About 23 years ago, comedians Rob Stitch and Tom Gleisner produced and starred in A River Somewhere, a brilliant series about fly-fishing – a passion that both of them shared. All told, they went to thirteen locations around the world to, “catch dinner and have it cooked in a local style.” Today, as we seek to build a bridge somewhere to a place that is virus-free, hospitality is being forced to revert to the simplicity that Rob and Tom sought.

This new period we are in has brought about a lot of very thoughtful introspection about the new normal. These actually provide us with a roadmap as to where this bridge might lead us. We present two perspectives that complement each other well.

Generally speaking, vegetarian and vegan lifestyles can be extremely healthy when eating a plant-based diet full of wholefoods, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes etc. Recently, however, there has been an influx of a wide variety of new vegan and vegetarian processed products that do not provide consumers with all of the health benefits you might expect from adhering to a meat-free diet. It is important to ensure that you read the back of the package to really understand what is packed into these faux meat processed foods that may negatively impact on consumer’s health.

Do we have too many F&B outlets in our communities, our shopping centres, our lives?

Let’s put the answer right up front: No.

Food may be on every street corner, but that does not mean it is successful. The essence of the Hospitality industry is that it is not about the volume of food around, but the quality and consistency to drive sales and bring customers back time and time again.

Plenty of commentary has been written about food delivery, but now that we are over the honeymoon period, there are a couple of themes that have started to emerge…

Staying connected with customers, day & night delivering relevant and exciting experiences for all.

Australia’s Local Markets are leading the way when it comes to Remaining Relevant and Delivering Unique Food Experiences.  Where other precincts are trying to figure out how to evolve and expand their F&B offer, the best of Australia’s markets have been doing just that for over a century.  Their experience is well worth studying in order to understand how to deliver the best of Food and Hospitality – authenticity, sociability, repeat visitation, enjoyment and fun – to your project. 

“Food and hospitality has evolved into much more than just eating, it has become part of our customers’ lives and the communities in which we serve it” Francis Loughran, MD, Future Food

THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN SHOPPING CENTRES IS BRIGHT AS IT IS BUILT UPON FOOD AND DESIGN IN NEW URBAN SPACES AND PLACES

Small, Medium and Large shopping centres and precincts - Each must seize their food and hospitality opportunity and plan for success. No mall, retail centre or mixed-use development, can afford not to offer great food and service. The simplest café or food truck can offer great food, coffee and snacks thereby generating rental income for the landlord and a profit for the operator. It is all about positioning, professionalism, people and profitability regardless of size and location.

As part of Future Food’s European projects and our most recent project in Budapest, our team sets off to Belgrade to explore what the city has to offer.

There’s plenty of reasons to visit Belgrade, The capital of the Republic of Serbia, but as usual for us, it’s all about food!