Transparent menus: how to talk about clean labels in the age of UPFs foods

The coffee market is undergoing a transformation phase, driven by emerging trends that are redefining the coffee experience, particularly in the foodservice sector. With a focus on sustainability, personalization, and technological integration, out-of-home coffee is evolving to meet the needs of an increasingly demanding and conscious audience. 

Sustainability and coffee: a growing synergy 

In the near future, coffee brands are increasingly committed to linking sustainability with positive consumer experiences. For foodservice operators, this means adopting sustainable sourcing practices and using eco-friendly packaging, offering coffee that not only tastes exceptional but also benefits the environment. 

Flavor exploration and personalization 

Personalization is one of the driving forces shaping the future of coffee, especially in foodservice. Consumers seek tailored experiences, whether it’s a productivity boost, a social moment, or relaxation. Operators can leverage this trend by offering coffee menus that vary to suit different occasions and times of day. Additionally, ready-to-drink (RTD) coffees are seeing increased experimentation with new flavors, pushing the boundaries of traditional espresso with ingredients like vanilla and exotic spices. 

Technological integration for quality 

Technology is set to play a crucial role in improving coffee quality. Coffee equipment that is increasingly connected and synchronized will allow for consistent product quality, regardless of location. This type of innovation is particularly useful for large chains or coffee shops looking to ensure a uniform customer experience. Additionally, data analytics applications will help monitor consumption and optimize operations, giving foodservice operators the ability to adapt in real-time to customer preferences. 

Multi-course menus: a new way to experience coffee 

The idea of offering multi-course coffee experiences is gaining ground, especially in more sophisticated settings. In indonesia, for example, omakafe offers a tasting menu that includes iced options, cocktails, and milk-based beverages, a format that could inspire venues worldwide. Offering customers a variety of coffee options in a single experience could become a new frontier for foodservice, attracting coffee enthusiasts in search of increasingly refined experiences. 

Conclusion 

For foodservice operators, the future of coffee is not just about adopting new technologies or experimenting with new flavors, but also about how these elements can create a unique and sustainable customer experience. The ability to offer a personalized, high-quality product supported by sustainable practices will increasingly become central to determining the success of a coffee shop or chain in the competitive global coffee market. 

Sources: The Future of Coffee: 2024 - Mintel. 

As we approach 2025, this is an edge where the foodservice industry is bound to face a transformation. Recent research from the Global Food & Drink Trends report for 2025 by Mintel throws light on the evolving landscape that is going to challenge as well as inspire the foodservice professionals. Let us go further in the emerging pattern and their potential consequences on the foodservice industry.

Nutritional Revolution

A new shift in perspective seems to be underway-one that again realigns the relationship between diet and health.

Weight management is begotten anew with the rise of medically new approaches, thus forcing a reevaluation as to what, indeed, a healthy diet is. It's more than just adding fancy, superfoods or supplements to the dishes. Instead, there's an up-and-coming respect for the raw ingredient's nutritional value within the context of your overall health and well-being.

Culinary Nonconformity End

The years ahead could, therefore, become even more filled with culinary rebellion. There is a growing fascination by consumers with restaurants that violate traditional norms of the dining experience. This is part of a greater cultural shift toward accepting imperfection and individuality in even our eating lives.

Supply Uncertainties

Events worldwide continue to affect food supply chains. Changes continue to pose both challenges and opportunities for the foodservice industry. As sourcing becomes increasingly complex, so too must be a heightened interest in consumer education and engagement. New ingredients could be incorporated, flavors could be different, and even new culinary traditions could be introduced based on the new composition of supply chains.

Interestingly enough, consumers are more aware today of how global events impact them directly. Fully 75% of likely US voters say that foreign affairs are an important personal issue for them. -Source: Kantar Profiles/Mintel, May 2024, Base: US: 1,797 internet users aged 18+ who are likely to vote. All this heightened global awareness among consumers adds a layer of transparency to the conversation around sourcing challenges and changes that businesses in foodservice can have.

