2024 was a highly interesting year for the catering industry with specific focuses on sustainability and innovative menus and this is reflected in the use and choice of certain ingredients. The event world was fully back in force with the first full year of no disruptions which also allowed new popups, events and projects to be launched without some of the additional commercial risks that we saw in the industry in the first half of the decade. This has revealed increased innovation as well as other trends that you need to look out for in 2025. In this article, we cover our top picks for the latest trends in the event and catering industry.
This article is written by Love Food, the leading independent provider of office lunch catering in London.
Changes to the ‘Traditional’ Catering Event
Especially within the wedding industry and other food catering events, personalised and immersive experiences have become more and more popular compared to the more ‘traditional’ sit-down meal and catering events. Personalised experiences have also been developed in the catering world, with many award-winning concepts achieving Michelin Star status and retaining stars with sustainable concepts. Personalisation of menus is also highly important for the customer experience and avoiding alienation of clients with medical, dietary or religious and ethical dietary considerations. This has pushed a number of cuisines to the forefront with a focus on personalisation and continued development of the client experience.
Technological Impacts on the Industry in 2025
Although a topic that has been thrown around in a number of different sectors recently, AI is definitely set to impact catering trends in 2025 and beyond. Artificial intelligence can be used to enhance the dining experience as well as help provide actionable data insights to improve dishes and is also used in recipe and menu development. AI is also being used to analyse flavour profiles for wine pairing as well as finding new combinations to consider in recipe development whilst removing some of the guess and testing work.
Technology is being used to modernise the dining experience yet further with a level of personalisation that has yet to be seen within the industry. This is especially effective for concept restaurants and events that want to bridge the gap between how dishes and ingredients are sourced and prepared to the dish that guests are eating on the day. Advancing technology will be a highly interesting aspect to see develop in 2025 in the catering industry and how this will affect the client experience going forward.
Sustainability in All Aspects of the Catering Process
Sustainability is still arguably one of the most important aspects of catering and this is still going to be extremely important going into 2025 and beyond. Zero-waste incentives and trying to reduce as much waste as possible in the catering process and plant-based dining will definitely continue to increase in popularity. Plant-based menus and meals are not just looking to emulate or replace meat-based meals – there are many that choose to eat plant-based meals and reduce the amount of meat that they eat as well as simply enjoy the innovations of these fantastic and exciting dishes. Menus and dishes are also geared towards reducing environmental impacts and making catering more sustainable overall.
Global cuisines and global fusion also continue to become more and more popular across the world. There are a number of classic fusions as well as new contenders. These fusions offer the best from global cuisines and this has developed numerous balanced dishes and recipes. With mindful and healthy meals becoming more and more popular, this is another trend that is likely to continue to impact the overall industry in 2025 and beyond.
