Restaurant trends 2027
Restaurant trends 2027: what owners should plan for
In 2027 restaurants will pay more for labour and delivery apps, and more diners will find them through AI assistants. Delivery-app fees went up in 2026, WhatsApp started charging for replies again, and wage rises for 2027 are already announced. Below: what changed in 2026, the 2027 dates already fixed, and our forecasts, each marked as one.
The short answer
Eight trends for 2027
Each card starts with what has already happened, then gives our forecast for 2027.
1. Delivery-app fees won't fall
Uber Eats raised its US fees on 11 March 2026, its first rise in about ten years: Lite from 15% to 20%, pickup from 6% to 7%. Our forecast: no app cuts its rates in 2027.
2. Fewer, bigger delivery apps
DoorDash completed its purchase of Deliveroo on 2 October 2025, and Prosus took over Just Eat Takeaway in October 2025. Our forecast: fewer apps competing for your restaurant means less room to negotiate.
3. Diners ask AI where to eat
Google says AI Mode passed 1 billion users by mid-2026. 19% of UK diners already use AI to plan where to eat (Zonal and NIQ, October 2026). Our forecast: a clear menu with prices and hours online matters more every month.
4. WhatsApp costs per message
Since 1 October 2026 Meta charges for service replies after 1,000 free a month per number. Our forecast: a WhatsApp conversation costs more in 2027 than in 2025, so short replies and a menu link win.
5. Wages go up again
The UK National Living Wage rises to £13.21 from April 2027, and California's minimum wage to $17.40 from 1 January 2027. Our forecast: labour costs rise 3–4% in both places.
6. Card fees keep changing
Australia banned card surcharges from 1 October 2026. In the US, a Visa and Mastercard settlement that would lower some card fees is waiting for final approval. Our forecast: card costs move into menu prices where surcharges are banned.
7. QR menus that do more
65% of US adults have used a QR menu, but 58% want paper back (Ipsos, July 2025). Our forecast: QR codes that take the order or payment stay; QR codes that only open a PDF lose guests.
8. More food information on menus
Saudi Arabia has required calorie, caffeine and salt details on digital menus since 1 July 2025, and the UK FSA asks for allergen information in writing. Our forecast: more diners expect allergens and calories on every menu, mostly by custom rather than new law.
Already set
2027 dates already announced
These are fixed by law, a regulator or the company itself. Check each source before you plan around it.
| Date | What happens | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | California's minimum wage rises to $17.40 an hour (the fast-food minimum stays $20) | Restaurants in California |
| 1 January 2027 | WhatsApp stops delivering messages from eligible Indian business accounts not billed in rupees | Indian businesses on the WhatsApp API |
| 1 April 2027 | UK National Living Wage rises to £13.21 an hour (18–20 year olds £11.27) | Restaurants in the UK |
| 1 April 2027 | Australia caps the card fees on foreign-issued cards | Restaurants in Australia |
| 30 April 2027 | GloriaFood shuts down; Oracle offers no direct replacement | Restaurants on GloriaFood |
| 1 July 2027 | WhatsApp stops delivering messages from Brazilian business accounts not billed in reais | Brazilian businesses on the WhatsApp API |
Moving off GloriaFood? See the free online ordering systems compared.
2026 in review
What changed in 2026 that shapes 2027
Delivery apps. Uber Eats raised its US fees in March 2026. New York City enforced its fee caps, with a settlement of more than $875,000 against HungryPanda in April 2026. Talabat's commission fell to 13.1% of order value in its second quarter of 2026, which it puts down to grocery growing, not lower restaurant rates.
WhatsApp. Meta has billed per message since 1 July 2025, and since 1 October 2026 it charges for service replies after the first 1,000 a month on each number. Meta can change rates only on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October.
Search. Google added Gemini's "Ask Maps" to Google Maps in March 2026, and Google says AI Mode passed 1 billion users by mid-2026. In a Zonal and NIQ survey of October 2026, 19% of UK diners already used AI to plan where to eat, and 38% of them looked at menus that way.
Costs. The National Restaurant Association's 2026 report found 42% of US operators weren't profitable the year before, and more than 9 in 10 named food, labour, insurance, energy and card fees as big challenges. In 2027 the UK and California wage rises come on top.
- Uber Eats US Lite: 15% → 20% (March 2026)
- WhatsApp: service replies charged again (October 2026)
- Google Maps: Ask Maps (March 2026)
- 42% of US operators not profitable (NRA, 2026)
What to do
Five things to do before 2027
- 1
Price your menu for 2027 costs
Work the 2027 wage rise into your prices now, and check what each delivery app keeps from a typical order with the delivery-app commission calculator.
- 2
Give regulars a direct way to order
Put your own ordering link on your Google listing, Instagram and receipts. Every regular who orders there keeps the app's commission in your till.
- 3
Make your menu readable by AI
Keep the menu as text with prices, opening hours and allergens, on a page that loads on a phone. That is what AI assistants and Google Maps read.
- 4
Budget WhatsApp per message
If you reply to customers through the WhatsApp API, count your monthly service messages against the 1,000 free on each number. The WhatsApp cost calculator works it out.
- 5
Leave GloriaFood before 30 April 2027
If you're on GloriaFood, move your menu and orders well before it shuts down, so customers never meet a dead link.
Questions owners ask
Answered, plainly.
Sources (18) · checked 2026-11-03
- Uber Eats increases marketplace fees · Restaurant Dive, 10 March 2026
- DoorDash completes acquisition of Deliveroo · DoorDash (Business Wire), 2 October 2025
- Prosus now owns 98% of Just Eat Takeaway.com · BusinessDay, 19 October 2025
- Google closes in on another billion-user product with Gemini · TechCrunch, 23 July 2026
- Almost one in five consumers use AI to plan pub, bar and restaurant visits · Restaurant Online (Zonal and NIQ survey), 8 October 2026
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform · Meta for Developers, read 3 November 2026
- LPC recommendations take the National Living Wage to £13.21 · GOV.UK, 28 October 2026
- California will raise the statewide minimum wage · Office of the Governor of California, 31 July 2026
- Card surcharging and interchange reforms · Reserve Bank of Australia, 31 March 2026
- Visa statement on the MDL settlement · Visa, read 3 November 2026
- QR Code menus are growing even less popular · Ipsos, 21 July 2025
- Menu labelling requirements (caffeine, salt, calorie burn) · Saudi Food and Drug Authority, 4 March 2025
- Updated industry guidance on allergen information in the out-of-home sector · Food Standards Agency, 5 March 2025
- GloriaFood homepage: end of life on 30 April 2027 · GloriaFood (Oracle), read 3 November 2026
- Settlement with HungryPanda over delivery-app junk fees · NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, 8 April 2026
- Talabat delivers strong results for Q2 2026 · Talabat (Zawya), 12 August 2026
- Google Maps gets Gemini-powered Ask Maps · MacRumors, 12 March 2026
- Persistent cost increases and enduring demand will shape the restaurant industry in 2026 · National Restaurant Association, 12 February 2026
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