Tech-Nature Balance

The point where technology and agriculture will converge will be increasingly crucial in the food-service industry. There is going to be a need to strike a very careful balance between utilising the new technology and retaining contact with the natural, organic ways of producing the food supplied to the industry. This will indeed be key to finding ways to overcome these environmental challenges while meeting the needs of the growing global population.

Consumer sentiment on this issue varies globally. For example, according to Mintel, 47% of Brazilian consumers agree that technology should be able to help us live more sustainably (Source: Kantar Profiles/Mintel, September 2023, Base: Brazil: 1,500 internet users aged 16+). This suggests an openness to technological solutions in food production, as long as they support sustainability goals.

Implications for Foodservice Professionals

This is a very recent emerging trend that carries specific challenges and opportunities. So, keeping this all in mind, here are some strategies that can help the operator stay ahead:

1. Consider menu planning in a new light, making the nutritional profiles of your offerings the central issue without sacrificing flavor or creativity.

2. Offer unusual flavor combinations and presentation forms to the customers who seek new experiences in their dining.

3. Develop flexible sourcing strategies and build supplier relationships that mirror a wide range of possibilities to protect your menu stability.

4. Add a little storytelling to your customer experience by educating diners on how ingredients make their way from farm to table. Which is all the more important to note, since 65% of Japanese adults say people are powerless against unpredictable, life-changing events that happen to them. Source: Rakuten Insight/Mintel, November 2023, Base: Japan: 2,000 internet users aged 18+.

5. Explore how technology enhances operations, from efficiencies in the kitchen to engagement with customers, keeping in mind quality and authenticity regarding your business. The openness of the consumer to technology in sustainability-as evidenced in the Brazilian data-indicates that communicating tech-driven sustainability efforts could resonate with customers.

By embracing these strategies and staying attuned to evolving consumer sentiments, foodservice professionals can position themselves at the forefront of industry innovation, ready to meet the evolving preferences and expectations of tomorrow's diners. 

(Source: Mintel's 2025 Global Food & Drink Trends report) 

In 2025, consumers are set to embark on a flavour journey, exploring adventurous and unexpected combinations that redefine traditional food and drink categories. This shift towards bold experimentation offers businesses the opportunity to innovate and captivate their audience with unique taste experiences.

Nature-Inspired Ingredients Drive Wellness

Health-conscious consumers are gravitating towards natural ingredients, with botanicals like juniper leading the charge. These flavours are not only appreciated for their health benefits but also for their sophisticated and complex profiles, making them an ideal choice for those seeking both wellness and refinement in their food choices.

Younger Audiences Crave Sensory Stimulation

Audacious, sour flavours, such as sour cherry, are gaining popularity, particularly among younger consumers. These intense taste profiles, often combined with sweet or spicy elements, create a multi-layered experience that delivers on excitement and sensory stimulation. For brands, this presents a chance to appeal to a demographic eager for bold and dynamic taste adventures.

Global Cuisines Influence Local Palates

Culinary diversity continues to inspire flavour innovation. Ingredients from world cuisines, particularly from Asia, are making their way into mainstream products. Flavours like yuzu kosho and pandan are becoming more common, offering consumers a chance to explore exotic tastes and experiment with unfamiliar culinary traditions.

Nostalgic Flavours with a Modern Twist

Classic comfort flavours are being reimagined with contemporary pairings. Miso caramel, for instance, blends the nostalgic sweetness of caramel with the umami depth of miso, resulting in a combination that feels both familiar and novel. These extraordinary twists on nostalgic favourites provide a sense of comfort while keeping consumers curious for more.

Southeast Asian Influence Expands Globally

Southeast Asian flavours, including staples like sriracha and gochujang, are continuing to grow in popularity. Their versatility and potential health benefits make them appealing to a wide audience, and they are increasingly being incorporated into fusion dishes that merge Eastern and Western culinary traditions.

