CHICAGO -- More than half of eating-out occasions are unplanned or decided on impulse, according to data gathered by Technomic's New Consumer4Sight Group from 81,870 consumer foodservice occasions over one full year to reveal a look ahead at the 2015 landscape. At 53% of all dining occasions, the frequency of "eating on the fly" accounts for more than twice as many routine occasions (25%); special occasions account for just 22% of dining occasions.
"These numbers quantify a trend Technomic has been following for decades," said Sara Monnette, senior director of consumer insights and innovation at Technomic Inc. "Twenty years ago, most dining--even taking the kids to a burger chain--was still a special occasion. Now it's a function of our daily lives, it's increasingly casual and it's far less regimented than the past days of home meal planning and preparation."
A closer look at dining out occasions shows that the most frequent are family affairs, with 20% described as a "meal or snack with the family" and most often occurring at a midscale or traditional casual-dining restaurant. A look at the median spending per occasion finds that most come in below $20, with a $6 convenience-store or quick-service restaurant (QSR) stop being the lowest spend, and a special occasion at an upscale or contemporary casual-dining restaurant being the biggest splurge at an average of $25.
Regardless of the occasion, open and agile menus are in order. More than half of consumers want customization and transparency on the menu, and 70% want to feel good about their food choices, whether grabbing a snack from a food truck or fresh prepared foods from a convenience store, which 37% of respondents reported doing about once a month.
Chicago-based Technomic delivers a 360-degree view of the food industry by providing consumer-grounded, channel-relevant data and strategic insights. Its services range from major research studies and management consulting solutions to online databases and simple fact-finding assignments. Clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants and retailers, other foodservice organizations and various institutions aligned with the food industry.
In related news, the executive summary of the first in-depth look at what consumers really want out of convenience stores, CSP's 2015 Consumer Report, "Future-Focused: Next-Level Convenience Retailing," produced by Technomic, is now available to readers.
In related news, after being featured in the January issue of CSP magazine and in a seven-part series on CSP Daily News, the complete 22-page executive summary of CSP's 2015 Consumer Report: "Future-Focused: Next-Level Convenience Retailing," produced by Technomic, is now available to readers. It includes in-depth looks at foodservice, tobacco preferences, store formats, loyalty, fuel brands, the consumer's purchasing decision and more. Click here to access the free executive summary.
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