Dine-in vs. takeout trends 2022: Lessons learned for 2023

Skip the article and turn takeaways into action by scheduling a call with our team.

The gradual lift of restrictions from state to state following the pandemic created an interesting dynamic regarding dine-in vs. takeout trends in 2022. On the one hand, takeout soared thanks to online ordering, which became more innovative in response to continuing fear of catching the virus.

On the other hand, dine-in began to boom as the restaurant industry re-opened its doors to customers eager for the real dining experience. Restaurant owners had to come up with new ways to coax nervous and excited diners alike back into the dining room.

This article will look at dine-in vs. takeout trends 2022 set in the American food service industry. We’ll start with restaurant dine-in trends and finish with popular restaurant takeout fads that really – forgive the pun – delivered.

Restaurant dine-in trends of 2022

So, what’s been going on in the world of dining restaurant trends during 2022? How we order food and consume it has changed thanks to problems with the supply chain, plus new ways of thinking among Gen Z and Millennials. Small plate dining is on the rise, too, with Japanese Izakaya joints, wine bars serving appetizers, bistros, and other tiny eateries cornering the entree market. Here’s how the restaurant dine-in trends played out in 2022.

Simplification of menus

Pre-pandemic times didn’t see many major changes for restaurant operators across the board. Sure, we’d have to knock a certain item off the menu once in a while. But, the supply chain issues we faced last year really put fear into delivery services and restaurant owners and forced us all to make drastic changes.

The unreliability of obtaining items and food costs led to fewer menu options for restaurateurs and often a rise in menu prices. This food trend has continued for many restaurants during the past year. They realize a simpler menu, whether it be à la carte or a prix fixe tasting menu, has been easier to run and has even improved restaurant sales.

Plant-based menu items

From Italian to Japanese, some of the most typically carnivorous cuisines are now offering plant-based menu items in the best restaurants across the country. For example, San Francisco offers a guide to fine-dining vegan options alongside Thai, Vietnamese, and Korean joints. New restaurants are popping up all the time to cater to plant-based diners thanks to growing online trends.

This trend has celebrity endorsement: Believe it or not, you can even buy vegan chicken wings now from DJ Khaled’s chain Another Wing. Even if you don’t go fully vegan, it’s clearly a good idea to consider plant-based menu items to stay on trend.

Digital takeovers

Labor shortages, supply chain issues, and also tech innovations led to revolutions in the way we serve customers and create food in 2022. QR codes gained a lot of traction during the pandemic as they minimized human contact, and it looks as though they’re here to stay.

Restaurants like El Vez in the heart of Philadelphia are maintaining the digital contactless trend. Diners craving a quick Mexican brunch can just walk in, scan with their phone, order, and pay straight away, enjoying crispy taco goodness without even having to speak.

Making your restaurant a little digital is way easier than you think. Yelp Kiosk is a software-based restaurant tech solution you can set up quickly and easily. Your diners will use a tablet as the first point of interaction. They can check in using their desired language, helping you to manage waitlists and freeing up your maître d’ for other front-of-house tasks.

Restaurant takeout trends of 2022

Let’s face it, takeout was already a pretty big deal before the pandemic and a happily established dining option. The classic, white take-out carton from Chinatown and the pizzeria box were staples of our food culture. But now takeout is more complex and exciting than ever: We can order tortillas, Mediterranean meals, caviar, New York steakhouse dinners, or Korean BBQ. And we don’t even have to get up off the couch.

Ghost kitchens

Getting takeout of good food coupled with better accessibility means there is more food delivery than ever. Ghost kitchens, also known as dark kitchens, produce food only for takeout orders they receive. Whether it’s fried chicken, burritos, dim sum or pho, if there’s enough demand for it, there’s a pretty good chance it’s being produced in a kitchen with no restaurant-front.

Using Yelp Guest Manager to connect your restaurant with 92 million monthly mobile users is the key to managing your ghost kitchen. Make sure you pick a location that’s central to your takeout orders, offering a strong logistical standpoint. Plan the layout of your kitchen as well as you can, creating an ultra-efficient workflow. Get some help from the top performers in your current kitchen when starting out to help things run smoothly in the early stages.

Going solo

Many restaurant owners are losing their faith in third-party delivery apps. They might be providing the best takeout, but they are dealing with problems caused by the drivers and the app. Chinese restaurants and pizzerias have been managing their own deliveries for a long time, and many of them never migrated into the big apps.

There is a big disadvantage to not using these apps in that your restaurant won’t appear in the app user’s searches. This could be risky for new restaurants that don’t already have a well-established reputation, so weigh your options before you bring this service back in-house.

But some established restaurants have gone back to using their own drivers since they grew tired of issues such as customer service complaints against drivers that weren’t affiliated with their restaurant. They also noticed a lack of urgency from drivers as they were providing services for multiple restaurants. And, of course, your restaurant and brand’s reputation is on the line even when using third-party services.

Dine-in vs takeout trends 2022: Which will you focus on in 2023?

Now that you’ve got an idea about what’s been going on in the restaurant industry with off-premise and traditional dining, you can start to make some decisions leading up to the new year. Predictions have already been made about food trends in 2023, but there are lessons to be learned from 2022 trends.

The trends listed above aren’t just monthly viral food trends, they represent more of a shift in the reality of modern dining, so make sure your restaurant is heading in the right direction to remain relevant in 2023.

Remember that simpler menus can offer some advantages for restaurateurs and could be considered a silver lining from the tough times we all faced. Plant-based menu items are here to stay as veganism is only gaining in popularity, particularly with today’s younger generations. Digital solutions are also becoming ever more popular, and they can really help spread the workload.

Ghost kitchens may sound creepy, but they’re really helpful to busy restaurants that are killing it with their takeout. Some restaurant owners are ditching third-party takeout companies, but there’s an argument for both sides there.

Whether you take a page from dine-in or takeout trends 2022 offered, you could boost sales exponentially and create unexpected challenges for your FOH staff. Take charge of your front-of-house management and improve your customer’s experience with Yelp Guest Manager. This software supports your team by handling reservations and waitlists, allowing customers to check themselves in, and much more.

Reach out to us and get a demo. Restaurants that start using Guest Manager experience up to 2X the traffic on their Yelp Business Page.*