Innovative Flavour Pairings to Captivate Consumers:

• Miso Caramel: A blend of sweet and savory, combining the rich, nostalgic taste of caramel with the umami complexity of miso, creating a comforting yet adventurous taste.

• "Swicy" Combinations: Pairing sweetness with a hint of spice, these bold flavour profiles are becoming increasingly popular, satisfying consumers who seek both warmth and sweetness in their culinary experiences.

• Sweet and Sour Sensations: Sour cherry combined with sweet elements offers a dynamic contrast that captivates the senses, particularly among younger audiences who enjoy intense, exciting flavours.

• Botanical Meets Dessert: In China, botanical ingredients are being paired with indulgent desserts, introducing complex flavour profiles that blend tradition with innovation, appealing to both the health-conscious and indulgence-seeking consumer.

Social Media as a Catalyst for Flavour Discovery

The rise of globalisation and social media has significantly accelerated the spread of these flavour trends. As platforms allow consumers to share their culinary experiences, new tastes and combinations are gaining momentum worldwide. For brands, leveraging these platforms to highlight the uniqueness and cultural significance of their products can effectively capture the attention of curious, trend-seeking consumers.

As we move into 2025, it’s clear that the demand for adventurous and bold flavour experiences will only grow. Brands that embrace this trend and create innovative, globally inspired flavour combinations will be well-positioned to stand out in a rapidly evolving market.

Source: Mintel / Flavours to watch in 2025 

The hospitality industry faces an acute staffing shortage, with operators worldwide struggling to return to pre-pandemic employment levels.

According to the Labour shortages and surpluses in Europe 2023 report, published by EURES (European Employment Services) in 2024, 17 European countries are experiencing highly severe shortages of waiters, while 16 report shortages of cooks. In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the foodservice industry will experience its largest employment growth by 2031, yet staffing levels will still remain below pre-COVID figures.

The shortage of candidates combined with high employee turnover put operators in constant hiring mode, with increased costs in both time and money. Cloud-based HR management tools offer a solution by automating many manual steps, making the hiring process faster and more efficient. In this article, we’ll explore three specific areas where these tools are making a difference.

Hiring

The traditional recruitment workflow—collecting CVs, screening candidates, and calling them to schedule interviews—is often too inefficient for foodservice’s fast-paced environment, especially for operators managing multiple locations. The process often results in delays and inefficient back-and-forth communication between HR, hiring managers and candidates. It's particularly inefficient for younger digital native applicants under 25, who make up over 17% of the hospitality workforce (compared to 7.6% in the overall economy) and expect a digital-first agile hiring experience.

Here's how modern cloud-based recruiting apps can make the process more efficient:

• Screening applications. Instead of submitting CVs on job board websites, candidates fill out an application form with targeted questions. If they are at the restaurant, they scan a QR code linking to the restaurant’s website. Responses are automatically screened and organized for easier review by hiring managers.
• Engaging with applicants. After candidates apply, the system sends automatic SMS responses, while managers can send additional messages manually if needed.
• Setting up interviews: Instead of calling from unknown numbers, managers share interview scheduling links by text, allowing candidates to select convenient time slots directly from a calendar. This approach reduces no-shows and enhances the candidate experience.

For instance, Workstream is a hiring platform that automates much of the recruitment process. Using smart screening logic, it advances qualified applicants to the interview stage while blocking unqualified reapplicants. The platform sends candidates links to available calendar slots and automated reminders to minimize no-shows. Managers can customize workflows to adjust interview duration and format, and keep track of each candidate’s progress.

A Burger King franchisee using Workstream was able to simplify and streamline its hiring process. Previously, managers had to manually check applications, follow up, and arrange interviews. Now candidates can schedule interviews themselves, reducing back-and-forth. This automation has allowed managers to fill roles faster, improve the candidate experience, and engage more with new hires.

