Data beats guesswork: The 2026 Kitchen Barometer

Why today’s professional kitchens need reliable comparison data

Individual cases and regional snapshots often dominate industry conversations. These are useful but ultimately of limited benefit: without international comparative data, it is difficult to tell whether any given problem is local or global – and whether solutions are transferable from place to place.

The Kitchen Barometer fills this gap. A total of 250 kitchen managers and decision-makers from the restaurant and hotel industries in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan were surveyed. The study not only examines individual aspects such as costs or staffing but also paints a comprehensive picture: Where do the biggest challenges lie? What impact is the economic situation having? What strategies are being pursued? And what differences exist between the markets?

The results were clear: The pressure is on everywhere, but the responses to it differ widely by region. Food service professionals who think and act strategically have a better shot at remaining competitive long-term.

Cost pressures in hospitality: Energy and food prices are rising

Costs are rising in the hospitality industry, but that’s nothing new. What’s striking about the current situation is that it’s happening on so many fronts at once. Nowadays, energy, food prices, personnel, and digitization pressures are intertwined. Issues that could once be resolved through efficiency-boosting measures – a cheaper supplier here, an optimized shift there – are becoming challenges at the structural level.

The data underscores these concerns: 67 percent of respondents expect rising energy costs over the next twelve months. 56 percent report that food prices have increased significantly. In Europe, in particular, the combination of these two factors is creating cost pressures that can’t simply be calculated away. In the US, on the other hand, food prices are way ahead of energy prices. The economic situation is different everywhere, and just because a solution seems promising in one country, it won’t necessarily apply in another. As a result, the situation calls for regionally specific strategies rather than a universal solution. What works in Berlin may fail in Birmingham.

Proactivity is the key: kitchen managers can’t just wait for circumstances to improve. They need to respond now – by planning more effectively, calculating more precisely, and investing in technologies that will save resources over the long term. Those who merely rely on raising their own prices risk losing customers.

How the skilled-worker shortage is transforming entire kitchen processes

The skilled-worker shortage isn’t only affecting businesses directly, in the form of unfilled positions. It’s indirectly transforming the entire kitchen organization: higher workloads for remaining personnel, longer wait times for customers, less flexibility for companies. Kitchens are having to trim their menus, adjust their hours, or rethink their quality standards. The consequences are measurable – and expensive.

As many as 64 percent of kitchen operators surveyed report that staff shortages have had a tangible impact, with consequences ranging from increased workloads on teams to lower quality to operational limitations. 57 percent of respondents said workloads on their existing staff had increased; 23 percent even reported having to shorten their business hours, which directly impacts revenue and market presence.

Companies are responding in pragmatic, targeted ways. Instead of launching big recruitment campaigns, they’re focusing on the one thing they can directly influence: employee retention. Flexible working hours, better benefits, and targeted further training are a few of the measures being taken to stabilize the existing team.

Many companies are also optimizing their kitchen logistics and organization, with the goal of doing more with fewer people without sacrificing quality. Companies are doing mise en place outside of business hours, rethinking work processes, and using technology to ease burdens when human labor is scarce and costly.

An uncomfortable realization is setting in: staff shortages will not be solved in the short term, and perhaps not in the medium term, either. So companies need to be set up to work with smaller teams, focusing on intelligent technologies and digital support in order to ensure long-term productivity and quality.

Only 35% of professional kitchens surveyed have integrated digital systems: Digitizing kitchens in stages

From ordering tablets to goods-management software to scheduling apps, professional kitchens have been using digital systems for years. Integration remains a challenge, however: only 35 percent of the food-service operations surveyed have fully integrated their digital systems. Many use several digital tools in parallel, including merchandise management, personnel planning, and ordering systems, but they’re rarely interconnected. Individual systems do not communicate with one another and lack interfaces. These gaps are particularly evident back-of-house – digitization often ends at the kitchen door.

But those who rise to the challenge of digitization and system integration will reap big rewards. Early adopters report clear benefits: better planning ability, less food waste, greater transparency. Systems that link production and storage are particularly effective.

So the challenge lies not in the technology itself, but in its implementation. Digitization requires time, training, and, most of all, a clear idea of what problems it will address. Technology for technology’s sake typically only leads to frustration and a wasted budget, but using it in a targeted manner can boost efficiency dramatically.

Digitization is continuing to take hold in the hospitality industry. decisionmakers who are already working digitally are planning further investments, and 66 percent of companies who have not yet started intend to take the next step. This shows that the industry has recognized digitization’s benefits, and that they see its integration as a process rather than a one-off project.

The benefits of sustainability: Cutting costs, saving resources

Sustainability isn’t just an isolated buzzword; it’s integral to the strategic topics that the Kitchen Barometer covers. The data shows that kitchen managers who are facing cost pressures are turning to sustainability measures as part of their efficiency efforts. 67 percent of respondents consider sustainability a central or important business topic.

Sustainability does not run counter to efficiency; it is often a logical complement. Energy efficiency reduces costs. Reducing waste improves profit margins. Procuring regionally increases planning capabilities. Goals that initially sound unrelated work together in practice. Kitchens that use resources efficiently are often also more economically successful.

At the same time, customer expectations are increasing. More and more of them now consider sustainability not just a bonus but a prerequisite; those who can’t keep up risk losing their appeal. Not immediately, perhaps, but bit by bit – especially among younger target groups and in urban markets.

But the Kitchen Barometer also shows that sustainability needs to be practical. As a result, kitchens are relying on measures that can be put into practice without becoming an operational burden. Chief among these is reducing food waste, a current goal for 87 percent of respondents. Others ways to combine sustainability and economy include using seasonal products and relying on energy-efficient technology. Staff training helps keep the team up-to-date. The result? Better sustainability, greater plannability, and lower costs.

78% rely on training & checklists: Standardization stabilizes quality

Increasing pressure does not automatically mean decreasing quality. And quality doesn’t drop overnight. But it needs to be secured actively, day after day. Restaurants who have recognized this are systematically professionalizing their processes.

Training and checklists are the most commonly used quality assurance tools, with 78 percent of respondents indicating they rely on them. These create structures that remain effective even with staff turnover. At the same time, decision-makers are increasingly investing in technology: programmable devices that maintain a consistent temperature; digital recipe databases – which 48 percent already use – to eliminate errors; systems that document what was done when and how. These tools make quality reproducible, and when staff are scarce, technology becomes even more of a quality factor.

But this is not to say that digitization is a substitute for the human factor. Rather, it’s a sign that the balance between man and machine is shifting. Technology can take on repetitive tasks, boost reliability, and give employees breathing room for things machines can’t offer: creativity, flexibility, customer interactions.

How restaurateurs can combat cost and staff pressures in 2026

The Kitchen Barometer doesn’t yield blanket formulas, but it does show clear patterns: the companies navigating challenges most successfully are relying on standardization rather than improvisation, investing in both people and technology, and working more strategically than before.

78 percent of kitchen managers surveyed plan to invest in technology – a clear sign that this supposedly “technology-averse” industry has recognized that standing still is not an option. Regional differences remain, of course: European companies are struggling more with energy costs, workloads are the biggest issue in Japan, and materials prices are the most pressing concern in the US. But the same basic pattern is holding everywhere: waiting means losing out. Those who take action have a chance.

The key question is how companies will use the coming months. Many of them have ambitious plans regarding staff training, technology investments, and energy-efficient equipment. Whether they implement these plans will determine which kitchens will come out ahead.

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