I have seen and read a bunch of articles about millennials in the workplace and how to manage them etc. But this is the first I have seen about their eating habits and it’s potential effect on the restaurant business. The Indy Star had an article on this topic that was very interesting. Here are some points that stuck out for me:
- The split between the millennial parents and the millennials without kids is posing an issue
- Both are visiting restaurants less; 33 less per year per person for the younger and 50 less per year per person for the older in 2014 vs. 2007
- Millennials account for $96 billion per year in spend
- The 2 main concerns for millennials with kids are: healthy kids menu that tastes good and reasonable prices – that could be tough to pull off as costs keep rising
- The main concern for millennials without kids is customization
Are you seeing these trends in your establishments? I was expecting to read the need for technology, but there wasn’t any of that mentioned. I was a little shocked. Interesting article still.
I have copied the full article below:
Even as Millennials continue to cut back on restaurant visits, restaurant owners are facing a new headache: Millennial eating demands are splitting in two.
The problem: Younger Millennials are focused on what they eat. Older Millennials — many of whom are parents ◊ are more focused on what their kids eat.
It’s not so simple to please both, according to two separate restaurant industry surveys out today, one by by the research firm NPD Group, and the other by the consulting firm AlixPartners.
“Restaurants — particularly fast-food — will have to work a lot harder to get people to come in than they have in the past,” says Warren Solochek, vice president of client services at NPD Group. What’s more, he notes, there’s a “sizable difference” in attracting Millennials age 18 to 24 vs. Millennials age 25 to 34.
Restaurants have little choice but to chase after Millennials of all ages. That’s because Millennials account for about 14.5 billion annual restaurant visits and spend about $96 billion in the process. Even though Millennials have continued to cut back on restaurant visits since the recession, they still account for 23% of all domestic restaurant spending, estimates NPD. But the decline is real: Younger Millennials made 33 fewer visits per person in 2014 vs. 2007; and older Millennials made 50 few visits per person, during that same period.
“The industry used to feel, if you built a new unit, people would come,” says Solochek. But that’s no longer the case, he says. “Now, you’ve got to make it worthwhile.”
Two key issues top the lists of Millennials who have kids:
- Healthy kids food. The kids menu must have better-for you offerings that truly are better, says NPD’s Solochek. “The days of take-it-or-leave-it kids meals won’t cut it any more,” he says. But besides the meal passing mom’s “sniff test,” he says, the kid has to actually enjoy the meal.
- Low prices.Millennials with young kids are just starting to discover the difference between a dinner check for two, and a dinner check for three or four.
“Millennials want to eat healthy and cheap at the same time,” says Adam Werner, co-managing director at AlixPartners, who helped to oversee the company’s new study.
But younger Millennials without kids are primarily concerned with one thing:
- Choice. They want to be able to customize their meals. “Each person in a party has to feel like they can get something different — and something made just for them,” says Solochek.
This is particularly a problem for traditional burger joints that get 60% or more of their business through the drive-through. “Customization slows down the drive-thru,” says Solochek. “Operationally, it’s a huge challenge.”
Some restaurants may need to respond with early dinner options for Millennials with kids and later dinner options for Millennials without kids, says Eric Dzwonczyk, co-managing director at AlixPartners. “Both types of Millennials want to feel in control.”