Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Data sources
- Mintel Menu Insights
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- The general economy influences menu and flavor development
- Government plays a greater role in foodservice
- New media provide new opportunities
- Look out below, flavor trends fall from above
- Ingredient familiarity and ingredient interest diverge
- I trust you won’t lead me astray
- Finally, a definition of comfort food
Insights and Opportunities
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- Local goes beyond ingredients
- Communicate flavor
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- Figure 1: Means of learning about new flavors and ingredients, April 2011
- Step away from the price promotion
- Build on what you do well
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- Figure 2: Independents outperform chains, March 2011
- Address areas for improvement
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- Figure 3: Chains outperform independents, March 2011
- Look upstream
Inspire Insights
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- Trend—The Real Thing
- Trend—Mood to Order
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- Figure 4: Comfort food defined, April 2011
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Economic factors
- Unemployment and underemployment recovery rate is slow and tenuous
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- Figure 5: Unemployment and underemployment rates, January 2007-July 2011
- Operator confidence waning
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- Figure 6: Restaurant Performance Index, January 2009-June 2011
- Disposable income flat but consumer confidence sinking
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- Figure 7: U.S. real disposable personal income growth, January 2007-June 2011
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- Figure 8: University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, March 2007-July 2011
- Commodity costs hamper innovation
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- Figure 9: Retail commodity prices, July 2010-June 2011
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- Figure 10: Consumer Price Index for food at home and food away from home, 2009-11
- A changing demographic
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- Figure 11: Population by race and Hispanic origin, 2006-16
- Salt—The next frontier
Marketing Strategies
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- Overview
- Cheap but not easy: Social networking sites
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- Figure 12: Social media usage, by age, September 2010
- Wendy’s
- Chili’s
- Do you have my email?
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- Figure 13: Arby’s Jamocha email, 2011
- Figure 14: Applebee’s stacked, stuffed & topped email, 2011
- Television still rules
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- Figure 15: Subway TV ad, 2011
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- Figure 16: Popeyes TV ad, 2011
- Figure 17: Taco Bell Cantina Taco ad, 2011
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- Figure 18: Taco Bell real beef ad, 2011
- Figure 19: Domino’s TV ad, 2010
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- Figure 20: Olive Garden TV ad, 2011
Menu Insights Analysis: Cuisine Types
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- Overview
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- Figure 21: Top 10 cuisine types on restaurant menus, Q2 2008-Q2 2011
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- Figure 22: Top 10 cuisine types on fine dining restaurant menus, Q2 2008-Q2 2011
- American menus take on regional flavors
- Italian fare favors regions and traditions
- Mexican makes some waves
- Pan Asian picks up
- Opportunities for menu development
Menu Insights Analysis: Top Food Flavors
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- Overview
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- Figure 23: Top 10 flavors on restaurant menus, Q2 2008-Q2 2011
- Figure 24: Top 10 flavors on fine dining restaurant menus, Q2 2008-Q2 2011
- Garlic has global appeal
- Spicy heats up
- Herbs bring fresh flavors
- Smoked sends flavorful signals
- Sweet flavors stay the course
- Opportunities for menu development
Menu Insights Analysis: Beverage Flavors
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- Nonalcoholic drinks
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- Figure 25: Top 10 nonalcoholic beverage flavors on restaurant menus, by incidence, Q2 2008-Q2 2011
- Alcoholic drinks
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- Figure 26: Top 10 alcoholic beverage flavors on restaurant menus, by incidence, Q2 2008-Q2 2011
- Opportunities for menu development
Restaurant Flavor Ratings
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- Key points
- Fine dining leads in flavorfulness
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- Figure 27: Restaurant segment flavor ratings, by gender, April 2011
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- Figure 28: Restaurant segment flavor ratings, by household income, April 2011
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- Figure 29: Restaurant segment flavor ratings, by race/ethnicity, April 2011
Cuisine Interest
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- Key points
- Traditional ethnic still holds appeal
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- Figure 30: Cuisine type interest, by age, April 2011
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- Figure 31: Cuisine type interest, by household income, April 2011
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- Figure 32: Cuisine type interest, by race/ethnicity, April 2011
Interest in and Acceptance of New Flavors
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- Key points
- We know the ingredients we use
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- Figure 33: Ingredient/flavor familiarity, by gender, April 2011
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- Figure 34: Ingredient/flavor familiarity, by age, April 2011
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- Figure 35: Ingredient/flavor familiarity, by household income, April 2011
- Figure 36: Ingredient/flavor familiarity, by race/ethnicity, April 2011
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- Figure 37: Ingredient/flavor familiarity and interest, April 2011
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- Figure 38: New ingredient/flavor interest, by age, April 2011
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- Figure 39: New ingredient/flavor interest, by household income, April 2011
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- Figure 40: New ingredient/flavor interest, by race/ethnicity, April 2011
Learning About New Flavors and Ingredients
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- Key points
- Friends, family, and the name on the cover
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- Figure 41: Means of learning about new flavors and ingredients, by gender, April 2011
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- Figure 42: Means of learning about new flavors and ingredients, by age, April 2011
- Figure 43: Means of learning about new flavors and ingredients, by household income, April 2011
Comfort Food Defined
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- Key points
- Comfort food is meant to be enjoyed
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- Figure 44: Comfort food defined, by gender, April 2011
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- Figure 45: Comfort food defined, by age, April 2011
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- Figure 46: Comfort food defined, by race/ethnicity, April 2011
Attitudes Toward Restaurants and Flavorings
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- Key points
- For new flavors, get them while they’re young
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- Figure 47: Attitudes toward restaurants and flavorings, by gender, April 2011
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- Figure 48: Attitudes toward restaurants and flavorings, by age, April 2011
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- Figure 49: Attitudes toward restaurants and flavorings, by race/ethnicity, April 2011
Cluster Analysis
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- Cookbook Flavor Seekers
- Characteristics
- Demographics
- Opportunity
- Chocolate, Chicken Comforted
- Characteristics
- Demographics
- Opportunity
- Flavor Flaunters
- Characteristics
- Demographics
- Opportunity
- Cluster characteristic tables
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- Figure 50: Menu innovation clusters, April 2011
- Figure 51: Cuisine type interest, by clusters, April 2011
- Figure 52: Means of learning about new flavors and ingredients, by clusters, April 2011
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- Figure 53: Attitudes toward restaurants and flavorings, by clusters, April 2011
- Figure 54: Comfort food defined, by clusters, April 2011
- Cluster demographic tables
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- Figure 55: Menu innovation clusters, by gender, April 2011
- Figure 56: Menu innovation clusters, by age, April 2011
- Figure 57: Menu innovation clusters, by household income, April 2011
- Figure 58: Menu innovation clusters, by race, April 2011
- Figure 59: Menu innovation clusters, by Hispanic origin, April 2011
- Cluster methodology
Custom Groups: Light, Medium, Heavy
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- Figure 62: New ingredient/flavor interest, by usage, April 2011
- Figure 63: Attitudes toward restaurants and flavorings, by usage, April 2011
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Appendix: Trade Associations
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