Can you eat it?  Can you take a picture of it?  If you answered “yes” to both these questions, then you are right on track with the first trend in 2015 foodservice.  I read an article a while back about turnover time in restaurants nowadays.  Although the speed of service has increased in order to meet the demands of harried crowds of customers, the turnover rate has significantly dropped.  Why?  Because diners are now taking advantage of phone cameras and sites such as Instagram and Twitter to share their dining experience.  Food is very visual, and every snapshot by a customer is an opportunity for advertising—for free!  You can respond to this new and exciting trend by upping the ante on your presentation—how you plate your food matters now more than ever!

While it seems as though it is primarily the Generation Y’ers, who whip out their camera phones at each and every meal, it appears to be catching on with the Gen X crowd and, I’ve actually seen, some of the Baby Boomers as well.  The fact is, beautifully presented food is an art in and of itself, and the trend is catching on regardless of who started it, who is participating, who thinks it’s a silly pastime, and who doesn’t care either way.  And it doesn’t matter who your restaurant caters to…from the upper crust elite to the teenaged lunchtime Taco Bell crowd, what your food looks like matters.  So what does this mean for the restaurant, then?  Showcase your food.  Make every piece worthy of photographing.  Let creativity rule the day!