First, the recovery of the catering industry is undeniable. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the nation's catering revenue in 2022 was 4,394.1 billion yuan, a 6.3% year-on-year decline, but the catering industry's revenue in 2023 is expected to increase to the level of 4.8 trillion yuan, reaching a new all-time high. This suggests that despite the impact of the epidemic on the restaurant industry, demand for the industry will gradually recover as the epidemic is contained and the economy recovers.

Secondly, the prepared food industry may usher in a "big era" of development. Prefabricated dishes are those that are processed in factories and can be quickly delivered to consumers. Under the triple effect of market, policy and standards, the prepared food industry is ushering in a "big era" of development. This may change the operation mode of the catering industry, improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Once again, the restaurant industry may accelerate the rate of market sinking. As the trend of community service strengthens, hotel catering may accelerate the rate of market sinking. This will help the restaurant industry to better meet the needs of the general consumers and improve market coverage.

Finally, the restaurant industry is likely to be further retailized, small-sized and branded. With the recovery and development of China's catering industry, the trend of online and offline integration has increased, and the supply chain capability has become the core ability of catering enterprises. This will help catering enterprises better respond to changes in the market and improve competitiveness.

Overall, the future development trend of China's catering is likely to be characterized by fluctuating recovery, high costs may accelerate the industry's automation process, and talent transformation and upgrading is imminent. Meanwhile, the prefabricated dish industry, the strengthening of community service trend, the acceleration of market sinking speed and the improvement of supply chain capability may be important future development trends for China's catering.