Lessons in Hands-On Dining

The COVID shutdown afforded many housebound consumers the chance to rediscover the primal joys of breaking bread together, and while the “bread” was often a pizza crust, the renewed satisfaction of casual, communal, hands-on dining has continued in the post-pandemic era.

Hands-On Dining I: Boards

One of the biggest and enduring beneficiaries of the shutdown is the charcuterie board, the shareable assortment of meats, cheeses and condiments that encourages conversation and conviviality.

Datassential reported that menu incidence of charcuterie in restaurants increased 84 percent in the decade ending 2024, while the National Restaurant Association named it the No. 1 appetizer trend of 2023. The category has evolved from a retail specialty-foods niche into an opportunity for foodservice operators.

Menu marketers have worked to elevate the basic offering into something consumers are unlikely to do for themselves at home, and there’s nothing boring about these boards. To celebrate a recent Pi Day on March 14, for example, Pizza Hut created a special promotion starring a customizable, Instagrammable Pizza Charcuterie. It invited diners to design their own boards with a mix of pizzas, wings, sticks and dips delivered in convenient, bite-sized portions. The Bridge Boards at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria are on the permanent menu and include salami, prosciutto and Italian cheeses, along with antipasto peppers and olives, bread and condiments. And in a smart program extension, the Bridge Board Bundle also includes a bottle of wine.

At the First Watch location in downtown Nashville, Tenn., an exclusive menu of sweet or savory brunch boards has included Custard-Dipped French Toast on the former and maple syrup–glazed Million Dollar Bacon on the latter. Either can be washed down with batched drinks served in a bucket, such as the Blackberry Bramble Sangria.

Hands-On Dining II: Pots

The epitome of sophisticated Euro-dining that initially peaked in the late 1960s, sales of fondue pots reportedly rebounded substantially during the pandemic. How many remain in active use at home is open to question, but they revived interest in the category and allowed savvy restaurant pros like the Melting Pot to step up as cabin-fevered diners stepped out with a mix of experiential dining and smart merchandising. The brand invites patrons to create memories one dip at a time, whether for special events like birthdays or anniversaries or for everyday dining.

Creative promotions include the three-course Fondue into Fall Menu, which capitalizes on seasonal flavors; Girls Just Want to Have Fondue, a timely take on the girl-dinner phenomenon; the cheeky Down to Fondue, a happy hour special; and the Thursdate program that “sets the table for romance” with candles and rose petals. All are supported by a robust bar program featuring Coming Up Roses, a version of the ubiquitous spritz made with Aperol and Strawberry Rose Syrup, and a rum-based Tropical Haven Punch, made with Red Bull Tropical and available by the glass or pitcher.

An Asian cousin to fondue, hot pot cuisine, in which ingredients cook in a pot of boiling broth, has been picking up steam as well. Haidilao, China’s largest hot pot chain, now operates 14 locations stateside, stretching from its base in California to include units in Chicago, New York City metro, Houston and Dallas. With an emphasis on DIY customization, the menu starts with a choice of soup bases like spicy Sichuan or tomato and mushroom, to which patrons add meats, seafoods and vegetables, along with signature elements like fresh noodles created tableside and a sauce bar.

Korean noodle ramyeon bars have been front-and-center at recent National Restaurant Association shows. At these popular concepts in Korea, diners choose noodles, vegetables and proteins, which they cook up themselves at an induction station. Ramyeon Bar, newly opened in suburban Minneapolis, is doing turn-away business with its combination of customization and convenience.

And American-grown, New Jersey-based KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot has expanded rapidly from its opening in 2018 to a reported 170 units. Patron participation is key here, with an exceedingly broad range of soup bases, noodles and add-ins.

Hands-On Dining III: Grills

KPot’s brand promise of DIY barbecue has also been getting attention as another option that allows diners to cook it their way while socializing over a hot grill or plate. In traditional K-barbecue concepts, raw ingredients are sliced in the kitchen, and diners cook them to their liking over table-top grills. Banchan (Korean side dishes) are typically abundant and include pickled radish and cucumber, sweet potato salad and the requisite kimchi.

Japanese yakiniku are also grill-your-own operations, though they’re unlikely to follow the all-you-can-eat Korean model. Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, based in Japan, operates about 60 stores in the U.S. with an extensive menu that starts with sushi, dumplings and wings, followed by soups and salads, rice and noodle dishes. Diners get in on the act with a broad range of proteins like upmarket Wagyu beef selections and vegetables like trendy shishito peppers.

By contrast, Pepper Lunch, another Tokyo-born concept that’s since planted flags in the U.S., invites diners to “sizzle it your way” with high-energy induction cookers that are actually part of the serving tray, not the table. Sauces can be customized to enhance a range of options like signature Beef Pepper Rice, curry and teriyaki options and even pasta dishes like Beef Aglio Olio. There are vegetarian items and salad for the seriously cooking-averse.

Outlook and Opportunity

These concepts represent a dining trifecta of customization, conviviality and an experience that can be tough to replicate at home, and their global image is also a plus. While they will remain the province of specialists, they do offer lessons for the broader market.

First, the overriding importance of customization and freshness is nothing new, but these concepts underscore their continuing currency with diners and suggest an ongoing, powerful promotion opportunity.

Second, their popularity is likely to increase along with the growth of the friction-maxxing phenomenon, in which consumers seek human connection and engagement and a temporary respite from technology. There’s an opportunity here to enhance patron interaction throughout the entire dining experience from the reservation to the check drop.

Finally, a tantalizing if less likely takeaway comes from Haidilao. The Chinese hot pot specialist offers a surprising range of lifestyle services that includes manicures, shampoos, shoe shines and more at selected locations and in doing so, redefines the notion of full-service dining.