Restaurants have long brought people together around food, but technology—including automated food prep lines, 3D-printed dishes, and AI-powered staffing tools—is reshaping how that experience comes to life. In this edition of The Next Normal, we explore the forces and innovations redefining dining out.
The view to 2040 and beyond
Fresh takes on the future
Where, what, and how we eat out is changing. Listen to five McKinsey experts—Alex Rodriguez, John R. Moran, Katharine Mattox, Luis Salcedo, and Xin Huang—outline their vision for the future of restaurants.
It’s 2040. What’s on the menu?
Biotech breakthroughs and shifting demographics could define the next decade of food innovation.
Personalization, curation, and automation
Generative and agentic AI may soon shape every element of the restaurant experience—from designing custom entrées to adjusting lighting and music in real time and even guiding how servers engage with guests.
Food-prep robots and 3D-printed burgers
By digitizing the supply chain and back-of-house operations, restaurants could elevate food quality and diner satisfaction.
Restaurant work reimagined
When technology plays a bigger role in operations and staffing, what does the path from line cook to leader look like?
No dining room, no problem?
From drones to “dark” kitchens, new delivery models and asset-light formats are challenging the industry’s definition of what it means to be a restaurant.
Charting the future
What happens when tech transforms restaurant operations and consumer demand?
New technologies and shifting consumer behavior are converging at a pivotal moment for restaurants. Automation and gen AI could improve restaurant margins and productivity, while also lowering innovation costs. At the same time, AI-enabled personalization is beginning to deliver dramatically higher conversion. And as anti-obesity medications gain adoption, how much—and why—people eat may change. Together, these forces mean restaurants may need to rethink what they serve and how they attract and retain guests.
Meet our experts
Alex Rodriguez
Senior PartnerMiami
Brings global perspective on consumer and retail issues, with expertise in customer experience, operations, and frontline change
Ben Mathews
Senior PartnerOhio - Cleveland
Leads restaurants and food service globally and oversees the firm’s product development and procurement efforts
Jane Wong
PartnerBay Area
Leads the digital customer-acquisition work within the Marketing & Sales Practice and serves B2C clients across retail, consumer internet, and banking industries, with deep experience in driving e-commerce growth
John R. Moran
PartnerBoston
Advises restaurant, franchising, and consumer industry leaders and investors on growth, transactions, and value creation, applying his expertise in commercial due diligence, M&A strategy, and expansion
Katharine Mattox
PartnerAtlanta
Drives growth for consumer leaders in restaurants, foodservice, and retail by transforming sales capabilities, unlocking margins, and modernizing go-to-market models
Luis Salcedo
Senior PartnerMonterrey
Serves clients in the consumer industries, with expertise in route to market and sales and marketing in emerging markets
Prabhjot Gill
PartnerWestern Canada
Driving step-change performance in consumer supply chains and eCommerce operations. Helps leading brands unlock growth, optimize indirect spend, and build resilient, tech-enabled operations.
Xin Huang
PartnerHong Kong
Focuses on designing and implementing end-to-end supply-chain transformations across industries, and leads McKinsey’s supply-chain transformation and supply-chain digital and advanced-analytics work
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Acknowledgments
This edition of The Next Normal is a collaborative effort led by McKinsey Global Publishing, with contributions from Alexandra Mondalek, Charlie Matthes, Dan Spector, Dana Sand, Jonathon Rivait, Katie Shearer, Laura Mercedes, Monica Toriello, Nathan Wilson, Philip Mathew, Stephanie d’Arc Taylor, and Victor Cuevas.