Food Consumer Migration is Strong in 2025

 

In 2025, the food and beverage industry is experiencing a seismic shift as consumers continue to blur the lines between traditional meal times.  Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes consumer are now favoring mini-meals and snacks over structured breakfast, lunch, and dinner routines. This migration in consumer behavior is reshaping the way foodservice operators and retailers approach their offerings, particularly in the drive-thru and service deli sectors, where convenience and cost-efficiency reign supreme.

According to Mattson’s 2025 Macro Movements trends report, the traditional concept of three meals a day is rapidly fading. Consumers are seeking flexibility in their eating habits, a trend fueled by increased remote work and on-the-go lifestyles. With morning and midday meal occasions in decline since 2019, quick-service restaurant (QSR) operators have had to rethink their strategies to capture demand in newly emerging dayparts.

The 9 AM to 2 PM window, once a prime revenue period for restaurants, has seen significant traffic declines. In contrast, morning and late-night snacking occasions are surging, with affordability playing a crucial role. The average check for these mini-meals runs $3 to $5 lower than a traditional lunch or dinner, making them an attractive option for cost-conscious consumers. Industry leaders are responding with innovative offerings—Subway’s footlong cookies and the expansion of late-night cookie chains like Crumbl and Insomnia Cookies underscore this trend.

Beverages are also taking center stage in the snacking movement, with indulgent drink creations like “dirty sodas” (sodas infused with sweet cream, candy pieces, or coconut milk) gaining traction. Consumers are increasingly replacing meals with snackable beverage options, further blurring the traditional meal structure.

The concept of snacks as meal replacements, popularized by trends like "girl dinner," is rapidly gaining momentum. In 2024, 37% of meals included a snack component, a significant jump from 29% in 2010. While Gen Z has been at the forefront of this shift, all generational cohorts are engaging in snackification, particularly at breakfast.

A key driver enabling this transition? Protein. Consumers seeking to maintain satiety while forgoing traditional meal structures are turning to protein-fortified beverages, high-protein snacks, and other functional food options. This trend is allowing them to skip conventional meal formats without sacrificing energy or nutrition.

As the food industry adapts to this consumer migration, operators who innovate within these shifting dayparts—offering snack-focused, high-protein, and cost-effective options—will emerge as market leaders in 2025 and beyond. The drive-thru and service deli sectors, in particular, are primed to capitalize on this evolving landscape, providing quick, affordable, and satisfying solutions for today’s ever-adapting food consumers.

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