Shift scheduling

In foodservice, the shift schedule is the single most important element for a productive and positive workplace. Building it is a complex balancing act between business needs, employee preferences, and unexpected changes. It’s often a daunting task for managers, as it’s time-consuming and prone to errors, especially when using spreadsheets.

To create effective schedules, managers must consider for each shift:

• Employee availability: tracking minimum and maximum weekly hours, plus individual availability.
• Forecasted staffing needs: anticipating customer volume and workload.
• Legal compliance: adhering to regulations, such as maximum hours for minors.

The schedule also needs to be clear, have the right balance of staff experience, and be flexible enough for last-minute changes due to shift swaps or sick calls.

7shifts is an example of a cloud-based app that provides restaurant managers with a drag-and-drop shift builder. The updated schedule is published in real-time through a mobile app, where employees can view shifts, see who they’ll be working with, update their availability, request swaps, time off, or other changes.

Global bubble tea chain Chatime adopted 7shifts across its 75 Canadian locations to centralize scheduling data and improve sales forecasts. The results were more efficient schedules and team management, and lower labour costs.

One of the most challenging aspects of building the right schedule is forecasting customer volume for each shift. With too few staff, customer service suffers and employees face excessive workloads; too many, and costs rise unnecessarily. 7shifts, integrates with POS systems to forecast staffing needs based on historical sales data, while Fourth's AI-based tool also uses customer demand and other key factors. The tool also has a feedback loop that compares predicted outcomes with actual results to improve accuracy.

Lancaster Brewery, which uses Fourth’s Intelligent Scheduling to forecast demand and optimize labour deployment, has reduced labour costs despite wage increases and improved its sales/labour hour ratio.

Employee feedback

Organizations that actively ask for regular feedback from employees are three times more likely to meet or exceed their financial targets than those that don’t. Collecting feedback helps uncover issues, large and small, allowing managers to address them proactively. It also shows employees that their opinions and wellbeing matter, which strengthens engagement and retention.

Workstream, for example, automatically distributes various employee surveys to gather feedback, monitor employee sentiment, and gain insights from departing staff, while 7shifts has a messaging and feedback feature where employees and management can communicate through the app without using their personal phone number.

While the industry searches for structural solutions to staff shortages, cloud-based HR applications allow foodservice operators to hire and manage workers more efficiently. This, in turn, creates a better first impression on candidates and a more satisfying work experience for employees, increasing retention.

FoodTech startups are having a rough time. Investments decreased by 72% between 2021 and 2033 (and 2024 will not be better). We could assume that large companies would simply withdraw and stop investing. However, if they invest less cash, they multiply their involvement through partnerships.

Why are we seeing more partnerships now?

Partnerships between startups, with all their disruptive innovations and agility on the one hand, and on the other, leading companies should be something obvious. However, if you think about it, it is hard to mention many successful examples in the food industry. Indeed, for years, we mostly saw what we could call “PR collaborations” or announcements of partnerships with a startup for the sake of communication without any real intention of any meaningful follow-up.

But now, things are changing on both sides. First, startups have much less access to capital, so they should prove to potential investors that they can create commercial traction and deliver on their tech with real clients. Then, for large companies, there is a growing understanding that open innovation should lead to measurable results.

1 - Using startup ingredients to boost innovation

That is the most obvious collaboration… and the most complicated. To be a success, the requirements are quite strong. The main challenge is that the startup needs to have an ingredient that can be used at a reasonable scale for a commercial experiment. However, in recent months, many FoodTech startups have just reached this level of maturity, and that’s why we have seen so many experiments, product launches and announcements:

• Nestlé and BEL launched products using Perfect Day’s precision fermentation whey in the US.
• Ajinomoto is making snacks in Singapore using Solar Foods’ protein (made by capturing CO2 from the atmosphere).
• Unilever announced that it will use Every’s egg proteins, made with precision fermentation, in its plant-based products.

