Food & Beverage Industry: Trends, Technologies, and Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the food and beverage (F&B) industry, focusing on various business types like hotels, restaurants, and catering services. It examines national and international rating systems, current and future trends such as the demand for healthy and sustainable food, and the impact of these trends on F&B businesses, using The Fat Duck restaurant as a case study. The report further explores how businesses are adapting to these trends, including adopting plant-based options and integrating advanced technologies. It then compares operational technologies like touch screen terminals, self-order kiosks, and mobile apps, evaluating their roles in increasing business performance and their impact on customer behavior. Finally, the report discusses the role of marketing technologies in enhancing business performance. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of adapting to changing consumer preferences and technological advancements to ensure sustained growth and success in the dynamic F&B industry.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Food & beverage industry basically encompasses all the outlets and establishments which
are mainly involved in the providing food services to wide range of customers. The Fat Duck
restaurant is primarily a restaurant being established in 1995 and placed in Berkshire, England
and run by the chef Heston Blumenthal. It provides a range of services to their customers ranging
from food to beverages and drinks.
This report addresses various kinds of businesses in food and beverage industry, rating
system utilized at national and international level, Current & future trends in F & B industry,
Impact of current trends on Food & Beverage businesses, Adaptation of F & B business to these
future needs, Comparison between operational technologies, Role of operational technologies in
increasing business performance, Evaluation of operational technologies impact on customer
behaviour, Comparison between marketing technologies, Role of marketing technologies in
increasing business performance and Evaluation of marketing technologies impact on customer
behaviour.
MAIN BODY
LO 1
Various kinds of businesses in food and beverage industry
Food and beverage industry generally encompasses all the companies which are involved
within the processing of various raw material relating to food, packaging as well as distributing
them. This industry has shown a remarkable growth in the market since the emergence of
globalization and has flourished its business to a great extent (Davis and et.al, 2018). There are
different kinds of businesses which has helped this industry to grow and achieve their objectives.
Hotels
Hotel is basically an establishment or a managed building that offers its guests a place
where they can stay overnight for short term in exchange for defined amount. The various
amenities as well as the services provided to their guests vary drastically from hotel to hotel. The
main aim of hotels is to entice the specific types of customers via their pricing and marketing
strategy.
Restaurant
A restaurant is predominately an establishment where the food as well as drinks are
prepared and served to the customers for the exchange of defined amount of money which are

either paid before eating or during running tab. Services varies greatly from one restaurant to
another like some offer delivery services while some provide take-out but the overall goal of any
restaurant is to ensure the satisfaction of customers along with the creation of good customer
base.
Catering
This is the well established business that provides food and other services at the remote
location or site like hotels, pubs, aircraft, hospitals etc. Catering is sub-categorized into various
services like mobile catering, shipboard catering etc. Here the major goal is to develop the
service by feeding large customers and meeting their needs.
Rating system utilized at national and international level
There are generally various rating systems which are being used by the customers to rate
different restaurants. These are used both nationally as well as intentionally.
Safe food, better business(SFBB)
This rating system facilitates the small business establishments which are mainly
involved in various catering as well as takeaway businesses. Through this, the restaurants and
hotels ensures that the meal is being prepared in accordance with the food and safety
management guidelines (Vilchis-Gil and et.al, 2015). This in turn helps the consumers who
search for the best establishments to find the better one according to their rating. The restaurants
who follow these guidelines have the best rating which assists customers in choosing the right
one.
Food hygiene rating system
This is the another rating system which is being used at both the level national as well as
international. Here the restaurants are rated on the basis of hygiene standards. The establishment
stringently following the hygiene standards are given a score of 5 while the one which does not
follow are given the lowest score. Restaurant having the highest rating is awarded the best
restaurant which reflects upon the social media when consumers search for best restaurant and
thus aids in finding the right one.
Current & future trends in F & B industry
The ongoing century has provided a variety of opportunities to the F & B industry where
they can grow their business and thus the changing trend has enabled them to expand in each and
every corner of the world. The major current trend which has influenced the F & B industry is

the rising demands of the consumers for healthy and sustainable food. Now a days consumers
wants fat free food along with the beverages which contain no sugar content in order to reduce
the issue of obesity and to overcome other health diseases (Jensen and Ronit, 2015). Another
trend which has reshaped the entire industry is the need of pre packed food as almost all the
people including women are engaged in job therefore they need food which is ready to made and
also healthy.
Talking of the future trend, It has been reported that the this rising awareness of
consumers for healthy food has led them towards the search of plant based meal and this search
is estimated to increase in future. People will look for the restaurants and hotels which serves
plant based food and ingredient from the plant extract. Another future trend that will transform
the entire industry is the advancement in technology. With the growth of various sectors, the
technology need will likely increase in future therefore will compel the F & B industry to make
major changes in their technology and adapt to the changes.
Impact of current trends on Food & Beverage businesses
The customer preference for healthy and sustainable food has revolutionized the various
F & B businesses and has compelled them to change their entire food processing. This has also
affected The Fat Duck restaurant where they are providing fat free dishes to their customers. The
increasing demand of customers for low sugar beverages and drinks has enabled this restaurant
to change the composition of their drinks and provide drinks free from sweeteners and sugar
compounds. Besides this, they have altered their beverages and has decided to serve meals with
low sugar content. Along with this, now the customers has become more health conscious and
need transparency in every aspect (Kumari and et.al, 2017). They remain eager to know the type
of ingredients that goes into the meal and are looking for the restaurants which serves food that
reflect their personal values. This has influenced The Fat Duck restaurant to become more
cautious of the ingredients which they are using for the food and comply strictly to Food and
Quality standards. To meet this demand of consumers, This restaurant has started a new service
where they prepares the ordered meal in front of the customers to maintain the degree of
transparency. Once the customers has ordered, the staff of restaurant shows all the ingredients
which they are using and simultaneously prepares the food so that customer remain aware of
their food content. This has eventually increased their brand value and customer base.

