Features calendar 2026/27

With Christmas now at the forefront of restaurants’ minds, this feature will identify the key elements businesses must consider to make the most of this lucrative but intensely busy period.

Its focus will include how to create an attractive and profitable Christmas menu, both for the day itself and throughout the festive season, as well as pricing, drinks packages, group bookings and private dining. It will also cover marketing and promotions, staffing and training considerations, managing suppliers and stock, maximising spend and encouraging repeat visits.

Drawing on expert advice and operator experience, the feature will provide practical tips for delivering a memorable Christmas while protecting margins and maintaining service standards.

From the rise of the Hugo Spritz to the enduring appeal of the Martini, cocktails remain one of the most creative, fast-moving and potentially profitable areas of the hospitality sector.

This feature will examine the latest cocktail and spirits trends and the forces driving them, with a particular focus on restaurant cocktail programmes and how operators can create distinctive drinks offers that complement their food.

It will showcase notable new cocktail bar openings and developments across the sector, as well as highlighting new product launches, emerging spirits categories and changing consumer preferences.

The piece will also consider areas such as low- and no-alcohol drinks, premiumisation, seasonality, sustainability and the role of theatrical serves in driving engagement and spend.

Loyalty has become an increasingly important part of restaurant operators’ business models as they seek to boost repeat visits, increase customer spend and build stronger relationships in a fiercely competitive landscape.

This feature will examine some of the most sophisticated loyalty schemes on the market, identifying how they work, the technology behind them and the results they have achieved. It will also explore the changing nature of loyalty, including the use of customer data, personalisation, subscriptions, exclusive experiences and app-based rewards.

Looking ahead, the piece will consider what successful loyalty programmes might look like in 2027 and beyond, and how businesses of different sizes can use them to encourage genuinely valuable long-term customer behaviour.

As the year draws to a close, Restaurant identifies the brands and categories that have been most successful over the past 12 months within the QSR space.

The feature will analyse the growth in QSR, including the continued rise of fried chicken and the various developments in the category, the further expansion of healthy eating QSR brands, and the evolution of the sandwich and burger categories, as well as look at how trends such as the growing demand for protein and better value for money have changed operators’ approaches.

The feature will also include the burgeoning drinks and bakery sector.

Our annual forward-looking trends feature identifies the food, drink and restaurant trends likely to come to the fore over the coming 12 months.

Drawing on predictions and insight from leading operators, chefs, suppliers, analysts and other industry experts, the piece will paint a detailed picture of what 2027 could hold for restaurant businesses and the dining-out public. It will explore emerging ingredients, cuisines, formats and service styles, alongside wider developments in technology, design, consumer behaviour and operational strategy.

Restaurant’s yearly trends feature is consistently one of our most-read pieces, and we have a strong track record of identifying the ideas and movements that go on to influence the industry.

The growing use of GLP-1 medication, alongside increased demand for foods that are high in protein, is changing the way many restaurant businesses approach their menus and wider food offer, including portion sizes, recipe development and nutritional information.

This feature will examine how GLP-1 usage has already begun to affect the sector and how businesses ranging from QSR and casual dining groups to independent restaurants have responded. It will also look at the broader evolution of healthy eating, including demand for high-protein, plant-forward, lower-calorie and nutritionally balanced dishes.

Drawing on operator insight and consumer data, the feature will identify the health and wellness trends likely to shape future dining habits and consider how restaurants can respond without compromising on flavour, value or the sense of occasion associated with eating out.