Millennials want food
that is fun, flavorful, fast, filled with discovery we are talking everything
from grandma’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes to a corner stores curried
vegetables on flatbread. Most important according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant
Guru® millennials want food that is inclusive of all the experiences they have
had, read about, or want.
Millennials are
searching for food with authenticity.
Grandma’s mothers recipe, baked beans prepared in a family heirloom
croc, fresh flavor prepared from a food truck, a meal from a ten seat
‘tuck-away’ restaurant, Ikea enough said. Y-Pulse survey found five clear trends that
operators in search of Millennial customers should be mindful of and here they are:
1.
Influential Foodie Culture
With 71 percent of respondents saying
they love to attend food-focused events and 81 percent stating that they enjoy
exploring new cultures through food, it’s clear that for millennials, dining
outside the home transcends even traditional “eatertainment” platforms to
become something that combines socializing, entertainment and education in one
experience.
Y-Pulse cites developments like the
rise of food halls, fancy food emporiums and food festivals that offer fully
immersive experiences as reflecting this trend, but it can also be seen in the
increasing diversity of food concepts demanded in college dining venues by
students.
Just as one example, students at
Washington & Lee University in off-the-beaten-path Northwestern
Virginia, recently voted for a quirky
Turkish/Persian/Greek food concept over more traditional Mexican and Asian
options as their choice to occupy a major dining venue on their campus.
2.
Memorable Tasting Experiences
Nearly half (48 percent) of the young
consumers surveyed said they seek out restaurants run by critically acclaimed
chefs and over two-thirds (69 percent) said they love restaurants with chef's
tasting menus. Meanwhile, 61 percent wished they could dine on more foods that
remind them of their grandmothers' cooking, and 69 percent wished for foods
that remind them of their childhoods.
What to make of these seeming
contradictory responses, in which novelty and nostalgia teeter in precarious
stalemate? “Whether they target the nostalgia or provide sophisticated tasting
adventures, foodservice operators need to aim for ‘unforgettable’ experiences,”
is how Y-Pulse explains it. But one possible compromise area is menuing more
“comfort foods with a twist” where traditional favorites are served in
innovative versions.
3.
Speed Versus Savoring
Of course, not all outside-the-home
dining occasions need to be once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Sometimes a meal is
just a refueling occasion, and for such instances, millennials are out to be
the ultimate no-muss/no-fuss crowd. For example, 48 percent of the Y-Pulse
survey respondents said they prefer eating meals on the go and 44 percent said
that convenience is more important than cuisine(!). Y-Pulse interprets this as
a demand for more grab and go, but it can just as easily be a demand for electronic
preordering and quick, efficient delivery options. It might also be interpreted
as a growing market for more service points with fast, convenient access such
as kiosk carts and strategically placed food trucks.
4.
Food Trust
It is a commonly held belief that
millennial consumers have much more concern about where their food comes from
than previous generations. The Y-Pulse survey supports this, with 68 percent of
the survey respondents saying they prefer local sourcing of ingredients and 66
percent indicating they are willing to pay a little more for food that comes
from local producers.
This is certainly borne out by the
experiences of college dining operators, who see growing calls for more local
sourcing, a trend deeply burrowing into all onsite segments, even K-12 schools.
Operators can maximize the impact of these procurement strategies by
highlighting the growers/producers whose products are featured on the menu
through signage, menu board mentions, etc.
5.
High Expectations
If equal yearnings for both grandma’s
and Mario Batali’s cooking or for memorable food experiences and convenience
over cuisine weren’t contradictory enough, the survey also showed 67 percent of
its millennial respondents saying they love ordering healthy options offered at
restaurants and 63 percent saying they love restaurants that offer
"over-the-top" menu items.
Y-Pulse explains it as “[t]oday's
consumers want it all” but perhaps it’s a bit more subtle than that and a
dilemma for foodservice providers who must cater to both indulgence and
temperance. Hence the presence of both salads and double cheeseburgers on QSR
menus and of mac and cheese bars sitting side by side with sushi bars in
college dining halls.
"We found that young consumers,
between ages 18 and 34, are greatly influenced by the foodie culture that
surrounds them," summarizes Sharon Olson, executive director of Y-Pulse.
"These trends highlight the direction of the foodservice industry in
future years."
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