With wallets still tightening, consumers have been careful about where they spend their dollars dining out. Guests worldwide are no longer choosing to eat places based solely on food and beverage quality, said Edurne Uranga, VP of Foodservice Europe at Circana.
Instead, they’re seeking a complete experience that fulfills their senses, aligns with their values, and feels personalized to their needs. Food and beverage are a baseline expectation; today’s guests are just as influenced by ambiance, service, and entertainment. The goal now is to complement what’s on the plate with everything around it.
Uranga called it the 360-degree restaurant experience.
“We need to be sure that we are providing the full experience starting with the food, the quality of the food, but a lot of new initiatives and experiences to provide this overall experience to the consumer because the consumer will choose one store depending on this experience,” Uranga said.
Uranga shared her thoughts as part of a panel at SIGEP World, a global conference in Rimini, Italy, focused on the biggest trends in pizza, gelato, pastries, and coffee.
Massimiliano Zucchi, CEO of 78-unit gelato concept La Romana dal 1947, agreed with Uranga’s sentiments and added that customer obsession is one of his chain’s pillars. Known for its artisanal gelato, the brand produces its dessert in-house daily.
But Zucchi acknowledged that high-quality gelato alone isn’t enough to keep customers returning. He emphasized the importance of focusing on every detail, from shop layout to how employees interact with customers.
“The customer experience is one of the most important things in our retail system,” Zucchi said. “So if you don’t care about that, you lose a lot of opportunities …. You need to have people involved in your business and align with your vision because otherwise you cannot grow everywhere else because you’re going to have a lot of problems.”
Pinkberry founder Shelly Hwang pointed out that for millennial and Gen Z consumers, the dining experience begins well before they walk in the door. They see menus, online ordering platforms, and reviews on websites and their phone, making the digital experience critical to attracting guests.
The restaurant veteran urged operators to think about how they can extend their brand’s presence into the digital realm and create touchpoints that resonate with tech-savvy consumers. However, accommodating multiple generations is also crucial.
“We have to understand people generation by generation,” Hwang says. “And customization. Everybody is looking for their own customization.”
AI has become a major part of building experience, particularly in creating a more streamlined labor force to serve guests. Mohammad Alsuri, learning and performance director at AlTazaj, a 120-plus unit quick-service chain in Saudi Arabia, uses data from drive-thru cameras to identify bottlenecks and suggest solutions in real time. It can also recommend adding staff during peak hours or adjusting workflows to speed up service.
Alsuri also noted AI’s role in training. The innovation can help employees improve their skills in targeted ways by creating personalized training programs. For example, AI-powered tools can simulate busy restaurant scenarios, allowing employees to practice in a risk-free environment before facing real customers.
“All of these tools will help the operation team in the restaurant to efficiency, and as a result, the customer experience,” Alsuri said. “So when we analyze this data, when we analyze it and put it to the [restaurant workers], they will make an instant decision to improve the operation.”
Uranga also views AI as crucial to the customer experience because customers perceive it as an innovation, which is a big consideration when selecting restaurants. Nearly 70 percent of European consumers consider restaurants an innovative space and are looking for an improved experience, according to a study from Circana.
“What the AI is going to bring us in the near future for the restaurant industry is a hyper-personalization of the services that we will be able to provide to the customers,” Uranga said.
Zucchi has also explored AI’s potential. He recalled a trip to Silicon Valley last year where he visited major tech companies, including Apple. There, he found everyone discussing a new era. Apple CFO Luca Maestri compared AI to a “big, high-speed train that is passing in front of you and you have to take it. There’s no other way.”
He returned to his home market with these words in mind and found a company that could serve as a “personal trainer in AI” so he could learn the technology step by step.
“From my point of view, it’s going to be the revolution in the retail system,” Zucchi said. “My perspective is to use a lot of that in the future.”
While AI promises to transform how businesses operate, sustainability remains a non-negotiable value for today’s consumers. According to Circana, forty-four percent of European consumers are more loyal to restaurants that care about sustainability.
According to Uranga, sustainability has evolved into a holistic concept encompassing environmental, social, and economic dimensions.
Hwang said design is an often overlooked aspect of sustainability. She noted that recycled products need to be functional and also aesthetically appealing—customers aren’t going to necessarily use something just because it’s sustainable.
“I think we lack design for recycled products,” Hwang said. “Consumers have to buy or keep their recycled products, but they don’t want it. Because first of all, they don’t understand the nature of recycled material or how it is made. We have to educate people on why we need to use recycled products. Then if we want them to use the recycled product, we are going to have to force them to use that. We have to be better designed. So people want to use it, people want to buy it.”
Urgana said that if restaurants don’t concentrate on quality experiences, the opportunity will transform into a challenge.
“We are all working to serve or deliver to our customers the best experience,” Urgana said. “ … We need to be obsessed with the customer.”