2 - Startups providing a co-development service

A growing number of FoodTech startups are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to create better foods. They scan nature and identify proteins with exciting properties. These can range from sweeteners to new fats. These startups also look at how to produce these proteins at scale, often using biotechnologies such as precision fermentation.

For large companies, these “designer proteins” are highly promising. They can gain access to ingredients that are both natural and 100% designed to answer specific needs.

In recent months, leading players such as Fonterra (the largest dairy cooperative in the world) and Ajinomoto have announced partnerships in that space.

3 - Production and commercialisation of a startup’s technology

Another application of AI is for startups to identify how to combine existing ingredients to create alternatives to existing food products. While a few years ago, these startups would have probably tried to go all the way to the final consumer; now, they focus on partnerships with established brands to do so.

Recently, Voyage Foods, a US-based startup developing sustainable alternatives to chocolate and nut spreads, announced a partnership with Cargill. The commodity giant will offer the ingredients developed by the startup to its clients. Similarly, Climax Foods, a US startup using AI to create plant-based cheeses, is working with BEL to create a plant-based babybel.

The Future of FoodTech Partnerships

For established companies, partnering with startups offers a risk-limited opportunity to infuse fresh thinking and agility into their operations.

Looking forward, the trend of partnerships between startups and large companies is likely to continue and evolve. As funding dries, more collaborations will keep happening. It has become commonplace for investors to require proof of interest from large companies before committing their money.

According to the UN's Food Waste Index Report 2024, in 2022, the world wasted an estimated 1.05 billion tonnes of food. To put this into perspective, if this staggering amount were evenly distributed, each of the 8.1 billion people on Earth would receive nearly 130 kg of food.  

These estimates include food wasted at retail, household, and foodservice levels. (In fact, even more food is lost in the part of the supply chain from field to manufacturing.) The foodservice sector alone is responsible for about 27% of it, or 290 million tonnes. 

Food waste is a double-edged issue: for foodservice operators, it’s an additional monetary cost that erodes their profit margins. At the environmental level, its production generates greenhouse emissions without bringing any benefit. What’s more, when food waste is not properly disposed of and ends up in landfills without gas collection systems, it generates even more emissions, exacerbating the problem.  

Classic food waste prevention measures and their limits 

A 2021 study, published in the Journal of Foodservice Business Research, surveyed a small group of Swiss-German restaurant owners about their food waste prevention practices. The most common ones included reprocessing unused food, forecasting demand to reduce overproduction, and adjusting portion sizes. 

However, surveyed operators also reported several challenges, such as accurately predicting the number of guests, lack of staff engagement, and difficulty finding chefs with the creativity to repurpose surplus food on the spot. Resistance from diners is also a barrier: many customers perceive unavailable menu items or spontaneous changes aimed at reducing waste, as poor service, rather than responsible waste-conscious practices. 

Lower food costs with better forecasts 

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is becoming a powerful tool in making food waste prevention measures more effective in foodservice. AI is an umbrella term that refers to the capability of computer systems to analyse data and solve problems in a way that resembles human intelligence. AI is divided into several subfields, including Machine Learning (ML), which uses models and algorithms to extract insights from large data sets. This is crucial for addressing a major challenge in food waste prevention: demand forecasting.  

An accurate forecast for a restaurant would have to consider internal data, such as sale trends, performance of individual menu items, impact of price changes and promotions, and external factors, such as macroeconomic conditions, weather, local events, competitors' initiatives, public holidays, and strikes. The process would involve:  

1. Tracking all relevant data regularly. 

2. Understanding which factors have an impact on sales and to what degree. 

3. Translating this analysis into actionable insights for decision-making.  

With ML-powered Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for restaurants, it’s possible to automate this process saving time and increasing accuracy. Although these systems cannot factor in all possible variables, they can make baseline forecasts much more accurate, helping kitchen managers make data-based decisions. Additionally, better demand forecasts will optimise staffing levels, reducing the cost of overstaffing and preventing the negative impact of understaffing on service quality. 

