Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Mintel Menu Insights
- Consumer qualitative research
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Market drivers
- The consumer
- Parents believe their family deserves to go out to eat
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- Figure 1: Top drivers for families dining out, ranked 1st, June 2014
- Families are spending more time at home, and less time at restaurants
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- Figure 2: Increases in dining behavior, June 2014
- Figure 3: Decreases in dining behavior, June 2014
- Parents expect kids’ meals to include healthful items
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- Figure 4: Attitudes regarding dining out with the family, June 2014
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Restaurants are being utilized for convenience, as well as for special occasions, which can mean limited visits for some families
- The issues
- The implications
- Price remains a barrier for more frequent restaurant visits from families
- The issues
- The implications
- Health remains an issue for families dining out, especially in regard to kids’ meals
- The issues
- The implications
Trend Application
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- Trend: The Nouveau Poor
- Trend: Immaterial World
- Trend: The Real Thing
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Childhood obesity has parents and the country concerned with overall health and eating habits
- Price and health are barriers for families dining out
- Women in the household are heading up the dining decision for the family
Innovations and Innovators
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- Brands are collaborating with other brands or mediums in order to attract families
- Restaurants are opening up their doors to kids, when some restaurants are shutting them out
- Helping families eat together
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- At-home eating will remain the biggest competitor to families dining out
- Healthier foods for home are getting a big marketing push
Marketing Strategies
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- Overview
- Bigger, better, and bundled deals
- Taziki’s Café
- Grocery stores
- KFC promotes its chicken bucket meals with #HowDoYouKFC campaign
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- Figure 5: KFC, “Two Free Sides” ad, 2014
- Pizza Hut’s Dinner Box meals
- Kids LiveWell program at restaurants focuses on healthier, natural foods
- Zoës Kitchen takes healthy Mediterranean fare to kids’ meals
- The second annual Kids LiveWell Recipe Challenge shows how restaurants can offer kid-friendly foods that are healthy and natural
- In the defense of kids’ meals
- Applebee’s tiered kids’ menu allows for hundreds of healthy combinations
- New York Councilman Ben Kallos seeks to remove free toys and incentives in kids’ meals
- Kids grow up too fast, according to McDonald’s new Happy Meal ad
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- Figure 6: McDonald’s, “All Grown Up” ad, 2014
- Restaurants are promoting kids eat free meals in order to entice price-weary parents
Kids’ Meal Analysis
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- Kids’ meals are departing from quick service and casual dining menus and moving to fine dining menus
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- Figure 7: Kids’ meal incidence on restaurant menus, by restaurant segment, Q2 2011-Q1 2014
- Chicken fingers remain the top menued item on kids’ meals, but operators need to think about the big picture in regard to children’s menus
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- Figure 8: Top 10 menu item dishes on kids’ meal restaurant menus, by incidence, Q2 2011-Q1 2014
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- Figure 9: Age at which kids outgrow/may outgrow individual kids’ meal items, June 2014
- Ingredients included in kids’ meals are not as robust as total menus
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- Figure 10: Top 20 ingredients in kids’ meals on restaurant menus, by incidence, Q2 2011-Q1 2014
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- Figure 11: Top 20 ingredients on restaurant menus, by incidence, Q2 2011-Q1 2014
Consumer Data – Overview
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- Immediate family members are more likely included in family meals, but when dining out, extended family members are often present
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- Figure 12: Family members present at in home and away from home meals, June 2014
- Families believe that they deserve to go out to eat
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- Figure 13: Top drivers for families dining out, June 2014
- Consumers are sourcing more of their meals to home occasions
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- Figure 14: Total changes in dining behavior, June 2014
- Families with children are concerned about the healthfulness of kids’ meals
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- Figure 15: Attitudes regarding dining out with the family, June 2014
- Half of all parents decide where the family eats; restaurants are still an expensive visit for families
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- Figure 16: General attitudes regarding families dining out, June 2014
Consumer Data – By Gender
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- Key points
- Men dine with their families more often compared to women
- Women dining with their family use restaurants when it is convenient, while men think about nutrition and the cravings of their kids
- The price of restaurant meals is still a deterrent for family visits, but men have increased orders of bundled and healthier meals
- Women are concerned about beverage offerings for children, while men are focused on nutrition
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- Figure 17: Usage of restaurants, by segment, by gender, June 2014
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- Figure 18: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 1st, by gender, June 2014
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- Figure 19: Top drivers for families dining out – Any rank, by gender, June 2014
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- Figure 20: Increases in dining behavior, by gender, June 2014
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- Figure 21: General attitudes regarding families dining out, by gender, June 2014
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- Figure 22: Attitudes regarding dining out with the family, by gender, June 2014
Consumer Data – By Income
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- Key points
- Extended families are included in meals for consumers with incomes under $50K
- Restaurant visits are driven by celebratory reasons for consumers earning $100K+
- The price of dining with a family is a factor among all income-based demographics
- Natural foods and bigger portion sizes are key attributes for kids’ meals
- Kids are interested in ethnic foods
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- Figure 23: Relatives away from home meals, by household income, June 2014
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- Figure 24: Top drivers for families dining out – Any rank, by household income, June 2014
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- Figure 25: Increases in dining behavior, by household income, June 2014
