Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- 18-24s: the most likely to be regulars, the most likely to feel the financial impact
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- Figure 1: Select attitudes towards patronizing restaurants, 18-24s vs overall, December 2017
- Parents have differing needs depending on their children’s life stage
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- Figure 2: Dining out for weekend lunch and weekday dinners, by age of children at home vs non-parents, December 2017
- Quebecers: eating out is less of a reward, but no less meaningful
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- Figure 3: Select attitudes towards eating out, Quebec vs overall, December 2017
- The opportunities
- iGen women are regulars and have cravings for a variety of vendors
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- Figure 4: patronizing select foodservice vendors, men 18-24 vs women 18-24, December 2017
- I want some! Parents have cravings too
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- Figure 5: Reasons for patronizing restaurants, parents vs non-parents, December 2017
- Fast food venues – Don’t fix what isn’t broken, give ‘em more of what they want
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- Figure 6: Patronage of fast food venues, by income, December 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Foodservice sector sees modest growth
- Time constraints on parents mean greater reliance on foodservice
- An aging population may be a benefit for casual dining
Market Size and Forecast
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- Restaurant sales continue to increase
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- Figure 7: Total Canada sales and fan chart forecast for restaurants and other eating places, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 8: Canada value sales for restaurants and other eating places, at current and constant prices, 2012-22
Market Factors
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- Positive momentum in the economy means more spending power
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- Figure 9: Canada’s unemployment rate, August 2012-August 2017
- Canadian perception of financial health improves moving into 2018
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- Figure 10: Perception of financial health, February 2016-18
- Appealing to the emotional side will be key as cost of eating out continues to rise
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- Figure 11: Monthly movement in selected components of the Canadian Consumer Price Index, seasonally adjusted, December 2012-December 2017
- Parents are becoming increasingly time-strapped
- An aging population may benefit casual dining
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- Figure 12: Population aged 0-14 and over 65, 1995-2035*
- HMR options may be cutting in to the competition
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Canadians love eating out
- Food trends are more visible than ever
- Minimum wage increases will have an impact
- Foodservice vendors take a stand
What’s Working?
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- Dining out is the top splurge for Canadians
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- Figure 13: Select attitudes towards patronizing restaurants, December 2017
- The emotional connection with foodservice: spotlight on Tim Hortons
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- Figure 14: Tim Hortons True Stories TV Commercial – Dad's Place, March 2016
- Figure 15: Tim Hortons Guests Share Their Perfect Pairings, February 2017
- Food has never been so visible
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- Figure 16: Reasons for patronizing restaurants, women 18-24 vs overall, December 2017
- Social media is keep trendy foods and ingredients top of mind
- Rainbow colours take over social media feeds: Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino
- So does black (charcoal) ice cream
What’s Struggling?
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- Restaurants brace for change with minimum wage increases
- There’s a real cost to eating out for 18-24s
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- Figure 17: Select attitudes towards patronizing restaurants, 18-24s vs overall, December 2017
- Opportunities to connect with iGens with snacking
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- Figure 18: $5 fill ups: crowd pleaser, August 2017
- Gamifying discounts will also appeal to iGens
- Lunches are a primary meal occasions, but are under threat
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- Figure 19: Dining out occasions (any day), December 2017
What’s Next?
