Future restaurant trends to watch, according to this global expert
From Take-Away with Sam Oches by Nation's Restaurant News
May 5, 2026 · 35 min
About this episode
Sam Oches interviews Rafael LaRue about future restaurant trends and insights from a global perspective.
In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rafael LaRue, the chief creative officer for global foodservice consultant Livit and its sister company, Fast Fine Restaurant Group. Rafael and his partners have a fascinating perspective because they study the industry at the global level, and not only do they consult on everything from guest experience and architecture to interior design, culinary, and operations, but they also put their advice into practice through their portfolio of restaurants. Sam and Rafael talked in person at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last month in Scottsdale about growing trends from around the world that are soon to influence the U.S. restaurant industry. In this conversation, you’ll find out why: There is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing concepts AI lets GMs and employees focus solely on guests AI can create one-of-a-kind restaurant experiences Gen Alpha is the algorithm generation — and could totally disrupt restaurants Authenticity will continue to win the day Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at sam.oches@informa.com .
People in this episode
Host: Sam Oches
Guest: Rafael LaRue
Topics covered
- restaurant trends
- global foodservice
- guest experience
- AI in restaurants
- Gen Alpha
- authenticity in dining
Keywords
- restaurant trends
- AI
- Gen Alpha
- guest experience
- authenticity
- global foodservice
- consulting
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Livit, Fast Fine Restaurant Group
Places: Scottsdale
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