http://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/…/what-will-drive-r…

Great insights from the authority in all things foodservice, for sure. However, in my humble opinion, the list felt short for this complex world of ours and I began to wonder if there are a few other macro drivers that were overlooked in the article. And I think there are.

My list of other meaningful includes these factors:

– Government influence into everything from cost of labor to menu labeling to food safety/tracking requirements

– Social media impact on marketing, brand image and reputation management

– Demographic shifts as boomers age and millennials of various ethinic/cultural backgrounds and tastes gain economic power

– Technological changes that will affect customer experiences and operations, including people-less ordering systems or universal wifi or more automated prep

– The general “foodie culture” bloom, with rising expectations on quality, the cult of culinary personality that needs to be nurtured and the growing abundance of culinary talent in the market

– Continued consolidation into multi-unit chains that require a different sort of financial and managerial skill to organize and operate

– Emergence of entrepreneurial food and beverage manufacturers who are ready, willing and able to partner with ever smaller restaurant groups to bring custom, differentiated products

Everyone will have a different list of drivers for the future of the restaurants, so it’s no surprise I have mine. These, including Technomic’s outstanding insights, are worthy of due consideration and provide fodder for a SWOT analysis of most any restaurant.

But are there more? Are there any others that are missing? And what sort of future restaurant do these foretell?