Hospitality’s Christmas Past, Present & Future. Reflections, trends, and opportunities for a thriving future.

“Christmas just isn’t like it used to be!”

The modern-day consumerism that has entangled itself into the traditions of Christmas sure has an impact on how we prepare, celebrate, and enjoy Christmas today. But has it really changed that much? And if it has, how much does that affect hospitality, and what does it mean for our future?

In this article, we’re going to look at Christmas hospitality throughout the years, dating from the dawn of Classeq in the 1970s all the way through to 2024 and beyond.

Christmas Past

Commenting on how much Christmas has changed seems to have become a common narrative around Christmas time. Are traditions really changing that rapidly, or does every generation think the same? With the Great British pub
maintaining some of its most quintessential traditions and fixtures, surely the same is true of Christmas in hospitality?

Let's take a brief trip down memory lane during the hospitality holiday season.

A very 70s Christmas

As Classeq was founded in the 70s we thought we'd start our look back at Christmas past in the same decade.

The 70s were a time of traditional togetherness; with the absence of handheld screens and countless TV channels, many feel nostalgic when thinking of these simpler, festive times.

At home, UK families huddled around one small box to enjoy Morecambe and Wise, a mismatched and multi-coloured Christmas Tree stood proud in the sitting room, whilst elaborate and creative Christmas nibbles and Turkey centrepieces were dressed to impress - think en croûte jackets and bow ties!

This traditional atmosphere echoed throughout the hospitality industry, with restaurants and pubs offering the iconic turkey dinner and Christmas pudding to its locals. In fact, the 70s saw a change in pub food offerings, as well as interior design, to attract and delight their customers during the festive period.

Staffing through the decades

Staff has always been a challenge in hospitality. But our industry is one of resilience, and resilient people.

Since the 70s, the UK economic landscape has seen many peaks and troughs which have directly affected staffing, wages and consumer spending habits. For example, the 1990s kicked off with a severe recession in the UK, which sadly negatively impacted restaurant staffing levels. But of course, the resilient nature of the industry saw it bounce back and continue to grow.

The way people worked was different then. Historically, employees would typically serve in one place for a prolonged period of time, and family-run businesses, particularly within hospitality, were common. You most likely knew the owners and the staff at your local establishment personally, and you knew who would be serving on Christmas day. With turkey being a dead cert, there weren’t too many surprises!

The dawn of the internet gets the blame for many a modern situation, but it certainly gave employees a greater choice of where to work; allowing them to search, peruse reviews and digitally apply for other roles.

The rise of technology during the 2000s allowed owners to optimise their staffing strategies and employ a more agile workforce through cross-department training.

The start of 2020s caused obvious challenges to the hospitality labour force, particularly during the festive season. Since the pandemic and Brexit, it does bring into question whether these staffing challenges are now a long-term issue or not. That time has left a legacy, even though recovery has happened, things are forever different.

Dining trends

The classic Christmas dinner has evolved and grown over time, thanks to international influence, the rise of tech, and trends within plant-based preferences, health-conscious diets and sustainability.

Traditional, familiar and homely has evolved into experimentation, cultural fusion and low-calorie alternatives as we compare the 1970s to the early 2000s.

As time went on, restaurants and pubs benefited from including unique, explorative and on-trend alternatives in their Christmas offering, outside of the traditional Christmas dinner (which does still remain a firm favourite!).

Those who kept an ear to the ground with the evolving desires of consumers would have thrived during periods of change.

Christmas Present

Fast forward to the present day, Christmas continues to evolve whilst maintaining essential traditional features.

In a recent article, we highlighted key trends of Christmas 2024; from festive-themed experiences, no & low alcohol alternatives and increasing concerns with sustainability.

Comparatively with Christmas past, a huge reason for this shift in consumer behaviour is the introduction of Gen-Z to both the workforce and the buyer market. Raised with the internet, Gen-Z’s have a wealth of choice available at their fingertips; we’ve come a long way from the traditional Christmas dinner in a 1970s local pub.

The Influence of the Internet

Historically, customers would enjoy local venues, or travel to those they’d read about in the newspaper or via referrals from friends. These days, restaurants and pubs fight for consumer attention on social media - geography is no longer an obstacle.

The rise of social media has forced many traditional venues to propel their marketing strategy into the modern day; those that resist change risk losing valuable business, especially in a fiercely competitive time of year.

On a positive note, social media has allowed many venues to capture the interest of all kinds of generations, using trends and keywords, encouraging their businesses to thrive and reap the benefits of Christmas spending.

The accessibility and possibility that the internet provides offers individuals to share and celebrate other cultures’ version of Christmas, through specialist experiences and cultural menu offerings.

Dining trends

A notable difference between Christmas past and Christmas present is the rise of alcohol-free festivities. Due to an increased interest in health and well-being, Gen-Z are driving the “dry Christmas” trend; it’s reported that 21% of festive parties in 2024 on venue booking platform Togather are to be alcohol-free.

Another stark difference between the traditional Christmas dining trends of the 70s and present day is the rise of veganism. It’s currently estimated that 2.5 million Brits are following a vegan diet, therefore turkey substitutes such as vegetable roasts, tofu and various protein replacements continue to rise in demand when dining out for Christmas dinner.

Sustainability is a key consideration for the present festive period, and we expect it to continue rising year on year; a key consumer expectation includes “root to stem” or “nose to tail” cooking, to promote a zero-waste attitude.

According to The Sustainable Restaurant Association, there’s been an increase in demand for more nourishing kid’s meals, as millennials enter parenthood; so ensure your Christmas offering is a little better than chicken nuggets and chips to capture the attention of these new parents.

But is tradition really on the way out?