An example of an AI-based forecasting tool for foodservice business is Tenzo, a performance analytics platform for restaurants that integrates data from sales, labour, and inventory applications to improve operations.  

At Nando's Singapore, for example, Tenzo improved the accuracy of sales forecast by 30%. Before Tenzo, Nando's Singapore used a static schedule that was simply divided into mid-week and weekend, with no real correlation to sales. With its ML-based tool, Tenzo provided a more accurate analysis of past sales data, which also led to a 15% increase in labour productivity. 

Measuring food waste with image recognition 

When you can measure a goal, you’re more likely to achieve it—and the same goes for reducing food waste. But the fast pace of commercial kitchens makes it nearly impossible to stop and log every item that ends up in the bin, along with its weight and cost. That’s where AI, and more specifically image recognition, can help. 

AI-driven food waste management systems can track and weigh discarded food while calculating its value. These setups typically include a bin placed on a scale, with a camera equipped with image recognition technology positioned above it. After a period of training, the system learns to identify and weigh individual food items independently and multiply their quantity by the associated cost. All that is translated into reports that provide foodservice businesses with precise data on how food waste is affecting their bottom line and actionable insights to adjust forecasting and purchasing strategies.

Reducing food waste with AI: 3 success stories 

Winnow, Leanpath, and Lumitics are examples of companies that have developed these AI-based solutions. Here are three examples of how they helped different types of commercial kitchens. 

1. Using Winnow, the Canary Wharf branch of Marriott International achieved a 67% reduction in food waste within just 6 months of installation. For example, based on waste patterns uncovered by the analytics platform, kitchen management started to use smaller containers after 10:00 am during their buffet breakfast, reducing food waste significantly. 
2. Google has deployed Leanpath's system in nearly 200 cafes in 21 countries, saving 4 million pounds of food waste in ten years. As Google's Global Procurement Manager Kristen Rainey says, “I think it's easy for every one of us in foodservice to think that we're on top of our food waste, but we actually need that data to help us really hone in on the areas where we can reduce it.” 
3. The largest-scale achievment so far, however, has been IKEA’s main retailer, Ingka Group. Using Winnow’s system, in 2021, Ingka Group reduced food waste by 54% across almost 400 IKEA store restaurants, compared to 2017. The amount of saved food is equal to 20 million meals, 36,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, and 37 million Euros. 

These success stories highlight three key points: 

• The UN's Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030, is ambitious but attainable. 
• While technology is essential, it needs people to be truly effective. Ingka Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer emphasised how the engagement of food coworkers was instrumental in this achievement. 
• To secure employee engagement, leadership must take the first step, setting goals and holding themselves accountable, creating a clear escalation path and setting the tone for success. 

Pizza has evolved from a beloved Italian dish to a worldwide sensation, with consumption patterns reflecting both regional tastes and global food trends. In recent years, pizza consumption has been shaped by health concerns, sustainability, and the growing influence of technology on food preferences. Get the insights from the latest Mintel analysis on global consumers.

LOOKING FOR CLEAN LABEL

A significant factor influencing pizza consumption is the increasing awareness of health risks associated with ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Consumers are more conscious than ever about the ingredients used in the products they buy. As a result, pizza brands are being pushed to simplify their recipes, using fewer processed ingredients and offering greater transparency about their formulations. According to Mintel Report, 40% of UK adults associate a long ingredient list with overly processed food, and this perception is driving demand for pizzas with cleaner, more natural ingredients.

Private labels in premium pizza launches are focusing on quality ingredients and positive processing.

PIZZA AS ENERGY BOOSTER

Pizza is also adapting to the modern, fast-paced lifestyle. Consumers from various demographics, including overworked Gen X professionals and sleep-deprived Gen Z gamers, are increasingly seeking food that provides an energy boost (47% of Thai adults are interested in food energy booster). This trend is expanding the appeal of pizza in savory categories, where brands are beginning to explore the inclusion of ingredients that offer functional benefits, such as added protein or even caffeine, to help meet the higher energy demands of busy individuals.

