Bring It Home: Recreating Restaurant Classics

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After 56 years of service, Red Lobster sent a shockwave through the food and beverage industry. In May, the family-favorite dining chain, founded in 1968, announced its plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief, and close several of .

This action follows the ongoing temporary and permanent closures of several of their iconic restaurants across the United States. The Florida company also secured a debtor in possession (DIP) payment of $100 million from remaining backers. Could this be the sit-down restaurant industry’s death knell? A look at the data, doesn’t prove to be a good sign.

A New Horizon

While brick-and-mortar businesses have long been suffering economically, we are seeing a paradigm shift away from more traditional eating norms. A Global Food Trends Report released earlier this year from Just Eat Takeaway.com highlights 2023’s worldwide food and shopping fads based on data from across Europe and the U.S.

Some eating habits have become normalized on a global scale. People’s relationship with food constantly evolves, and restaurants are not in the equation. Right now, it is driven by themes such as variability, sustainability, and cultural re-appropriation. Where past generations viewed food more traditionally, interaction is becoming central to younger generations’ desires.

The highest-ranking trends fall into the following groups:

• “Mood Food,” a category relating to pure pleasure at any time of the day
• “Zero Heroes,” whereby consumers want the smallest carbon footprint available
• “Fusion Cuisine,” or when people want to connect to the cultural, geographical, or historical elements in their food 
• “Direct-to-Cart,” which shows that increasing numbers of customers seek fast-commerce, online grocery delivery, and convenience
• “Taste Makers,” which relates to younger eaters who seek inspiration from their preferred content creators and celebrities

Popular Food Heritage

In the late ’90s and early millennium, TV chefs had all the clout. This generation included Jamie Oliver, Giada De Laurentiis, and Bobby Flay. Many TV chefs inspired us to try new culinary techniques, taking away the fear of haute cuisine at home. It looks different in the modern 2000s: TV chefs who forged their careers through years of training and hard work must now compete with mostly self-trained — though no less talented — viral sensations. 

TikTokers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers now fight for top honors in young people’s cooking imaginations. Turkish chef cznburak is a success story with over 75 million followers on TikTok and 54 million Instagram subscribers. Renowned for attempting outlandish-sized recipes, his trademark is visual deadpan — the chef maintains an unblinking smile at the camera throughout each recipe. The influencer also donates much of his creations to his local community in Turkey. 

A Turkish Success Story

He is often compared with his fellow countryman, Nusret Gökçe. Better known as Salt Bae, former butcher Nusret went viral for his suggestive butchery technique and trademark cascading salt sprinkle. Viral cooking videos have made this 40-year-old from humble origins rich beyond his wildest dreams. His signature dish is a $1,000 gold-covered tomahawk steak, and he already has a long list of online copycat recipes. Facebook star Max the Meat Guy claims he can reproduce the dish for $70.

Perhaps encouragingly for cooking purists, decorated Michelin Star alumni Gordon Ramsay has 40 million TikTok followers. His brand of no-nonsense culinary arts has seen decades of top-performing restaurants, a storied TV career, and British honorary titles. Now, with 20 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, he makes cameos alongside trending YouTube stars like Nick DiGiovanni, who has 16 million fans.

The Cook-At-Home Revolution

The age of the cooking influencer was solidified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unsurprisingly, home chefs with hours of domestic free time surfed their social media pages for inspiration. One craze born in this period was recreating restaurant favorites. People’s regular takeout spots or diners were closed, so a cohort of influencers unpacked classic recipes for all to enjoy.

Marketing specialist Dan Fell spent many hours learning to mimic Kentucky Fried Chicken and timed his project perfectly. After 18 months of trial and error, Fell released his recipe with a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) at the pandemic’s outset. “Oil needs to be 160-165C no more and no less,” says the post. “Chicken needs to be room temperature and you use egg white and milk as the wash.”

Recipe Robbers Take Over

Recreating go-to orders from the family’s chosen Friday night eatery makes sense both financially and nutritionally. There are countless examples of recipe robbers, including British TikToker Pretty Delicious Eats, who shows parents how to make healthy, freezer-ready McDonald’s McMuffin sandwiches at a fraction of the price.

Dozens of copycat dishes are online across TikTok, YouTube, and countless food blogs. Moreover, it does not need to stop at famous entrees or starters. Recipes, like reassembled Red Lobster Pina Colada Sauce or Cracker Barrel-style Fried Apples, are barely different from the real thing. Furthermore, parents no longer need to drag their children across town and spend half their weekly wage on a meal. With practice, consumers can now save money, time, and energy by reproducing their usual order at home.

A Dreary Outlook for Restaurants

ABC’s Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary outlines in a Daily Mail article why  restaurants are shuttering across the United States. “It’s proof the inflation virus is still infecting America’s post-pandemic economy,” writes O’Leary. He believes a combination of wage stagnation and inflation means people will be more comfortable looking for alternatives. “Unfortunately, there’s no telling when — if ever — these prices will come back down to Earth.”

At present, the forecast is not good for the restaurant industry. Red Lobster is one of many struggling enterprises like Howard Johnson’s once was. The once-thriving family hangout is now consigned to being a relic of America’s cultural past.

Ironically, the “taste-makers” and recipe looters of today may end up becoming the food culture curators of tomorrow.

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.