Customer behavioural trends
Invaluable insight to help you make the best decisions for your business..
Meat reducing
With research suggesting that 35% of consumers are actively reducing their meat intake, it is fair to assume that the move towards plant-rich eating has moved on from being a food trend and has now firmly embedded itself in consumer behaviour.
A recent report by Bloomberg Intelligence suggests that the plant-based market will make up 7.7% of the global protein market by 2030. This huge and relatively swift swing in behaviour has been felt in foodservice for some time now, as is often the case. Foodservice operators who aren’t responding to the demand are at risk of missing the opportunity of widening the appeal of their menu and missing out on the potential margin that can be made in plant-based ingredients and the increased shelf life that these ingredients inherently come with.
It’s helpful to think of your customers’ interest in plant-rich food as a desire for variety and experimentation rather than their adoption of a vegan diet. In fact, there is good evidence to suggest the labelling of dishes as vegan can be counterproductive as the majority of buyers of plant-rich dishes are flexitarian, and the term vegan does not appeal to or resonate with them. This sentiment is seen in recent high-profile plant-based product launches into the fast food retail sector.
Premiumisation
Celebrating with friends and family has always been one of the key motivators for out of home meal occasions. Despite the pressures on finances consumers are looking to premiumise their experience. Through specialist or unique ingredients, provenance or creative cooking and serving methods, the menu can provide many value indicators.
From indulgent side dishes to compliment the main course or the addition of small amounts of luxury ingredients, the halo effect throughout the menu will help customers feel justified with more premium choices and, allow servers to up sell some great dishes to drive revenue.
In our social media-dominated lives, creating a unique and imaginative backdrop to their meal will help broadcast your venue as a destination for those looking for, and willing to pay, for a more premium experience. Spending time and thought on your venue’s decor, lighting and general look and feel all validates customers decision to spend a little more for your product.
British and regional provenance
The importance of named, local and regional ingredients on menus are closely linked to premiumisation and the desire for more responsible dining when eating out of the home. Diners are becoming more interested in where their food is coming from and seeing that transparency on a blackboard, or on the menu, gives them confidence that they are positively contributing to wider community.
Consumers also see provenance as a quality marker, with regional specialities and expertise being recognised whether its fresh fish from Cornish shores, shellfish from Scottish waters, salt from Essex, or British beef. British and regional means accredited supply lines, verifiable quality, less food miles and support for the British farming and industry.
Environmentally conscious dining
As consumers become more aware of the impact food production has on the environment, they’re looking for businesses that help them navigate this complex issue. Certainly, adopting more plant-based food is the most straightforward way for customers to express their desire to reduce their carbon footprints.
But there are other factors, usually behind-the-scenes and unseen, that customers are increasingly interested in. An example of this is how a kitchen sources and controls its energy use and manages its food waste. Front-of-house, customers expect to see lower food miles in the ingredients they eat and are aware that eating out of season foods often requires long-haul cross-continent transportation and the high carbon emissions that entails. They also want to see animal and ecological accreditation schemes alongside animal proteins to reassure customers that the animals, welfare, environment and species are monitored and looked after.
This shift in consumers’ attitudes only looks set to continue over the next few years, with leading brands and chains looking for credible low-carbon accreditation schemes to help customers make environmentally sound choices on the menu, and reflects a broader desire for businesses to demonstrate they share the same values as their customers when it comes to the environment.
Whole and ancient ingredients
The interest in whole foods and ingredients simply prepared, is driven by consumers wanting less processed food in their ongoing desire for a healthier lifestyle. These consumers also have a desire to find alternatives to the intensively produced ingredients such as maize, rice, wheat & potatoes, looking for more sustainable, less water-dependant alternatives. In short, this is about consumers wanting to do good for themselves and for the planet.
Leading this trend is the rediscovery of ancient grains such as chia, amaranth, teff, einkorn and freeka. These grains have opened up a world of culinary discovery for customers. Previously unheard-of dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa are increasingly seen on menus and introducing, in turn, other new ingredients such as spices, legumes and pulses.
Closer to home, more familiar (if underutilised) grains such as millet, spelt and buckwheat are also being sought after by consumers in more accessible dishes such as casseroles, salads and soups. Catering for this trend is about simplicity. The less process you can bring to your ingredients dishes, the better, but it’s also about discovery. Introducing previously unfamiliar flavours and spices into these dishes makes the menu choice less about health and more about culinary experimentation.