Expect more beverage-only concepts to add food offerings as they look for incremental sales growth.

Dutch Bros is already testing food items and expects to roll out some offerings in 2026. The brand has 950 units across 18 states, so it’s well prepared to provide ready competition.

“It is super important to us that we get this exactly right for our teams, for our shops, for our customers,” said Christine Barone, Dutch Bros president and CEO. “And we expect to expand the test as we go into 2025.”

McDonald’s has already tested the beverage-food combination with CosMc’s in Illinois and Texas. With a bevy of drive-thru coffee chains — like 7 Brew and Scooter’s — quickly growing across the country, the potential in expanding menus has significant potential to upend the breakfast and snack dayparts in particular.

More restaurant brands — from fast-casual operators like Panera Bread to casual-dining stalwarts like BJ’s Restaurants & Brewhouse — are leaning into catering as a revenue stream, and they’re finding that online ordering can be a differentiator.

While catering has been important to countless concepts for years, the channel has lagged in convenience and accessibility. Charles Gray, chief revenue officer at Paytronix, said the next step is to “tailor online ordering for catering services” so that it’s as convenient as normal digital orders.

With an assist from artificial intelligence, online ordering can let customers order for a birthday party with 36 people where half are kids and several are gluten-free.

“If it’s automated and done right, restaurant operators do not have to take time out to manage it,” Gray said.

Loyalty programs help brands understand their customers, so expect to see them be more refined in the year ahead.

“Being able to track what was ordered — including vegetarian or allergy-free meals — will deliver a better customer experience,” Paytronix’s Gray said. “Technology can make sure a group order is organized and labeled so that when a bag gets opened at its destination, everyone gets exactly what they asked for.  Third-party delivery is doing this already. First-party brands need to get in gear.”

This could have big implications for a brand like Olive Garden, which is working on a combination first-party/third-party delivery solution with DoorDash.

The place where “everybody knows your name” will become more common in the restaurant industry, observers say. And that is where loyalty programs come into play.

The year ahead will increase the amount of data that brands can gather on their most loyal guests.

“Rich data also helps put images in front of people that appeal to their preferences,” Gray said. “If an individual likes strawberry yogurt, that’s the photo that gets sent to them. Or, in the case of a vegetarian, it will be sure not to show a meat sandwich. Rich data will help brands build relationships with buyers, whether it’s for catering or takeout.”

With more sales going to third-party providers or slated for off-site consumption, brands can reduce the size of their buildings and reduce costs of construction.

Jack in the Box, for example, tracked its first full year with a drive-thru-only unit in Tulsa, Okla. The company said it outperformed expectations.

Other brands are shaving off square footage to reduce occupancy costs while maintaining average unit sales volumes that matched larger, pre-pandemic boxes.

Jack in the Box, like many other restaurant brands, was finding digital sales were also keeping pace.

It’s worth repeating that sustainability is still in demand from consumers. Claims of sustainability are appealing especially to the younger cohorts.

Euromonitor’s Global Consumer Trends 2025 report found that younger customers are making conscious decisions to pursue sustainable products not only because of their personal values, but also because of the tangible benefits these products deliver against their needs.

“Consumers are increasingly conscious when it comes to spending,” said Stella Vatcheva, senior head of practice innovation at Euromonitor International. “They seek products and services that are reliable, providing long-term and targeted solutions.” Sales growth will be driven, in part, by sustainability, she added.

Don’t expect dynamic pricing to sweep the industry, as the concept received swift consumer backlash earlier in 2024. However, Technomic expects pricing to get a reboot in 2025.

“Menu inflation undoubtedly created traffic turmoil in 2024,” Technomic reported in a recap of 2024. “To counteract high pricing, operators rolled out various discounts and deals with mixed results. In the coming year, we’ll see a return to normal pricing tactics as restaurants work to reset their value equations and win back customers.

“Expect price setting to be more in line with pre-pandemic inflation rates, new menu launches to rely less heavily on discounts, and marketing communications to emphasize strong everyday value,” Technomic added. “With food-at-home inflation already returning to pre-pandemic norms, the risk of not resetting pricing strategies will be too great for operators to ignore.”

Technomic reports that human-based hospitality could be more in demand from consumers next year.

“While automation technologies, kiosks, and order-ahead pickup have been good stopgaps for labor supply problems, they have come at the cost of staff complacency and neglected service standards,” Technomic noted.

In 2025, restaurants will strike a balance between the human touch customers crave and the operational efficiencies that technology offers, the firm said.

“Look for operators to redefine service fundamentals, especially placing greater emphasis on friendly service and restaurant cleanliness,” Technomic said. “This renewed approach will aim to encourage consumers to think of restaurants as a welcoming ‘third place’ to unwind and connect.”

Starbucks, which is undergoing a massive strategic pivot under new CEO Brian Niccol, is one major chain that has made this kind of hospitality a goal for the short term.

Following the meteoric rise of chicken on menus, the egg is looking to take center stage in 2025.

“Look for more salted and cured yolk preparations that heighten the umami experience, as well as culinary twists that feature egg that is smoked, sieved, and shaved,” Technomic said. “We’ll also see upscale takes on traditional egg-based salads and sandwiches, innovative global influences such as Japanese slow-poached onsen eggs and ajitama soft-boiled eggs, and even plant-based renditions.”