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- Figure 26: General attitudes regarding families dining out, by household income, June 2014
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- Figure 27: Attitudes regarding dining out with the family, by household income, June 2014
Consumer Data – By Race
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- Key points
- Black families look for nutritious meals, while other race families dine out to celebrate
- All-natural ingredients and better beverages are top of mind
- Parents decide where to dine away from home; bundled meals are popular with Black families
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- Figure 28: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 1st, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 29: Attitudes regarding dining out with the family, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 30: General attitudes regarding families dining out, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
Consumer Data – By Hispanic/Non-Hispanic
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- Key points
- Hispanic families include extended families when dining
- Hispanic families enjoy celebrating milestones and giving into their cravings at restaurants
- More meals are prepared at home among Hispanic families, but when they dine out, portions are important
- For kids’ meals, healthy options and better beverages are important among Hispanic families
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- Figure 31: Relatives in home meals, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 32: Relatives away from home meals, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 33: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 1st, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 34: Increases in dining behavior, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 35: Attitudes regarding dining out with the family, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
Consumer Data – By Generation
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- Key points
- Baby Boomers visit restaurants to celebrate with the family, while Generation X and younger consumers use foodservice for convenient meals for the family
- Older generations indicate that their kids are ordering regular entrées; Millennials and their families are utilizing deals, delivery, and drive-thru
- Older Millennials want healthier foods for their kids
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- Figure 36: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 1st, by generations, June 2014
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- Figure 37: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 2nd, by generations, June 2014
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- Figure 38: Increases in dining behavior, by generations, June 2014
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- Figure 39: Attitudes regarding dining out with the family, by generations, June 2014
Consumer Data – By Parents
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- Key points
- Parents with younger children look to restaurants for quick meals
- Parents of younger children are eating more at home; deals and regular-sized entrées are important for older children
- Kids’ meal contents matter for parents with children under 4 years old
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- Figure 40: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 1st, by parents with children in household, June 2014
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- Figure 41: Top drivers for families dining out – Any rank, by parents with children in household, June 2014
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- Figure 42: Increases in dining behavior, by parents with children in household, June 2014
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- Figure 43: Attitudes regarding dining out with the family, by parents with children in household, June 2014
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- Figure 44: General attitudes regarding families dining out, by parents with children in household, June 2014
Appendix – Kids’ Meals Data
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- Figure 45: Kids’ meal price, by restaurant segment, Q2 2011-Q1 2014
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Appendix – Data by Gender
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- Figure 46: Relatives away from home meals, by gender, June 2014
- Figure 47: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 2nd, by gender, June 2014
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- Figure 48: Decreases in dining behavior, by gender, June 2014
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Appendix – Data by Income
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- Figure 49: Usage of restaurants, by segment, by household income, June 2014
- Figure 50: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 1st, by household income, June 2014
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- Figure 51: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked second, by household income, June 2014
- Figure 52: Decreases in dining behavior, by household income, June 2014
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Appendix – Data by Race
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- Figure 53: Relatives away from home meals, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
- Figure 54: Usage of restaurants, by segment, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 55: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 2nd, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
- Figure 56: Increases in dining behavior, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 57: Decreases in dining behavior, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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Appendix – Data by Hispanics
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- Figure 58: Usage of restaurants, by segment, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
- Figure 59: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 2nd, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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- Figure 60: Decreases in dining behavior, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
- Figure 61: General attitudes regarding families dining out, by race/Hispanic origin, June 2014
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Appendix – Data by Generation
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- Figure 62: Relatives away from home meals, by generations, June 2014
- Figure 63: Usage of restaurants, by segment, by generations, June 2014
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- Figure 64: Decreases in dining behavior, by generations, June 2014
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Appendix – Data by Parents
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- Figure 65: Relatives away from home meals, by parents with children in household, June 2014
- Figure 66: Usage of restaurants, by segment, by parents with children in household, June 2014
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- Figure 67: Top drivers for families dining out – Ranked 2nd, by parents with children in household, June 2014
- Figure 68: Decreases in dining behavior, by parents with children in household, June 2014
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Appendix – Trade Associations
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