Leading off with the Cooper’s Hawk announcement of their IPO in 2022 will set the stage for a few restaurant operations to take a lead in bringing themselves to the public stage. According to Ernst & Young, 2021 featured the highest annual deal volume on the markets ever, with 2,388 companies going public.

The big questions for Coopers will be the connection to the Millenial and GenZ as a real market starts to emerge and could affect their powerhouse wine club of 500k strong. Casual dining still continues to be the one sector that has been affected most which could cause concern for Cooper's Hawk's valuation as an on-premise-focused casual dining brand.

My 2022 Trends to Watch:
I dive deep into mostly a technology-facing aspect of where the industry needs to go. I think we have finally faced our demons as an industry and understand that this is no longer an option for our success, but instead, the industry could be embracing a new technology avalanche coming its way. Tune in to the podcast for the full list of my trends to watch.