The impact of changing consumers’ behavior on the development of the restaurant business

Changing consumers’ preferences and values leads to the search for new forms of interaction with them and requires business to reassess development strategies. Knowledge of the factors that are essential to the target consumer is the basis for making ideal business decisions. The purpose of the study presented in the article was to determine the structural changes in behavioral patterns of consumers who used restaurant service during the coronavirus pandemic and the directions for the development of the restaurant business in the postpandemic period. The authors analyzed the information materials of thematic sites, sites of government authorities, scientific and professional literature; questionnaires and interviewing. The study shows that customers are focused on safety, comfort and convenience. It requires a widespread introduction of digital technologies at catering enterprises; a significant increase in the share of online communication and personal interaction with guests; transparency and openness in matters of safety, hygiene and sanitation; new concepts and formats for doing business (selling catering products as takeaway, using delivery, through social networks; development of a pre-order service; Dark Kitchen; implementation of grocery sets for home cooking of restaurant dishes and drinks through stores and social networks, on the restaurant website; coworking in a restaurant, etc.). A business model of a catering enterprise has been developed, considering the relationship of consumer preferences, services and channels of their interaction (the model of M. Johnson, K. Christensen, H. Kagermann).