2. Food For Thought Began with Nouvelle Cuisine More unrestrictive plating space called for. Use of negative space White dominates commercial dinnerware 6/11/2007 2
3. Food For Thought It’s all about form. Dinnerware that tells a shapestory Natural Biomorphic feel Flowing curved forms, smooth continuous arcs Clean minimalist surfaces Avoidance of hard geometric lines 6/11/2007 3
4. Food for Thought Advances in engineering and design capabilities Computer assisted design & CAD/CAM Recyclability and lasting much longer Encapsulated color, closer to true reds IG & UG Rapid prototype, faster turn around. I want it now. 6/11/2007 4
5. Food for Thought The Asian influence is here to stay. A continuing trend 20th century tabletop dominated by Europe Asian Forms & Styles for the 21st century. Fusion Food- blending of cuisines of the world 6/11/2007 5
6. Food for Thought Return to the Bauhaus design approach The aesthetics of function & multi-function applications Beauty that is durable/practical Respect for the food Interlocking & Layering of dinnerware 6/11/2007 6
7. Food For Thought Celebrity Chef phenomenon is for real Chef’s names are now household words Well deserved recognition of the chef’s art A mainstream popular culture movement Cooking channels feed into knowledge wheel Draws attention to the commercial design aesthetics 6/11/2007 7
8. Food for Thought We are serving an experienced dining public where expectations are higher They want more (Real) choices We are all experts- grew up dining out Dining out is now a fixed element of the American Lifestyle We all expect more from American tabletop 6/11/2007 8
9. Food For Thought Customers see dining as a form of entertainment We don’t want to just eat, we want to be entertained Restaurateurs must differentiate themselves Encouraging customized dinnerware Dinnerware must provide entertainment value Fun is now a requirement of dining out. The WOW factor 6/11/2007 9
10. Food For Thought Retro influences are in at least for now Contemporary interpretation of classics Return to “Comfort Food” (feel good food) Influences on décor and theme Today dinnerware is about Size, Gauge & Whiteness- 3 biggest factors in today’s dinnerware 6/11/2007 10
11. Food For Thought New Item sizes are important to explore (both larger and smaller Portion sizes are larger Hence items are often larger- needing plating space (sq inches) and fluid capacity (ounces) Table space- the same- results in less table space Hence miniatures 6/11/2007 11
12. Food For Thought Sometimes the only way to go is to go up. The 3rd dimension is Height Presentations that elevate food- compositionally and literally. 6/11/2007 12
13. Food For Thought Our competitors may even now be exploring family style and tapas Appears contradictory- Health awareness vs. Mega desserts- Bigger plates vs. same table size Both emphasize service Both require unique item selections 6/11/2007 13
14. Food For Thought Today the public has a greater overall design awareness Design now recognized as a factor by the person on the street This effects tabletop design 6/11/2007 14
15. Food For Thought Chain restaurant growth is out pacing independents. Increased competition- between chains and between chains vs. independents Strong “Theme” identities and developing Food colors requires use of contemporary colors to elicit complementary responses Body Color- Which white is right- pattern colors-Earthtones returning- use of accents 6/11/2007 15
16. The Bigger Picture Data research to assist in finding the trends (Macro environment) Market ( size, share, growth, segmentation, seasonality conditions, etc.) Internal Trends ( sales volume by month and annually, revenue profits) Competition Customer behavior, attitudes, ethnicities 6/11/2007 16
17. The Bigger Picture Distribution channels (Direct and Indirect) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and threats Importance of the Product or service Sociographics- ethnic affiliation Demographics- Income, age, level of education Psychographics- lifestyles Geographics- shifting of the population Economic considerations (Local and Global) 6/11/2007 17