BEYOND SUSTAINABILITY

Another key trend is the growing emphasis on sustainability. While consumers are paying more attention to the environmental impact of the foods they consume, they still expect pizzas to deliver great taste and nutritional benefits. Brands must go beyond just being eco-friendly by offering products that also stand out for their flavor or health credentials. This dual focus is likely to drive innovation in the pizza sector, as companies balance sustainable practices with satisfying consumer demands. In North America, for instance, brands are embracing non-microwave preparation methods and incorporating more natural, plant-based protein in their vegan offerings.

NEW FLAVORS POWERED BY AI

Technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), is increasingly influencing the development of new pizza flavors. For example, AI recipe generators create personalised solutions for consumers based on their preferences and needs. These tools will affect expectations, as for 38% of Brazilians expect AI to be used for product development. Food companies are using AI to analyze social media trends, predict emerging consumer preferences, and even suggest unconventional flavor combinations. AI-driven innovations allow for quicker adaptation to evolving tastes, offering consumers new and exciting pizza options that align with global trends.

In conclusion, as pizza continues to dominate the global food scene, its future will be shaped by a combination of health-conscious consumers, the need for energy-boosting ingredients, sustainability concerns, and the disruptive potential of AI in flavor creation. The versatility of pizza ensures that it remains a favorite, adapting seamlessly to meet the ever-changing needs of the global market.

Generation Z is reshaping the dining experience across the United States. Known for their diversity and openness to new experiences, their approach to food, especially in restaurants, is unique and indicative of broader trends. This generation not only values food as nourishment but also as a key part of social interaction and personal identity.

FOOD AS A SOCIAL EXPERIENCE

For Gen Z, eating out is more than just satisfying hunger—it's a social event. Restaurants have become third spaces for this generation, providing a venue to connect with friends, relax, or celebrate. Whether at a fast food chain, coffee shop, or casual dining restaurant, Gen Z seeks spaces that facilitate bonding and offer a laid-back atmosphere. Foods that enhance socializing, such as tapas, appetizers, and fun beverages, are particularly popular among this group.

TASTES GO GLOBAL

A standout feature of Gen Z is their appreciation for variety in menus. Driven by an increase in multiracial identities, they are adventurous eaters who seek out international cuisines, bold flavors, and unique textures. Whether it's spicy, sour, or something entirely different, this generation values a diverse culinary experience that reflects their multicultural backgrounds.

THE SNACKIFICATION PHENOMENON

Interestingly, traditional meals are becoming less common among Gen Z consumers. Instead, many opt for frequent snacking throughout the day, with over 30% replacing meals with snacks. This shift has given rise to the popularity of healthy snacks, which are gaining momentum as an on-the-go option. The preference for quick, portable food fits seamlessly with their busy and social lifestyles.

“GIRL-ING” OUT IS A TREND

There are notable differences in how teen girls and boys approach dining out. Girls are more likely to frequent restaurants, with 88% having visited fast food places in the last three months, compared to 81% of boys. Coffee shops and casual dining spots are also more popular with girls. One key factor for this demographic is the quality of service; fast and friendly staff significantly influence their choice of restaurant.

THE DECISION-MAKER

Gen Z holds significant decision-making power when it comes to dining out. A large majority, 96%, have some influence over where they eat, and 25% have chosen every restaurant they’ve visited over the past three months. This early involvement in food-related decisions is shaping their brand loyalty, making it crucial for restaurants to create emotional connections with this generation now to secure future patronage.

Gen Z's approach to restaurant dining is changing the landscape of the food industry in the U.S. Their preference for diversity, emphasis on social experiences, and shift towards snacking reflect a generation that views food as both a personal and social experience. Restaurants that can cater to these needs—offering variety, convenience, and a social-friendly environment—will succeed in capturing the loyalty of this influential generation.