4 Dining Trends You Should Know About in 2022

As we begin the new year, the hospitality industry is preparing for the next 12 months of private dining, events, catering, and more. One way to make your venue stand out and gain more bookings is to keep up with the top trends that customers want.

Here’s a list of four dining trends we’ve noticed that will help your venue drive business in 2022.

1. Creative serving ideas

The pandemic and health and safety guidelines have caused the hospitality industry to think differently about how food is served, and guests have been impressed and delighted with the resulting creativity. Anything served individually using a Mason jar, bento box, mini charcuterie board, colorful container, skewer, food wall, takeout containers, edible containers, or cocktail pouches will continue to be a big hit at events.

2. Specialty cocktails

Customers are tired of spending their nights indoors on the couch. They want to venture out to their favorite local spots for something different on the cocktail menu. Mix up your offerings by trying a seasonal version of old favorites. Experiment with garnishes, like dried fruit, and fresh herbs. If it’s safe, turn your cocktails into a show using a creme brulee torch to flame garnishes.

3. Healthy eating

After two years of ordering takeout and eating our feelings, it’s inevitable that healthy foods would make a comeback. Consumers are looking for plant-based, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Having a few of those on your menu will go a long way to have something for everyone. 

4. Comfort food

On the other hand, there is something to be said for comfort food. Melty cheese does a great job of making stress temporarily disappear. You might already have some of the old standbys on your menu — think mac and cheese, pizza, burgers, tacos, grilled cheese — and you can make them more enticing with a seasonal twist or changing up the ingredients by adding bacon, buffalo chicken, birria, jalapenos, or other popular ingredients of the moment.

Use the top tool for event sales and management

Now that you know about the top dining trends this year, learn more about how Tripleseat can help you streamline your event planning and management process. Schedule a demo at your convenience to take a closer look.