The Change In Hospitality

Oh, how the hospitality industry has changed.

Do you remember when you had to purchase paper from Kinkos and use a print shop to make flyers, THEN manually staple them across your college campus?

Let me jog your memory a little more…

You, bulky backpack on, staple gun in hand, enlisted a friend or two (who probably signed up for the free drinks you persuaded them with), plastering all of the wooden poles and bulletin boards you could find with flyers to promote something meaningful to you.

But since those paper-slinging days, a lot has changed.

Dun dun dun… DIGITAL.

Suddenly a new era of hospitality ushered in, and instead of Kinkos—you had the Internet, websites, and SOCIAL MEDIA—which revolutionized the way we market food and beverage in today's world.

Suddenly, if you weren't online, you were obsolete. (I mean, consider all the new concepts built around consumer convenience.)

And because people today have gotten busier, we are all constantly searching to get "time back" in our day.

For example, the new food and beverage landscape of ordering apps, ghost kitchens, and food halls is making it easier than ever to satisfy a craving.

And what about in-restaurant choices? Remember when you could get "everything under the sun" in one place? A little Mexican, a little Chinese, maybe a steak, all under one roof.

Now when you look around, you see super targeted concepts (like B.B.'s Chicken) honing their craft and building incredibly unique brands.

But even looking back at recent years and how Covid impacted the space, it's clear how such an event accelerated technology implementation industry-wide.

Speaking of industry-wide changes, have you heard of downtown Raleigh's newly approved Social (Drinking) District?!

Being in the south and in an area where we've had stricter regulation around social life, I never would have thought that we'd see new policies like the downtown social district or the Modernization of N.C. Alcohol Laws.

- N.C. recently eliminated the "private bar" permit that requires membership lists and annual dues.

- Starting August 15th, 2022, you can buy and freely carry an alcoholic beverage within designated areas of downtown Raleigh from 11 am-10 pm, seven days a week.

I've been very fortunate to be on the advisory board of the NCRLA (N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association). The NCRLA uses experts like Jennifer Morgan to help build new policies and implement them while working with organizations like DRA (Downtown Raleigh Alliance) to strategize and execute recent changes.

Controlled and educated change, made for the greater good, can be a great thing. And in this case, I believe we're seeing it firsthand.

All this to say, with change comes growth, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this ever-changing industry will continue to evolve.