Some might suggest that the quintessential Christmas pudding is losing its place at the table. What used to be a firm feature of the Christmas food tradition is becoming overshadowed by more contemporary options such as lobster and indulgent cheeseboards, charcuterie boards, nut roasts, and trifles. We wonder if there will come a time when Turkey isn’t the star offering….

Technology

Today, the implementation of tech has been the catalyst of expansive growth for thousands of venues across the nation.

Self-ordering kiosks, “Order & Pay at Table” functionality and third-party delivery channels, such as Deliveroo or Just Eat, have played a pivotal role for hospitality venues at Christmas. Not only do these features streamline the operations of restaurants during this incredibly busy period, but they put control and autonomy back in the consumer’s hands.

Effective technology and equipment in back-of-house is equally as important for smooth operations at Christmas. Owing to the increased footfall and table-turns, efficient and durable appliances, such as Classeq undercounter range, are a must have during the festive season.

As social media continues to rise, venues that stay ahead of the curve will continue to book-up months in advance of Christmas; it’s good sense to implement effective and resilient equipment to keep on top of your demand.

We wrote an article about how to keep on top of your kitchen equipment maintenance, another must-read to prepare for the holiday season.

Christmas Future

It’s clear that the festive season looks very different to how it once was in the 70s, however traditional aspects of Christmas still remain intact.

Let’s take a look at how Christmas might look in more years to come and speculate on other trends we anticipate for the hospitality industry.

Technology

Tech has played a pivotal role in the hospitality industry for decades, and we anticipate its continued evolution.

Kitchen equipment continues to innovate and improve, designed to handle the unforgiving Christmas period. Our combination of simple to use undercounter and Pass through models are an ideal choice for restaurants and bars who expect high footfall during Christmas, they’re durable and robust and will get the job done.

In other news for tech, the implementation of artificial intelligence will open more avenues for efficiency in restaurants; from AI chatbots during the reservation process to personalised recommendations for customers using self-ordering channels. Not too far over the horizon are personal AI reservation assistants, who will book reservations for you. If we marry this up with the trend of AI being able to predict what you want and what you’re going to want next, it could be a very different hospitality environment in the future!

Given the traditional togetherness of the holiday season that we so lovingly looked back on during the close of the 20th century, some concerns surrounding the continued implementation of AI include the loss of a “human” experience. Are we taking the desire for efficiency too far?

At Classeq, we like to keep things simple. Around since the 70s, we’ve seen the evolution of the hospitality industry; from a quaint roast dinner in your local pub all the way through to an ‘Instagrammable’ winter wonderland.

Throughout the continued use of tech, we believe that the holiday spirit is best preserved through human interaction and togetherness; recent moves towards Social recommendation (content that is suggested to users based on their previous interactions and activity) prove that though innovation is a must, simplicity and friends wins every time.

Meal Kits & Ghost Kitchens

The last few years have driven an understandable surge in remote dining. This trend has given rise to the concept of virtual, or “ghost”, kitchens that cook for delivery only.

Further to this, meal kits have become increasingly popular for busy professionals working remotely; Statista predicts the projected revenue will reach $1.78bn by 2029 in the UK. While short kitchens don’t have the same front of house team, their existence still supports the hospitality industry. This uptick in remote dining and meal kit delivery paints a very different picture to how Christmas could look in the future comparatively to the 70s.

Staffing

Following the Budget announcement in October, there are some obvious concerns surrounding staffing in the hospitality industry.

It is anticipated that one answer to this is business owners adopting a more agile workforce, cross-training across departments and streamlining their labour model.

This could involve an increase in agency staffduring festive periods
to fill in the gaps, and existing staff members enjoying a more dynamic work environment by switching between front and back of house during busy shifts. [do we have any ref for this?]

Sustainability & Dietary Requirements

As the climate continues to be a significant concern, sustainable dining is expected to rise in popularity over the next few years.

According to The Sustainable Restaurant Association, some sustainable trends include:

An increase in fermented products to further promote a zero-waste attitude. This trend will also impact bars, with alcohol-free replacements including gut-friendly options such as kombucha.

Regenerative farming: a process designed to reverse the harmful result of industrial agriculture. It’s predicted that more and more chefs will be seeking to source their ingredients from regenerative farms.

According to Sainsbury’s Future of Food report, it’s estimated that a quarter of all Brits will be vegetarian by 2025. Restaurants should be anticipating an increase in demand for meat-free Christmas dinners as the festive season continues to evolve.

Final Thoughts

As consumer behaviour continues to change, and the ever resilience of the hospitality industry continues to adapt, Christmas has certainly worn many hats over the last five decades. Classeq has been around to see it all.

At Classeq we’ve probably been a part of many people’s Christmases for almost 50 years.

Whether you worked the bar on a Christmas eve shift or had a boxing day meal where the plates and glasses were washed by a Classeq. We know what it is to prepare and manage for a successful festive season, and we’re here to support you this Christmas and beyond.

So, is Christmas losing its magic? Was it better back then, or just different?

This evolution is generally positive; these days, we have a wider, more culturally rich experience of the festive season than we did in the 1970s. Most things you could get back then, you can get now if you want them, and the hospitality industry will move throughout any changes, as it always has.

But it can’t hurt to look back nostalgically on the simpler times! And whether you want to look backwards or forwards, we wish your business the best festive season ever!

------------

At Classeq, we are passionate about the growth and success of the hospitality sector. That’s why we are committed to providing you with content that explores every element of the hospitality journey from the distribution of catering equipment right through to the patron’s plate.

If there is a topic you’d like us to explore further, do let us know. Otherwise, view our full content library here, or speak to a member of the team today . Whether it’s a new machine you need, or technical support, our team is ready to assist.

Sources:
Statista
Fortune
Finder
The Sustainable Restaurant Association
Sainsbury’s Future of Food Report
Agency Central