9 Shifts Shaping the F&B World in 2025

Customer demands have pushed the F&B industry to extremes, with expectations for immersive experiences, environmental consciousness, and hyper-personalized services. Meanwhile, rising inflation, labour shortages, and skyrocketing energy costs challenge restaurants to balance evolving customer needs while maintaining high margins. In 2025, we expect restaurants to shift toward a more balanced approach, focusing on convenience, immersive...

Judit Szöllősi

In the past, restaurant chains or franchise groups benefiting from economies of scale were often associated with fast food of low to reasonable quality and uniformity in offer and design—at best, mediocre casual dining. However, the current economic landscape and market volatility, which cause margins of restaurants to shrink dramatically—has shifted the perspective of restaurateurs.

More and more restaurant groups, such as Big Mamma in Europe or Sunset Hospitality Group from Dubai, are emerging with a new approach: they create premium dining brands designed for scalability and international expansion while maintaining the “one-off” restaurant feel. These groups not only leverage economies of scale in procurement and operational expertise but also allow for workforce security, fostering an environment where chefs can move within the company, providing employee growth and driving innovation through circulating knowledge in-house, across locations.

Read the full article on hotelyearbook.com

The Hotel Yearbook 2025 - Annual Edition

The global hospitality industry stands at a pivotal moment of transformation. Rapidly evolving guest expectations, new operating models, the accelerating pace of technological change, and heightened competition are reshaping the way hotels operate and engage with their diverse stakeholders. Owners, brands, and managers increasingly recognize the need for forward-thinking strategies that deliver memorable guest experiences, drive bottom-line results, and strengthen long-term competitiveness. The Hotel Yearbook Annual Edition 2025 explores the key areas where the industry is innovating, highlighting success stories, best practices, and emerging trends that offer a path forward. By presenting insights from leading experts, we aim to provide hoteliers and stakeholders with a holistic understanding of the forces shaping hospitality today—and actionable ideas for thriving in the year ahead.

Originally from Hungary, and now based in Amsterdam for the past three and a half years, Judit transitioned from finance and business studies to the world of F&B driven by her passion for the culinary arts. Now, she is working as an F&B concept developer for Conceptional, an F&B Consultancy based in the Hague.

We are a team of creative minds in sustainable Food & Beverages strategy and solutions. Conceptional is a one-stop-shop to unlocking your foodservice and placemaking potential. We create restaurant concepts and places that understand and surprise you and your guests. We love food and everything that has to do with F&B challenges. We develop and implement everything from one single concept or formula to multiple concepts for complete F&B areas...