Due to an increasingly on-the-go lifestyle and a tendency toward smaller, more frequent meals, snacking has become a part of consumers’ daily routines. Consumers have become less regimented in their consumption patterns and consume nearly any type of food at any time of day, causing the definition of “mealtime” to become blurry. Snacks can take the form of indulgent or healthy and can be fueled by impulse or the need for energy. This grab-and-go mode places value on convenience, speed, portability, and price. Restaurants are playing a larger role in the snack market as they adapt to the changing needs of their consumers, which has resulted in an increase in snack traffic.

This report explores snacking trends and opportunities within the foodservice space by understanding the current marketplace, revealing competitive developments, uncovering marketing techniques and innovative technologies that restaurant operators can utilize, viewing snack trends on restaurant menus, and featuring consumer behavior and attitudes as they relate to foodservice snacking.

Among the topics covered in this report are:

Innovative snacking trends that various restaurants are currently implementing

How emerging technology can be used in surprising ways to draw in snackers

The key marketplace issues concerning snacking and the impact they are making

The ins and outs of snacking from the consumers’ perspective, including behavior and attitudes

How light, medium, and heavy snack usage groups differ in restaurant preferences