Adaptation of F & B business to these future needs
The increasing awareness among the customers for healthy food has led them to shift
their preference to plant based meals. A 2019 survey report has shown that the preference of the
consumers for fermented and plant based foods will continue to increase in future. This has
enabled the Fat Duck restaurant to have a thought on their food processes and has thus drive
them towards the innovation and creativity in their meals (Del Chiappa, Martin and Roman,
2016). The restaurant has decided to change their products and restructure their popular items
that will contain no saturated fats and will be GMO free. They are now working to include plant
based options in their menu as well as the fast food and sea food which contains high amount of
unhygienic content will be transformed to the meal that will contain the ingredients from natural
plant extract.
Another trend which has impacted Fast Duck restaurant in a greater way is the raising
need of customers for advanced technology. With the advancement in technology, each and
every consumers prefer those restaurants which has high operational technologies that serve
them better. In this context, Fast Duck restaurant will need to work upon their existing
technology to innovate in a new way. Like more than half of the population prefer restaurant
where they do not have to stand in a queue for ordering their food thus the restaurant would have
to bring a software or technology through which the guest can place their order by being seated
on their place within just a click. Besides this, the would have to work on their search engine as
the customers prefer those restaurant sites for ordering the meal which has simple process of
contacting with the restaurant as well as transaction.
LO 3
Comparison between operational technologies
Fast Duck restaurant The Ledbury
This restaurant uses Touch screen terminals
which is equipped with a restaurant software
that makes it easier for the staff to take the
order. Besides this, it act as an interface
through which the orders place goes directly to
the kitchen and helps them in faster order
The Ledbury restaurant have recently
introduced a new technology which is Self-
order Kiosk. With the help of this, customers
are able to make their own package along with
their own ingredients which they want in their
food. This has eventually helped the restaurant

processing. to shorten the line for ordering and also has
provided freedom to the staff for doing other
tasks.
Fast Duck restaurant has developed their own
mobile app by the name “Fast Duck” which
facilitates easy ordering of the food by
customers and also help them to place the
order in just two steps (Borges Lopes, Freitas
and Sousa, 2015).
This restaurant has its own app “The Ledbury”
through which the customers can place their
order hassle free in a single click. They have
added an additional benefit in their app where
customers can even see the ambience and
crowd in the restaurant live.
Restaurant has a well defined Kitchen display
screen(KDS) mounted on their kitchen wall
which shows the customers all their orders
along with the time taken for its processing.
This also helps the back house team of the
restaurant to know which order belongs to
whom as well as keep them organized with
time taken to serve the food.
The Ledbury has provided its customers with
Handheld tablet where it enables them for
ordering on the table along with the payment
and they have to wait for lesser period of time
for the order (Shahidi and Ambigaipalan,
2015). This eventually helps the restaurant by
increasing the amount of visitors served as well
as order numbers fulfilled.
Role of operational technologies in increasing business performance
The various operational technology used by these restaurants eventually helps them in
increasing the customer number along with attracting the new customers. As more and more
customers has now become technology driven thus having equipped with the latest and advanced
platform ultimately drives the revenues and sales of the restaurants. Like the Touch screen
terminals used by Fast Duck restaurant helps the customers in smooth placement of order. This
speeds up the order processing which results into orders entering the kitchen in greater number
and hence more food going out (Bayona-Saez and et.al, 2017). This in turn increases the
efficiency as well as the performance of the restaurant as more order means more customer and
more customers means more profit and revenue. The restaurant upgrading to the advanced
technology are likely to capture a greater market share as along with customers, suppliers are
also keen to work for that business which have a great sense of innovation in every aspect. For
example Self-order Kiosk facilitates less time for ordering the food as the customers can make

