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Innovation on the Menu - US - September 2017

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Definition
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
The issues
Younger consumers embrace foodie culture, but with a degree of ambiguity
Figure 1: “I consider myself a foodie” statement agreement, by age, June 2017
iGens lean toward casual, shareable dishes compared to traditional entrées
Figure 2: Interest in menu item, any dining occasion, by generation, June 2017
The opportunities
Sandwiches offer mainstream appeal on the menu
Figure 3: Interest in sandwiches, any dining occasion, by foodies and non-foodies, June 2017
Consumers overwhelmingly dine out for international cuisine
Figure 4: Cooking at home versus dining out, by cuisine type, June 2017
The foodie mentality goes beyond urban settings
Figure 5: “I consider myself a foodie” statement agreement, by living location, June 2017
What it means
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Meal kits aim to get consumers in the kitchen
Families value eating together
Generational differences impact where consumers dine out
MARKET PERSPECTIVE
Meal kits struggle to maintain relevancy
Retail is no longer just about the home kitchen
MARKET FACTORS 
Generational divides impact where consumers are dining
Figure 6: Restaurant visitation, by generations, March 2017
Understanding the single diner
Figure 7: Estimated median age at first marriage, 2006-16
Figure 8: Use of any dating app in the past 12 months, December 2016
Figure 9: Dining at a gourmet restaurant in the past 12 months, December 2016
Understanding the family diner
Figure 10: Time on family activities, dining out, October 2016
Figure 11: Family dining habits, October 2016
Figure 12: Foodie statement agreement, “I expose my children to food that’s not on the kids’ menu,” June 2017
KEY TRENDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Mocktails get new life at bars and restaurants
Hotel restaurants get an upgrade
Comfort food finds its niche in a social media world
TREND: ALL-DAY DINING
Today
Figure 13: Menu mentions for types of menus, Q2 2016-Q2 2017
The path forward
TREND: MOCKTAILS ON THE MENU
Today
The path forward
TREND: MENU PARTNERSHIPS
Today
The path forward
TREND: UPSCALE FOOD, LOW-KEY ATMOSPHERE
Today
The path forward
TREND: FOOD WITH A STORY
Today
Figure 14: Growth of menu and ingredient claims, Q2 2016-Q2 2017
Figure 15: Growth of menu claims, Q2 2016–Q2 2017
The path forward
TREND: COMFORT FOOD – A BALANCE BETWEEN MODERN AND AUTHENTIC
Today
The path forward
TREND: A CRAVING FOR HEALTH
Today
The path forward
RESTAURANT CONCEPTS TO WATCH
Pop-up restaurants 2.0
A flavorful, but familiar, approach to Indian cuisine
Upgraded hotel restaurants
Brewpubs and breweries
Food halls: The 2017 version of mall food courts
MMI ANALYSIS: FLAVOR MATRIX 2017
Most menued food preparation techniques and flavors
Figure 16: Top 20 menued food preparation methods, Q2 2015 – Q2 2017
Figure 17: Top 40 growing food preparation methods on the menu, Q2 2015 – Q2 2017
Figure 18: Top 20 menued food flavors, Q2 2015 – Q2 2017
Figure 19: Top 40 growing food flavors on the menu, Q2 2015 – Q2 2017
Most menued flavors for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
Figure 20: Flavor matrix, top 10 non-alcoholic beverage flavors on the menu, Q2 2015 – Q2 2017
Figure 21: Top 20 growing non-alcoholic beverage flavors on the menu, Q2 2015 – Q2 2017
Figure 22: Flavor matrix, top 10 alcoholic beverage flavors on the menu, Q2 2015 – Q2 2017
Figure 23: Top 20 growing alcoholic beverage flavors on the menu, Q2 2015 – Q2 2017
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Foodie culture is not cut and dry
Consumers want grilled food, but fried food remains a menu fixture
Friends and family remain key sources of introduction to new flavors
MENU INTEREST BY DINING OCCASION 
Entrées maintain relevancy for dinner
Figure 24: Correspondence analysis – Interest in menu items by dining occasion, June 2017
Figure 25: Interest in appetizer/small plates by dining occasion, June 2017
A snack or a shareable dinner?
Figure 26: Not dining out, by dining occasion, June 2017
iGens go casual with meal choices
Figure 27: Interest in menu item, any dining occasion, by generation, June 2017
Sandwiches are a foodie canvas
Figure 28: Interest in menu items, any dining occasion, by Hispanic Millennials and Hispanic non-Millennials and foodies and non-foodies, June 2017
THE FOODIE MENTALITY
Foodie versus food snob
Figure 29: “I consider myself a foodie” statement agreement, June 2017
Social media drives foodie behavior for younger consumers
Figure 30: “I consider myself a foodie” statement agreement, by age, June 2017
Urban and rural foodies find common ground
Figure 31: “I consider myself a foodie” statement agreement, by living location, June 2017
Hispanics’ love for food drives a foodie mentality
Figure 32: “I consider myself a foodie” statement agreement, by race, June 2017
DINING HABITS OF A FOODIE
Foodies eat fast food too
Figure 33: Foodie statement agreement, June 2017
Men and women share different foodie mentalities
Figure 34: Foodie statement agreement, by age and gender, June 2017
Older and suburban consumers associate foodie behavior from a traditional point of view
Figure 35: Foodie statement agreement, by age, June 2017
Figure 36: Foodie statement agreement, by urban city and small town living locations, June 2017
COOKING AT HOME VERSUS DINING OUT 
Italian, Mexican, Chinese are leaders in international cuisine consumption
A deeper look into Mediterranean cuisine …
A deeper look into Asian cuisine …
A deeper look into Hispanic/Mexican cuisine …
Figure 37: Cooking at home versus dining out, by cuisine type, any consumption, June 2017
Chinese remains a takeout meal
Figure 38: Cooking at home versus dining out, by cuisine type, June 2017
Indian and Chinese are most likely to be prepared at home by Asian consumers
Figure 39: Cooking Asian cuisine at home versus dining out, by Asian consumers, June 2017
Hispanics value time around the table
Figure 40: Cooking Hispanic cuisine at home versus dining out, by race and Hispanic origin, June 2017
NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES 
Consumers want “refreshment” in their refreshments
Figure 41: Non-alcoholic beverage flavor interest, June 2017
Women lean toward natural and fruit-forward beverages
Figure 42: Non-alcoholic beverage flavor interest, by gender, June 2017
Herbal notes hit a sweet spot with younger consumers
Figure 43: Non-alcoholic beverage flavor interest, by generations, June 2017
FOOD PREPARATION INTEREST
Grilled leads in food preparation interest, but don’t count fried food out
Figure 44: Interest in food preparation, by foodies and non-foodies, June 2017
iGens favor indulgent food preparation methods
Figure 45: Interest in food preparation, by generation, June 2017
Asian cuisine consumption drives interest for pickled and fermented preparation
Figure 46: Cuisine consumption at a restaurant, by interest in food preparation, June 2017
FLAVOR TRIAL MOTIVATORS
Traditional word of mouth and detailed flavor descriptions go hand in hand
Figure 47: Flavor trial motivators, June 2017
Figure 48: Flavor trial motivators, by gender, June 2017
Young women value customization
Figure 49: Food trial motivators, by gender and age, June 2017
Black consumers value familiar dishes the way they are
Figure 50: Food trial motivators, by race, June 2017
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS
Data sources
Consumer survey data
Consumer qualitative research
Abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations
Terms
APPENDIX – CORRESPONDENCE ANALYSIS
Methodology

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