Food is one of life's basic necessities, so it is no surprise that when people think about starting a business of their own, it tends to be near the top of the list. Over the course of 2026, though, some interesting analysis emerged on where food and drink is heading — the sort of thing that can keep any business moving forward on a sound footing in the years that follow. Let's run through it.
Food and drink trends for 2026
1. Plant-based is still going strong
Since the pandemic, people have paid far more attention to their health, and plant-based food — plants in place of meat — has grown by leaps and bounds. In Thailand alone the market was worth around 845 million USD in 2019, and it is expected to reach 1.5 billion USD by 2024, average growth of about 10% a year. You can see it plainly here already, with restaurants and the big fast food chains putting more plant-based dishes on the menu.
2. Collaborations between two different kinds of business
One of the strongest F&B trends of 2026 was collaborating with another business, whether that was another food and drink brand — MK X Fire Tiger, or Starbucks X After You — or something from an entirely different field, such as KFC X RoV or Sansiri X Bar B Q Plaza. As well as creating an alliance, it moves customers between the two businesses, with each brand picking up customers from the other.
3. Adapting to whatever comes
Plenty of businesses invested in a new logo and an entirely new impression for customers, rebranding themselves to look different from before, or changed how they operate to fit the circumstances. The main reason was the pandemic, which left some brands unable to work the way they always had. Dining in became a delivery operation, with new packaging and a new logo throughout — a fresh impression for customers.
4. Putting technology to work
Among the food and drink trends in 2026, technology remains something you have to use if you want to develop and build on what you have. A simple example: if you run a restaurant or a café with premises, installing a restaurant POS makes life easier for the staff serving customers, for the owner and for the customers themselves, with functions covering everything from checking stock and checking sales to taking payment several ways, issuing receipts, running a membership scheme and collecting loyalty points. All of that is "data-driven" — running the business on the strength of its own information — and it raises the standard of what happens at the counter.
5. QR ordering
Between the pandemic and the changes in how consumers behave, ordering at the table with technology such as QR ordering has come to matter a great deal in the food business, because it cuts down on contact with staff and even with the menu itself. Although the pandemic has eased considerably, consumers and restaurants alike have gone on choosing QR ordering, because it is more convenient and it saves operators money — there is no reprinting menus every time something changes. It gives customers privacy too, and takes the pressure off while they are deciding what to have.
With all this in mind, take what the food and drink trends of 2026 tell you into the coming year, and use them to develop, improve and build the strength to stay ahead of your competitors. Success tends to find the people who are willing to try things, and who know how to turn what is around them to the best advantage of the business.
Meet the food and drink trends with POS technology from Qashier
If you are looking for POS hardware and software remember Qashier, which keeps your work running smoothly and takes the worry out of the till in a shop or a restaurant. It covers everything from managing ingredients and stock to QR ordering, contactless payment and product listings, right through to recording sales so you can see what is selling best, along with a capable staff management system. For more information, contact our Line Official: @qashier.th or call 02-544-0267