In 2025, dining had a real focus on connection, from shared plates and communal tables to streamlined restaurant technology that helps staff better communicate with guests and enhances the overall hospitality experience.
While restaurants adopted tools to work smarter with integrations that connect back of house to the front, diners were setting alerts to score seatings and showed up for newly preferred earlier reservations at in-demand hotspots across the U.S., as highlighted in the new 2025 Resy Retrospective.
The restaurant reservation platform -- from parent company American Express -- took a peek behind the curtain to analyze consumer data and pinpoint some of the top shifts in dining trends, plus made some early predictions for what's heating up in 2026.
The rise of the table captain
Resy defines this as "the person who takes the reins on ordering for the group" and knows the nuances of both the restaurant and their group, from must-try dishes to dietary restrictions.
Resy found that 72% of its diners like to try new restaurants with a "table captain" in tow, and 60% said it improves the experience.
All plates are share plates
"The simple answer for the rise of share plates is that younger diners -- typically more open to variety and discovery -- are shaping how we eat," New York City restaurateur Steve Wong said in a statement.
The co-owner and director of operations at Place des Fêtes, Cafe Mado, Golden Ratio, and Laurel Bakery added that "it comes down to the role restaurants play as a third space."
"Sharing food is one of the best ways to enjoy good company, especially at the kind of thoughtful restaurants this city does so well," he continued.
Some of the top ordered shareable items of the year included crispy maitake mushrooms at Place des Fêtes and pancakes at Golden Diner, both in New York City; Mom's Lao Sausage at Good Good Culture Club in San Francisco; the Lamb Wrap Situation from Tâm Tâm in Miami; and tahdig at Kismet in Los Angeles.
Communal tables helped create new connections
Restaurants will always be a haven for in-person experiences and putting away our devices.
Gen Z led the charge in communal dining this year, with 90% informing Resy that they enjoy dining at communal tables, compared to 60% of Baby Boomers. Many see this format as a way to meet new people and experience interesting conversations with people they wouldn't have otherwise.
Earlier dining shows no signs of shifting
"More people dined between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. than in the three hours between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.," according to Resy.
There has also been an uptick in diners booking seats at 4 p.m. vs. 9 p.m.
Nearly half of Resy diners were "willing to dine earlier because they want to avoid the primetime dinner rush," while another 41% report wanting time to relax after dinner.
Crackdown on reservation resales
A black market for reservation resales emerged after the pandemic, when more diners were eager to get out. This year, states started to push back on these practices.
New York and Florida both enacted bans on unauthorized reservation resales, which can disrupt operations, leading to no-shows and lost revenue for operators.
Resy reported a "90% reduction in no-shows caused by bots and brokers in New York State since last year" after Gov. Kathy Hochul's Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act went into effect in February.
"In 2023, there were nights when we were seeing 20-25% of our reservations no-show," Amy Zhou, VP of operations and partner at Gracious Hospitality Management, told Resy.
Zhou collaborated to help craft the Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act and said that thanks to the new law, "with no marketplaces to thrive on, scalping has decreased significantly," and she can "go back to focusing our efforts on taking care of our diners."
From newly popular international cuisines to unique dining experiences, here's what could be on the menu for dining out in 2026.
Tableside service
Tableside presentations are exploding back onto the scene, and not just in the formerly popular flaming dessert way.
In New York, ADDA has a "butter chicken experience," and Shinji's offers tableside handrolls. The Dining Room at Cody Pruitt's French hotspot Chateau Royale, meanwhile, presents a martini cart alongside its diners for a creative twist on a delicious night out.
Mortadella
The beloved gourmet Bologna is making its way onto a variety of new menus across the country.
For those not already in the know, mortadella is a cold cut sausage made from ground cured pork and pork fat, traditionally flavored with peppercorns or pistachios.
Cambodian, Lao and Hmong cuisines
These regional fares are stepping into the spotlight, with Diane's Place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, earning the title of Food & Wine's Best New Restaurant 2025 for its dedication to its heritage menu.
Tiny 'tinis
The smaller scale sipper allows for a perfectly chilled two to three sip experience and has already been spotted popping up on menus at Pastis in New York City; Vern's in Charleston, South Carolina; The Fox Bar in Nashville, Tennessee; and others.
Other notable trends on the rise include fish dip appetizers, wine bars with a great food offering, listening bars for audiophiles, great gourmet pizza, regional specificity and izakayas.
