All too often it seems calamities are impacting our lives. It’s gotten to the point where we’re living in a state of dramatic upheaval and constant flux. In fact, in the decade since the start of the new millennium, we’ve seen more life-altering events than perhaps any other decade since the 1960s. And, with technology prodding us to fly higher, move faster and change constantly, we’re also being asked to adapt to the next big trend before we’ve even been able to fully digest the last one.

Who can deny the volume of information consumers are required to process on a daily basis? Forbes calls it the arrival of “data deluge courtesy of billions of webpages and millions of marketing channels zapping us like bolts of lightning from clouds of bandwith.” Just as industrialization changed the face of society in the 1800s, the tentacles of modern technology are inspiring a new revolution — forever changing the way the world does business and the manner in which we live.

These factors are causing paradigm shifts at macro and micro levels. With the global economy gathering itself after a prolonged recession, the Canadian foodservice industry is still feeling the pinch, with sales for this year’s Top 100 companies less than stellar. (See story on pg. 21.) But while the performance numbers of the past 18 months are telling, the latest indicators also tell us we’ve hit the bottom of the recession and are now moving on to better days.

Still, it’s important to not lose sight of where we’ve come from in order to understand where we’re headed. Recession aside, for almost two decades restaurants have been in a constant state of reinvention. Starting with no-smoking legislation and continuing through the healthier-eating trend (witnessed by low-carb diets, trans-fat bans, the growth of vegetarianism and a surging fascination with local cuisine), there’s also been a steady increase in consumer advocacy with regard to issues such as obesity, the ethical treatment of animals and sustainability. That evolution has created a new foodservice landscape, and operators today are forced to regularly re-examine menu offerings in light of new research and shifting consumer opinion.

For example, Ottawa recently announced it would be looking to the food industry to substantially reduce the amount of salt in processed foods. The Sodium Reduction Strategy will be released this month, and it’s calling on foodservice stakeholders to follow voluntary reduction targets aimed at slashing the average Canadian’s daily consumption of sodium from 3,400 milligrams to 2,300 milligrams by 2016. New, government-mandated menu-labelling requirements are also on the horizon.

In the face of government intervention, market saturation and evolving consumer demands, successful operators must be more creative and find new points of differentiation. They will need to fully understand and engage their customers while always being open to the myriad changes transpiring around them. But while some may lament the burden of change, it’s hard not to get excited about the new direction the industry is heading.

As we move further into the decade, energy will become the new currency of the day. Operators must harness it to forge ahead with innovative ways of doing business, while conserving it at the same time, guided by the environmental mindfulness that’s now part of who we are. From the emerging players on the scene ready to make their mark to the old guard that’s working harder than ever to reinvent itself in a reinvigorated business landscape, it’s a new era with filled with endless possibility.

All too often it seems calamities are impacting our lives. It’s gotten to the point where we’re living in a state of dramatic upheaval and constant flux. In fact, in the decade since the start of the new millennium, we’ve seen more life-altering events than perhaps any other decade since the 1960s. And, with technology prodding us to fly higher, move faster and change constantly, we’re also being asked to adapt to the next big trend before we’ve even been able to fully digest the last one.

Who can deny the volume of information consumers are required to process on a daily basis? Forbes calls it the arrival of “data deluge courtesy of billions of webpages and millions of marketing channels zapping us like bolts of lightning from clouds of bandwith.” Just as industrialization changed the face of society in the 1800s, the tentacles of modern technology are inspiring a new revolution — forever changing the way the world does business and the manner in which we live.

These factors are causing paradigm shifts at macro and micro levels. With the global economy gathering itself after a prolonged recession, the Canadian foodservice industry is still feeling the pinch, with sales for this year’s Top 100 companies less than stellar. (See story on pg. 21.) But while the performance numbers of the past 18 months are telling, the latest indicators also tell us we’ve hit the bottom of the recession and are now moving on to better days.

Still, it’s important to not lose sight of where we’ve come from in order to understand where we’re headed. Recession aside, for almost two decades restaurants have been in a constant state of reinvention. Starting with no-smoking legislation and continuing through the healthier-eating trend (witnessed by low-carb diets, trans-fat bans, the growth of vegetarianism and a surging fascination with local cuisine), there’s also been a steady increase in consumer advocacy with regard to issues such as obesity, the ethical treatment of animals and sustainability.

That evolution has created a new foodservice landscape, and operators today are forced to regularly re-examine menu offerings in light of new research and shifting consumer opinion.

For example, Ottawa recently announced it would be looking to the food industry to substantially reduce the amount of salt in processed foods. The Sodium Reduction Strategy will be released this month, and it’s calling on foodservice stakeholders to follow voluntary reduction targets aimed at slashing the average Canadian’s daily consumption of sodium from 3,400 milligrams to 2,300 milligrams by 2016. New, government-mandated menu-labelling requirements are also on the horizon.

In the face of government intervention, market saturation and evolving consumer demands, successful operators must be more creative and find new points of differentiation. They will need to fully understand and engage their customers while always being open to the myriad changes transpiring around them. But while some may lament the burden of change, it’s hard not to get excited about the new direction the industry is heading.

As we move further into the decade, energy will become the new currency of the day. Operators must harness it to forge ahead with innovative ways of doing business, while conserving it at the same time, guided by the environmental mindfulness that’s now part of who we are. From the emerging players on the scene ready to make their mark to the old guard that’s working harder than ever to reinvent itself in a reinvigorated business landscape, it’s a new era with filled with endless possibility.