Blended Dining 2025: How “Eating-In While Eating-Out” Became America’s New Comfort Zone

 

For over a decade, regular readers of this blog have followed our research showing that consumers love to Eat-Out while Eating-In. Back in 2010, Steven Johnson the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based  Foodservice Solutions®, identified, quantified and named this emerging behavior — Eating-In while Eating-Out — and declared it the “new normal” in retail foodservice.

Now, fifteen years later, it’s clear: the data, the dollars, and the dining habits all agree — consumers want the restaurant experience without leaving home.

 

A Decade Later — The Data Finally Caught Up

In 2017, The NPD Group confirmed what we first discovered — a growing number of consumers were blending restaurant-quality prepared foods into at-home meals. At that time, 18% of in-home dinners included at least one ready-to-eat restaurant or retail item.

Fast forward to 2025, and the shift has accelerated beyond expectations:

·       Nearly 32% of U.S. consumers now report that at least half their weekly meals include restaurant-prepared or retail fresh-prepared components (Technomic, 2025).

·       53% of Gen Z say they “prefer restaurant-quality flavor at home,” even when cooking themselves (Datassential, 2025).

·       Convenience inflation has emerged: 41% of consumers are now willing to pay more for ready-to-heat or mix-and-match meal components that save time.

Consumers are no longer choosing between dining out or cooking in — they’re blending both into one lifestyle.

 

Grocerant Guru® Insight #1: “Convenience is the New Cuisine”

Consumers are no longer impressed by how food is made — they care about how easy it is to enjoy.
Our research shows the convenience quotient — freshness, frictionless access, and fast cleanup — now outweighs even flavor in determining food satisfaction.
Restaurants and retailers that integrate convenience into value are thriving. Think Costco’s hot food court, Panera at Home, or Kroger’s freshly assembled “meal builder” kits.

 

Food Marketing 2025: The New Five P’s in Action

When we developed The FIVE P’s of Food Marketing — Product, Packaging, Placement, Portability, and Price — we forecasted the shifting undercurrents shaping foodservice.
Today, all five are being redefined:

Old Mindset	2025 Reality
Product: Full meals	Product: Modular meal components
Packaging: Shelf display	Packaging: Delivery-friendly, reheat-ready
Placement: Restaurant or grocery	Placement: Anywhere — apps, ghost kitchens, lockers
Portability: Takeout	Portability: Designed for hybrid dining
Price: Static	Price: Dynamic, convenience-adjusted

 

Grocerant Guru® Insight #2: “Delivery Is the New Dining Room”

Since 2020, over 68% of all restaurant orders have been off-premise — via delivery, drive-thru, or takeout. But in 2025, consumers have evolved again: they’re not just ordering out — they’re recreating restaurant experiences in.
From TikTok recipe hacks using Chick-fil-A nuggets to Trader Joe’s mashup meals, the modern consumer is the curator, not just the customer.

 

Economic Tailwinds and Cultural Trends Driving the Shift

·       Affordability pressures: The average restaurant entrée price has risen 23% since 2021, while grocery prices climbed 13% — pushing diners toward hybrid solutions.

·       Lifestyle fatigue: 64% of Americans now say they’re “tired of cooking from scratch most nights,” according to FMI (2025).

·       Technology convergence: AI-driven meal planners and grocery delivery platforms like Instacart+, DoorDash, and Uber Eats are merging convenience with personalization.

Together, these forces have created a $94 billion blended-meal market — where foodservice, retail, and delivery collide.

 

Grocerant Guru® Insight #3: “Fresh, Fast, Flexible Wins Every Time”

Consumers crave control. They want the restaurant-quality food they love, the value and flexibility of grocery, and the speed and simplicity of convenience retail.
That’s why the future of foodservice is not a place — it’s a platform.
Whether it’s Amazon Fresh stores offering ready-to-heat restaurant entrées or Subway’s grocery freezer line, the Grocerant niche continues to redefine what it means to dine.

 

Think About This: Looking A Customer Ahead

For over 30 years, Foodservice Solutions® has been helping global foodservice, CPG, and retail brands stay a customer ahead.
Thank you to our 275,000+ LinkedIn followers and partners for continuing to challenge, inspire, and evolve with us.

If your company wants to grow within the grocerant niche — from program assessments and scorecards to menu innovation and product positioning — contact us today.

📞 253-759-7869
📧 Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us
🌐 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us

Since 1991, Foodservice Solutions® has been the global leader in Grocerant insight, innovation, and brand repositioning.