their food package on their own. This saves their time as they do not have to stand in a long
queue for their food. Less processing time in turn increase the goodwill of the restaurant in
minds of the customers which leads to more number of customers. This high number in the end
increases the sale of restaurant and also attracts the new customer through word of mouth. Thus,
the various operational technologies used by the restaurants directly assist the businesses to
become a market leader and expand on large platform.
Evaluation of operational technologies impact on customer behaviour
Consumers are likely to perceive those restaurants and hotels as good which satisfy their
needs and leave an unforgettable experience for the. They have a common tendency of entering
those establishment which serves them better and provide them hassle free services. These
numerous operational technologies used by the restaurants not only help these establishments to
increase their profitability but somewhere also affects the minds of the consumers who are
visiting them. For example the most common technology which is being incorporated in most of
the restaurants is the mobile app. Now a days, almost every hotel and restaurant designs their
own app to make the customer services more efficient. This enhances the consumer behaviour as
the customers prefer to order from those restaurants through which they do not have to go
through a complex process for placing the order. Thus this increases their satisfaction level and
thus they visit those restaurant more often. Customers tend to change their attitude towards the
restaurant which provides them high quality services (Kwaw and et.al, 2018). Besides this,
mostly the customers search those restaurant which minimises their delays and provide them
with the food within short span of time. Thus the various technology for example Kitchen
display screen helps them to view their order and the time required for processing. This increases
the visit of consumers to that restaurant because they don't have to wait for long for their order
and thus increases their satisfaction level. Besides this, these technologies increases the
experience of consumers and makes them delighted to try other services of the restaurant.
Comparison between marketing technologies
Fast Duck restaurant The Ledbury
This restaurant uses E mail marketing for
enticing the wide base of customers where they
send customized coupons, offers, rewards to
the customers in order to increase their visist. E
The Ledbury utilizes its mobile ordering
application as a marketing technology where
they provide the customers with a simple
process to place the order of their favourite

mail marketing helps them attract more
customers by marketing their services on large
platform.
meal through their online app. Customers can
easily make their own meal on this app and
choose the delivery time on their basis.
Another marketing technology used by Fast
Duck is Search engine optimization to get a
high organic searching for their website. With
the help of its customization, they try to
become on the top of the list when any
individual searches of the best restaurant
(Wood, 2018).
Customer relationship management is another
marketing technology which this restaurant
uses where they are able to track and register
the customer details which in turn helps them
to send personalized messages and offers to
them and helps in promotion.
This restaurant also entice the customers by
providing online coupons which helps them to
have a great number of customers. With the
help of this online coupon, customers can avail
various services like two meals for the price of
one which eventually helps the restaurant to
maintain their goodwill.
The Ledbury also utilizes the technology of
online payment to make it easier for the
customers to pay their food bills. This helps
them in promoting their services and amenities.
Role of marketing technologies in increasing business performance
The foremost goal of any restaurant or establishment to serve their customers better and
hence increase the sales and revenues. These marketing technologies helps them to achieve this
goal in a most imperative way and brings a large customer base for them. These technologies
assist them in attracting the visitors and make their experience better by providing them the
world class services. More the number of customers visiting the restaurant, more will be the
profit and hence better will be the performance of restaurants. Like through the E mail
marketing, Fast Duck restaurant sends various offers and cashback to their existing customers as
well as the new customers and assist them to attract large customers (Scott, Hawkins and Knai,
2017). As more and more customers will visit the restaurant in the greed of offers, their sales will
automatically increase which will boost up their performance in the market as compared to their
competitors. Besides this, another marketing technology used by The Ledbury like CRM enables
them to maintain a database of their existing customers as well as the new customers who visit

their restaurant. By maintaining this database, restaurant will have the access of various details
about their customers and hence can send various promotional message to them. This will
eventually fascinate more and more customers and will increase their sales. The performance of
any restaurant is totally dependent on their sales and customer services thus a great sale and
services will definitely increase their performance and will make them a market leader.
Evaluation of marketing technologies impact on customer behaviour
Not only does these technologies help the business to achieve their goals and objective
but also modifies the buying behaviour of customers. Every consumer in this century is
dependent on technology whether in their personal life or professional life. They want advanced
technology and innovation in each and every sector including food and beverage. Thus whenever
they visits a restaurant or hotel, all they want is good and quality services which makes them
tempted to visit it more often. Marketing technologies plays a great role in changing the
consumer behaviour where they perceive a restaurant as good if they are promoting their services
on large level. A high marketing strategies helps in influencing the consumers and changes their
attitude towards a restaurant (Clapp and Scrinis, 2017). For example a consumer have negative
attitude towards any restaurant regarding its quality and services and when they extensively uses
their marketing technologies to ensure the customers of their great quality, customers go to try
the new quality thus, the change in services changes their perception towards the restaurant and
they began to have a positive attitude. Thus, an effective and efficient use of marketing
technologies drives the thinking of the consumers towards positive direction. Besides this, if the
restaurant has a well designed online ordering app then the customers would find it easy to place
their order as well as the new features will stimulate them to buy more products from this
restaurant. These will help The Ledbury and fast Duck to change the behaviour of their
customers towards them.
CONCLUSION
It has been summarized that various current as well as the future trends have
revolutionized the F & B businesses and has impacted their operations in a great way. These
trends has enabled them to alter their supply chain according to the needs of customers. Different
businesses uses different operational and marketing technologies through which they increase
their revenue along with attracting the great number of customers. These technologies eventually

helped the customers to change their perception regarding any restaurant or hotel and project s a
great impact on their buying behaviour.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
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