The restaurant scene in Canada is evolving, with more of them focusing on creating immersive, and memorable experiences rather than just serving food. As competition intensifies, and consumer expectations rise, experiential meals are becoming a key strategy for restaurants looking to grow, and stand out. Here is a look at some of the most exciting experiential restaurant trends that INKAS® Payments has noticed with its most successful restaurant customers:

Interactive Experiences:

In order to make the meal experience more than just food, restaurants are starting to engage their patrons with the process involved in creating delectable dishes they order. A popular option to do this has shown to be chef’s tables: placing patrons in the “heat of the action”: offering them a front row seat to view how their meal is prepared. But going beyond this, INKAS® has also noticed that many of its restaurant customers are offering cooking classes: giving people an opportunity to possibly learn how to create their favorite meals of the hosting restaurant.

Immersive Themed Restaurants:

Beyond participation, INKAS® Payments is also noticing that of the restaurants it serves, many are offering multi-sensory meal experiences: embellishing traits of, scent, smell, taste, and visuals to create an environment of the eating experience. Tying into this, themed restaurants are steadily becoming something restaurant owners are exploring: offering patrons a chance to escape the everyday and enjoy a meal in a possibly “fairytale”-like atmosphere.

Augmented Reality (AR) Menus

Of course, what would an article about restaurant trends be without mention of digital technology. A popular implementation INKAS® has seen from restaurants is the use of interactive AR menus: providing customers a visual representation of dishes before they get to the table. This allows patrons to see what they are in for before their meal arrives, and offers a nice degree of transparency to them that they will be sure to enjoy.

Pop-Up Events and Collaborations:

The element of surprise is becoming a popular strategy that restauranteurs are turning to in order to connect with their consumers; and this may be of benefit to your restaurant too. Being able to offer patrons a “one-time” only experience through things like pop-up events: offering exclusive dishes; or popular choices at a special price, can be a great way to keep customers “on their toes”: giving them a reason for wanting to stay connected with you after they enjoy their meal.