Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Data sources
- Mintel Menu Insights
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Managed service providers dominate university foodservice, yet self-managed providers hold their own
- Enrollment on the rise
- The bar is set high, and getting higher
- Schools taking extra strides to appeal to students
- Marketing strategies march to a different drummer
- Weekdays and weekends blend together, with meals most often eaten at home
- Student age and gender impact where meals are eaten
- The need for venue variety is evident
- Lighter fare is the most popular, with bottled water and coffee to drink
- Competitive pricing will drive students but only if selection, location, and cuisines are in place
- Despite the efforts, students still leery of campus dining
- Off-campus dining spurred on by greater number of cuisine types
Insights and Opportunities
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- Students as “brand” ambassadors
- Using QR tagging for on-site interaction
- Convenience through better (and BFY) vending, expanded service hours, and technology
- Meals and occasions beyond the all-you-care-to-eat model
- Highlighting competitive pricing to attract more customers
- Targeting nontraditional students
- Helping students combat the “Freshman 15”
- In lean times, creative metrics measurement
Inspire Insights
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- Trend: Access All Areas
- Trend: Transumers
Market Size
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- Key points
- Managed service providers hold the lion’s share of university foodservice
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- Figure 1: Food and drink sales at colleges and universities, by managed service and self-managed, 2011
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Improvements in university foodservice platforms creates snowball effect
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- Figure 2: Princeton Review “The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition,” Top Five Best Campus Food, by enrollment, type and dining service locations
- Population growth overall points to increase in student populations
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- Figure 3: Population by age, 2006-16
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- Figure 4: Total fall enrollment in U.S. degree-granting institutions, by type of institution, 2001-11
- Unemployment rates driving a return to higher education
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- Figure 5: Unemployment, January 2007-January 2012
- Women and minorities enrollment trends changing the demands on university foodservice
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- Figure 6: Total fall enrollment in U.S. degree-granting institutions, by gender of student, 2001-11
- Figure 7: Total fall enrollment in U.S. degree-granting institutions, by race/Hispanic origin of student, 2001-11
- Delays in marriage and childbirth leave more time for schooling
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- Figure 8: Percent of population 15+ who are married, 1960-2010
- Figure 9: U.S. birth rate, 2003-11
Innovations and Innovators
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- Key points
- Dietary restrictions
- A healthier student body
- Going green (or getting greener)
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- Figure 10: Green or sustainable product purchase frequency, by age, May-June 2010
- Food trucks
Brand Analysis
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- Overview
- University of Florida
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
- Cornell
- Michigan State University
- Managed service providers
- Aramark
- Positioning
- Research services
- Residential restaurants
- Food courts and snack bars
- Convenience retailing
- Sodexo Inc.
- Positioning
- Residential dining driven by Student Board of Directors
- National, proprietary and corporate brands
- Compass Group North America’s Chartwells
- Positioning
Marketing Strategies
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- Overview
- Successful marketing campaigns embrace the “experience” of campus food and dining
- Cookie-cutter marketing, self-service models ineffective
- Technology Fuels Student Life, Drives Marketing and Communications
- Social media efforts
Student Mealtime Use
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- Key points
- Weekday dining habits—Breakfast and snacks hold the greatest opportunity for growth
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- Figure 11: Weekday dining habits, November 2011
- Weekend dining habits—late-night snacking more evident
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- Figure 12: Weekend dining habits, November 2011
Where College Student Dining Occurs
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- Key points
- Home, sweet (and savory) home
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- Figure 13: Where college student weekday dining occurs, November 2011
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- Figure 14: Where college student dining occurs during weekday breakfast, by age, November 2011
- Figure 15: Where college student dining occurs during weekday mid-morning snacks, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 16: Where college student dining occurs during weekday mid-morning snacks, by age, November 2011
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- Figure 17: Where college student dining occurs during weekday lunch, by gender, November 2011
- Figure 18: Where college student dining occurs during weekday lunch, by age, November 2011
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- Figure 19: Where college student dining occurs during weekday afternoon snack, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 20: Where college student dining occurs during weekday afternoon snack, by age, November 2011
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- Figure 21: Where college student dining occurs during weekday dinner, by gender, November 2011
- Figure 22: Where college student dining occurs during weekday dinner, by age, November 2011
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- Figure 23: Where college student dining occurs during weekday evening/late-night snack, by gender, November 2011
- Figure 24: Where college student dining occurs during weekday evening/late-night snack, by age, November 2011
On-Campus Dining
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- Key points
- On-campus venue variety a key to success
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- Figure 25: Where college student weekday dining occurs, on-campus dining, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 26: Where college student weekday dining occurs, on-campus dining, by age, November 2011
Off-campus Dining
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- Key points
- QSRs pull students off-campus
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- Figure 27: Where college student weekday dining occurs, off-campus dining, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 28: Where college student weekday dining occurs, off-campus dining, by age, November 2011
Most Popular Food Options for On-campus Dining
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- Key points
- Lighter meals hold the greatest appeal
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- Figure 29: Most popular food options for on-campus dining, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 30: Most popular food options for on-campus dining, by age, November 2011
Most Popular Beverage Options On-campus
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- Key points
- Bottled water and coffee use calls for sustainability “intervention”
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- Figure 31: Most popular beverage options for on-campus dining, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 32: Most popular beverage options for on-campus dining, by age, November 2011
Top Restaurant Attributes
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- Key points
- Competitive pricing required to keep students on campus
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- Figure 33: Top restaurant attributes, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 34: Top restaurant attributes, by age, November 2011
Attitudes Toward Dining Out
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- Key points
- A majority of students are spending outside of their meal plans
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- Figure 35: Attitudes toward dining out, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 36: Attitudes toward dining out, by age, November 2011
Attitudes Toward Dining On Campus
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- Key points
- Perceptions and appeal of campus food keeping customers at bay
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- Figure 37: Attitudes toward dining on campus, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 38: Attitudes toward dining out, by age, November 2011
Top Cuisine Types
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- Key points
- Students dining off campus order greater variety
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- Figure 39: Top cuisine types, November 2011
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- Figure 40: Top cuisine types, on-campus, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 41: Top cuisine types, on-campus, by age, November 2011
- Figure 42: Top cuisine types, off-campus, by gender, November 2011
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- Figure 43: Top cuisine types, off-campus, by age, November 2011
Appendix: Trade Associations
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