Top Restaurants > Trends 2025

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Trends to watch in 2025

To see where dining is headed, OpenTable looked at people’s dining habits in 2024 and surveyed diners to see what they were looking forward to in 2025. From special dining experiences to going out more frequently, here’s what to look out for next year.

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Trends to watch in 2025

To see where dining is headed, OpenTable looked at people’s dining habits in 2024 and surveyed diners to see what they were looking forward to in 2025. From special dining experiences to going out more frequently, here’s what to look out for next year. 

 

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1. Experiential dining continues to rise

Diners are craving unique, curated experiences, such as tasting menus, cooking classes, and more.

 

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1. Experiential dining continues to rise

experiences

Diners are craving unique, curated experiences, such as tasting menus, cooking classes, and more.

Book an experience

+64%

OpenTable Experiences saw a 64% increase year-over-year.*

39% 

of Canadians said they would be more interested in experiential dining in 2025 than they were in 2024.**

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2. Wednesdays are the new Friday

Why wait for the weekend? Mid-week dining is on the rise, with Wednesday emerging as the biggest trending dining day, perhaps due to hybrid or remote working schedules.

 

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2. Wednesdays are the new Friday

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Why wait for the weekend? Mid-week dining is on the rise, with Wednesday emerging as the biggest trending dining day, perhaps due to hybrid or remote working schedules.

Book your midweek meal

+16%

Wednesday saw the largest increase (+16%) in seated diners compared to any other day of the week, year-over-year, according to OpenTable data.*

49% 

of Canadians said they planned to dine out on Wednesday if they were to dine out during the week.**

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3. We’re all embracing early dinners

The early bird is getting the reservation. Canadians are dining out earlier in the evening, perhaps as another effect of hybrid/flexible work schedules.

 

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3. We’re all embracing early dinners

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The early bird is getting the reservation. Canadians are dining out earlier in the evening, perhaps as another effect of hybrid/flexible work schedules.

Explore reservations

+13%

Early Bird dining (4pm – 6pm) saw a 13% increase year-over-year, according to OpenTable data.*

36%  

of Canadians say they plan to dine out earlier for dinner in 2025.**

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4. Everyone’s invited

Let the whole group chat know: after solo dining, group dining saw the largest increase year-over-year.

 

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4. Everyone’s invited

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Let the whole group chat know: after solo dining, group dining saw the largest increase YoY.

Explore group dining spots

+18%

Group dining saw an 18% increase year-over-year, the largest increase out of any other party size, according to OpenTable data.*

45% 

of Canadians said they anticipate dining out with groups more frequently in 2025 than they did in 2024.**

”At Bridgette Bar, group dining has become more popular and usually indicates a celebration,”

“Our menu is designed for sharing, which makes the decision process easier and allows diners to focus on creating unforgettable memories.” says Amanda Jansen, Director of Operations at Concorde Entertainment Group.”

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*OpenTable Data: OpenTable looked at the number of seated diners from online reservations for all restaurants active on the OpenTable platform in Canada from January 1 – September 30, 2024 and compared it to the same date range in 2023.

**Consumer Research Methodology: An online survey was conducted by PureSpectrum among 1002 Canadian consumers. Within this sample, major cities have been weighed for direct comparison. The research fieldwork took place between 25 October – 4 November, 2024.