think it will be a very gradual and slow process. But the industry will pick up and get its groove back, especially when a lot of variety comes back into the market. The industry will survive, but it will take courage and supports”
Rahila Edward
Miele Nigeria Kitchen
“Depending on the type of restaurant, pricing might change a lot, because prices of ingredients keep going up. Some restaurants have kept their menu the same and just increased prices. On the other hand, some people have had to restructure their menus and remove some items, just so their prices don’t become too high.
Another reason for the restructuring of menus is the availability of produce. Although we have a lot of farms these days that produce fresh greens that restaurants would have had to import for many years, menus might still need to change because not all these items are available.
Another reason I think menus might change is that there are a lot of dining options in Lagos, and with the pandemic, people are not as inclined to eat out. So I think restaurants will attempt new things to continue to attract people, because if you’re doing the same things as before the pandemic, people may just choose to opt for something new.
In terms of food trends, I see that these days apart from afro-fusion, a lot of chefs are trying out modern contemporary food. There have only been about two chefs who have focused on that so far, but these days I see more chefs embracing Nigerian food and bringing it into the fine dining space.
For dining experiences, social distancing is here to stay for a while. Restaurant owners and staff are going to be a lot more conscious about hygiene.
Everyone is going to up their game for sure, because the market is very well saturated in Lagos. From events to dining options, people may offer more Sunday brunches or themed days just so diners have things to look forward to when they visit instead of the regular dining experience.
The industry will recover for sure, and I love the fact that a lot of restaurants are open to delivery. Restaurants are also offering private dining options.
People will always eat, the question is what are you doing to make it more convenient for your consumers to reach you? It’s all about intentionality”