Restaurants are meeting these demands with 1 in 5 family and casual dining operators adding comfort items and 7 in 10 full-service operators adding alcohol to go since March 2020. Since April 2020, the national unemployment rate has gradually settled back into near pre-pandemic numbers with the first month of 2021 reporting a 6.3%, with a decline of an approximate average of 10% each month since April (ending January 2021). Other key takeaways include: Of restaurants that closed for good in 2020, the majority were well-established businesses and fixtures in their communities. In scenario A3, restaurant sales return to precrisis levels in early 2021. Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) $276.08. According to the National Restaurant Association, Wholesale food costs were up 7.9 percent in 2021, and hourly labor costs were up 8.6 percent for the year. Consumers are equally influenced to choose one restaurant over another if the restaurant offers a good selection of comfort foods and/or dishes on the healthier side, but the availability of diet-specific fare such as vegan or gluten-free plays a lesser role in restaurant-choice criteria. Theyre comfort food, affordable, travel well, and meet a variety of flavor profiles. This is reflected in the 2020 industry sales performance which was down 26.4%. All in all, the experts predict industry growth rates of 17 20% in 2021. Consumers are also finding new ways to enjoy their favorite restaurants such as embracing bundled meals, restaurant subscription services, and meal kits. Food and beverage sales are projected to reach $789 billion in 2021, up almost 20% from 2020. Restaurant and foodservice industry sales fell by $240 billion in 2020 from an expected level of $899 billion. Per polls conducted by Technomic in November 2020, 89% of consumers say that seeing employees visibly cleaning and sanitizing at all times makes them feel safer. Nearly 8 in 10 adults say their favorite restaurant foods deliver flavor and taste sensations that just cant be duplicated in the home kitchen. All rights reserved. They employed an average of 32 people; 17% employed at least 50 people before they closed. "We expectrestaurantpent-up demand will remain high in the coming months. Were serving up insights into three trends that are shaping consumption patterns among restaurant guests and examine actions restaurants can take to thrive in the future.