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- Fast food chains sell hardware
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- Figure 20: Introducing the Bling Mac, February 2018
- Foodservice vendors tackle real life issues: spotlight on Burger King
- Burger King and anti-bullying
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- Figure 21: Bullying Jr., October 2017
- Burger King and net neutrality
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- Figure 22: Whopper Neutrality, January 2018
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Quick and casual options prove most common
- Lunches and dinners drive patronage, though young consumers are keen on non-traditional occasions
- Restaurant patronage stems from both physical and emotional needs
- Chain restaurants and independent restaurants satiate different interests
Where Canadians are Eating
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- Fast and casual options more commonly patronized
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- Figure 23: Venues, December 2017
- Attention to health may be hindering older women’s interest in fast food
- Women aged 55+ are least likely to patronize fast food restaurants
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- Figure 24: Fast food venues, by gender and age, December 2017
- Healthy options and smaller portion sizes will appeal to women aged 55+
- Older and more affluent consumers driving patronage of casual dining
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- Figure 25: Patronizing casual dining restaurants, by age and income, December 2017
- Gains to be had by catering to the in-person experience to a maturing audience
- Fast food venues can stay in their lane
- Patronage doesn’t differ by income
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- Figure 26: Patronage of fast food venues, by income, December 2017
- Don’t fix what ain’t broke, give them more of what they already want
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- Figure 27: BMxB Limited Edition Collaboration – Touch It, January 2018
Frequency of Restaurant Patronization
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- Patronizing restaurants is almost a routine activity for many
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- Figure 28: Frequency of patronizing restaurants (net any restaurant), December 2017
- Gains to be had by catering to iGen women as they’re already there
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- Figure 29: Frequency of patronizing any restaurants, men and women 18-24 vs overall, December 2017
- Figure 30: patronizing select foodservice vendors, men 18-24 vs women 18-24, December 2017
- Tantalizing cravings through social media to win over iGen women
- Parents are reliant on foodservice – Logistics and emotions play a role
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- Figure 31: Patronizing select foodservice vendors, parents vs overall, December 2017
- Foodservice patronage serves different needs for different occasions
Dayparts: When Canadians Eat at Restaurants
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- Dinners and lunches are the primary meal occasions for Canadians
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- Figure 32: Dining out occasions (any day), December 2017
- The lunchtime competition is stiff – Opportunities to leverage health and downtime
- Healthy options will appeal
- Let’s take a break! Opportunities to appeal to those who want a quick getaway
- Parents have differing needs depending on their children’s life stage
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- Figure 33: Dining out for weekend lunch and weekday dinners, by age of children at home vs non-parents, December 2017
- Going out for food is a family decision – Restaurants need to have kid appeal
- 18-24s drive non-traditional occasions
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- Figure 34: Dining out for non-traditional meal occasions, by men and women aged 18-24 vs overall, December 2017
- Brunches could draw iGen women to casual dining venues
Reasons for Patronizing Restaurants
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- Eating is about physical satiation, but is also emotionally gratifying
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- Figure 35: Reasons for patronizing restaurants, December 2017
- Dining out is a highly social experience – In their words
- Socializing is a key aspect for women aged 35+
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- Figure 36: Patronizing restaurants for social time with friends and family, by age and gender, December 2017
- Make it a night out for Boomer women: dinner and a live theatre performance
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- Figure 37: Agreement with ‘The social aspect of eating out is important to me’, Women 55+ vs overall, December 2017
- Cravings and time drive parents to restaurants
- Taking a bite out of the time crunch will appeal to moms
- Parents have cravings too
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- Figure 38: Reasons for patronizing restaurants: to satisfy a craving, parents vs non-parents, December 2017
- It really is an experiential and emotional thing for Chinese Canadians
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- Figure 39: Reasons for patronizing restaurants, Chinese Canadians vs overall, December 2017
- Figure 40: Select attitudes towards eating out, Chinese Canadians vs overall, December 2017
- Elevating the experiential should yield gains
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- Figure 41: Meant to #EatTogether, December 2017
- For Quebecers, eating out is more routine, but no less meaningful
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- Figure 42: Reasons for patronizing restaurants as a “treat to myself”, Quebec vs overall, December 2017
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- Figure 43: Select attitudes towards eating out, Quebec vs overall, December 2017
- Mealtime is no time to rush – Quebecers are unique in their approach to eating
- Messages touting the satiation of the mind and body will resonate
Motivators for Patronizing Chain Restaurants
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- Predictability and consistency are draws
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- Figure 44: Motivations for patronizing chain restaurants, December 2017
- Men like predictability
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- Figure 45: ‘Consistent taste’ a motivator for patronizing chain restaurants, by gender, December 2017
- Chain restaurants make it easy to dine with kids – Parents of 6-11s
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- Figure 46: ‘Ease of dining out with kids’ a motivator for patronizing chain restaurants, by age of children in the household, December 2017
- Showing off fun times on social media should gain the attention of other parents
Motivators for Patronizing Independent Restaurants
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- Unique offerings and supporting local are drivers
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- Figure 47: Motivations for patronizing independent restaurants, December 2017
- Independent restaurants have a personal touch – In their words
- Acknowledging local ties should bring gains
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- Figure 48: TURF analysis, motivations for patronizing independent restaurants, December 2017
- Consumers have taken a stand to support local businesses
- Older consumers care more about supporting local
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- Figure 49: ‘Desire to support local businesses’ as a reason for patronizing independent restaurants, over-55s vs overall, December 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – TURF Analysis Methodology
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- Methodology
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- Figure 50: Table – TURF analysis –Independent motivators, December 2017
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