As food culture collides with digital culture, the F&B industry is staring down the next great frontier: the internet.
Today’s most successful restaurants aren’t waiting for walk-ins – they’re generating demand long before opening night. Think creator-led launches, data-driven drops and fandom-fueled menus. Welcome to the era of digitally native hospitality, where virality trumps location and a feed-worthy brand identity matters more than fit-out design.
Fiber – the new essential
The restaurant business has always been tough. But now, the battleground has shifted. Online food delivery is forecast to reach USD 466 billion globally by 2027, with ghost kitchens alone expected to grow to USD 139.4 billion by 2028 (Statista, Euromonitor). Meanwhile, 90 percent of guests check a restaurant online before visiting. And half of Gen Z discovers new food brands via social media (OpenTable, Yelp). This means your digital presence is your storefront. Before anyone tastes your food, they’ve judged your vibe, values and visual identity, often in under 10 seconds.
A new blueprint
Traditional wisdom said: build a great restaurant, then market it. Now it’s reversed. The new F&B success formula starts with:
• Audience first, before architecture
• Digital tribe, before dining tables
• Story before service.
Take MrBeast Burger- launched entirely online and scaled to 1,000+ kitchens before a single location opened. Or Barstool Bites – a viral F&B play riding on entertainment DNA.
This isn’t just ghost kitchens. It’s a cultural shift, where hospitality brands are created like media properties.
Your four digital power moves
To compete in today’s platform economy, restaurants must master four core digital channels:
1. Social media – according to YPulse, 93 percent of Gen Z say TikTok and Instagram influence where they dine. That means your social feed is no longer just marketing-it’s your maître d’, your menu preview and your brand film in one.
Tactic: invest in content like you invest in cutlery. Show prep. Share stories. Build in public.
2. CRM – McKinsey found brands with strong data capture see 25–40 percent higher retention and upsell. Your email list isn’t admin – it’s an asset.
Tactic: launch with a waitlist. Reward options. Capture data before doors open.
3. Influencer collabs – influencer-led launches see 1.7x higher revenue in month one (Technomic). It’s not about paid ads – it’s about partnering with people who own attention.
Tactic: Tactic: co-create a signature dish. Let creators ‘own’ a campaign. Leverage their reach for credibility.
4. Web3 loyalty – Soho House and Starbucks are already experimenting with token-gated perks. Deloitte reports 37 percent higher engagement when loyalty is digitized and gamified.
Tactic: create early-access passes. Use NFTs to reward superfans with VIP status or experiences.
Brand is the new table setting. In 2025, a Michelin-star restaurant with no digital voice is a missed opportunity. A mid-market concept with a bold content strategy? That’s your next competitor. Accenture found 60 percent of consumers prefer brands that feel like communities. What does this mean? Don’t just serve food – serve a mission, a movement, a message.
Metrics that matter
Today’s KPIs are not reservations and table turns – they’re engagement, saves and customer acquisition cost. Think:
Legacy metric – digital metric
Covers per night – engagement per asset
Table turn time – session duration (online)
Loyalty card sign-ups – repeat open/click rate
Foot traffic – social shares, saves, DMs.
The new kid on the block won’t be backed by capital expenditure. They’ll be backed by content, community and cultural equity. This is hospitality’s digital inflection point. Let’s stop building restaurants. Let’s start building movements.
Judith Cartwright,
founder and managing director of Black Coral Consulting
blackcoralconsulting.com
@jhalkenhaeusser
