There are so many different nutritious buzzwords, diets, and trends going around, it’s hard to keep them all straight. More importantly, it’s hard to know which are most important for your restaurant’s audience. Do your diners want more organic choices? Or do they want food with less calories?
Let’s make things a little clearer. Read ahead for our quick breakdown of restaurant health trends.
Vegetarians and Vegans
“Vegetarians don’t eat fish, meat or chicken,” says the Vegetarian Society website. There are various degrees of vegetarians that won’t eat specific types of animal products. Ultimately, the most extreme form of vegetarianism is veganism. Vegans simply avoid any animal products altogether, including any products that are derived in some form from animals.
The Vegan Society website’s definition for vegan offers some insight into the type of values vegans tend to hold. “Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose,” the website states. While many vegans choose their lifestyle for health-reasons, many do so because protecting animal life is important to them.
Of course, vegetarians can tend to share those values. The Vegetarian Society tells us that “Vegetarians and vegans don’t eat products or by-products of slaughter. They don’t eat any foods which have been made using processing aids from slaughter.”
What’s the takeaway from all this? If your restaurant should choose to market with vegetarians or vegans in mind, take the time to consider their values. Before you go all in on a vegan marketing campaign, you need to determine whether it’s the right fit for your restaurant.
Is your restaurant a BBQ joint where your most popular choices are meat-based? Probably not the best choice for a vegan-push. However, vegans and vegetarians will find themselves out to eat with friends and family who don’t share their diets. So having a few choices free of animal products is a good idea for any restaurant.
Organic, Locally-Sourced, Fresh Ingredients, and More
Consuming better ingredients has become more than just a trend that’s popular with the health-conscious. The demand for fresh ingredients, locally-sourced food, and even organic products has transformed how people eat. Not only do customers want to know what’s in their food, they want to know where it’s from.
Many customers like supporting locally-sourced foods for several reasons. To begin with, it helps support their local community, rather than a megalithic corporation. Additionally, food that’s locally sourced tends to be on the fresher side. Organic foods are preferred for similar reasons. Organic consumers can have passionate feelings on sustainability. They’ll take notice when your restaurant exhibits environmentally-friendly practices.
Diets and Weight Loss
Another segment of health-conscious eaters to consider are those that are simply trying to lose weight. For these customers, you can list details like calorie counts along with additional nutritional information. Including a “healthy choice” section on your menu is great for these customers.
When it comes to diet, there’s any number you may be catering to, and it’s definitely hard to keep track of them all. Here’s a guide to the seven most popular diets, courtesy of Nutritious Life. There, you’ll learn about the popular ketogenic diet (keto), paleo, and more. If you really want to go all in on catering to these diets, it’s good to gain an understanding of exactly what fits and what doesn’t. If you really want to give your restaurant a diet-friendly push, you can label on your menu which items fit into which popular diets.
Promote healthy choices with CoGoBuzz
Now that you’re a little more informed with the latest health trends, it’s time to start promoting your restaurant’s new choices.
Get started with CoGoBuzz, our state-of-the-art digital marketing service. Leveraging advanced WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, our service promotes all of your healthy choices directly to customer mobile devices. Take advantage of a powerful text-based loyalty program, automatic Facebook followers, and more. Want to figure out what values your customers care about? You got it. CoGoBuzz creates fully realized customer profiles for every single customer that logs into your HotSpot, cluing you into crucial customer insights.
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What health trends has your restaurant gotten in on? Let us know in the comments!