Consumer Eating and Dining Habits of America Today (4/6)

Minority populations continue to increase at a faster rate than the total U.S. population; communities that once were all white are becoming multicultural, demographers report. And people of all races and ethnicities are flocking to major metropolitan areas, particularly in the West and the South. Restaurant operators are to open units in fast-growing cities and to learn to appeal to an increasingly diverse clientele and work force. Convenience Factor Convenience, familiarity and price tend to be cited as the factors dominating the selection process for dining-out occasions. Convenience, in particular, forms a critical component of the decision-making process. Convenience in the foodservice business almost always means location and speed of service. "How often do people choose the closest place or the place with the shortest line?" In another NPD Group study published late last year, 23 percent of those individuals polled reported that a convenient location was their chief reason for visiting a quick-service restaurant. After that 15 percent of the respondents said they frequented a place because "I like it there"; 12 percent said "good price" was a key factor; and 11 percent reported that they "always go there" or "had a craving." Americans today live hectic, busy lifestyles. Convenience, in fact, often will take precedence over quality once an individual has decided to visit a quick-service restaurant. "Let's assume that Wendy's and McDonald's have outlets in the same area and an individual wants a salad," he explains. "And then let's assume that Wendy's has a better salad than McDonald's. But if the McDonald's salad is almost as good and the McDonald's unit is 200 yards closer, McDonald's is going to win. Quality also matters. That is where fast-casual restaurants come in to compete with fast food/quick service. The recent rise of fast-casual chains has done much to drive the quality of food across the foodservice landscape. Take-away, curbside takeout adds convenience The phenomenon of take-away and curbside takeout also has added another dimension of convenience to the full-service business. The decision to employ take-away at casual-dining restaurants stemmed from the long lines that often would form at busy places during the busy dinner day part. Especially, "higher-income people don't like to stand in line." Consequently, an increasing number of operators are adding take-away to help relieve the pressure on the dine-in business a decision that has, in many cases, helped to drive incremental sales even further. Where consumers previously visited only casual-dining and other full-service restaurants to fulfill the need for social-dining occasions, today a growing number of customers are using casual-dining and full-service restaurants for take-out food, much the same way they use quick-service operations. "Americans gravitate (lean) toward things that make life easier for them," DNP Group’s Balzer says, "and with curbside you don't even have to get out of your car." Take-out business at Asian restaurants has always been an important sales driver. Take-out orders typically dominates 20% -30% of the total sales revenue for many table-service Chinese restaurants. In fact, Chinese restaurants were among the first restaurants to offer the take-out meals, as early as in the 1960s. Health & Nutrition Concerns health and wellness, fight against obesity, disease The nation's health concerns about obesity, diabetes and heart disease make headlines nearly every day. Our question is whether those issues actually are affecting how consumers order when dining out. The focus on health "is certainly not a fad," says Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research and information services for the National Restaurant Association. "It's a long-term trend that's a response to American demographics today."