Consumer Trends

Consumer trends, insights and preferences

Getting social

Sep. 07, 2012

Communal tables and shareable small plates may have spawned the social dining trend, but today’s customers want more. Gen Y—aka the Millennials—are leading the charge. And they spend a lot more of their disposable income on dining out than other generations.

Consumer Trends

Gluten-free still growing

Mar. 06, 2013

Requests for gluten-free menu items are not coming only from those with gluten sensitivities anymore. Americans have gotten it into their heads that a gluten-free diet is a healthier way to eat. As of January, 2013, almost one-third of U.S. adults say they want to cut down or be free of gluten in their diets, according to The NPD Group, which has been tracking the eating habits of Americans since 1976.

Consumer Trends

The Gifts of Pickling & Preserving

Aug. 23, 2013

For centuries, whole cultures have been sustained through the use of a variety of food preservation practices such as fermenting, pickling, conserving, canning and drying. And while these practices fall in and out of favor year after year, today they are enjoying a revival on menus in surprising new ways.

Consumer Trends

The state of fine dining

By Scott Hume on Oct. 15, 2014

The recession nearly led to the category's demise, but concepts that evolved survived—and even thrived.

Consumer Trends

The state of discounting

By Sara Rush Wirth on Dec. 17, 2015

How many American consumers use coupons, how frequently and in what format? These questions and more are answered in the state of discouting analysis.

Consumer Trends

5 'new' restaurants worth noticing

By Kelsey Squire on May 31, 2016

Reinvention is the star of the current list of concepts we're eyeing, as Cafe Annie makes a comeback, the Four Seasons unveils its new location and Alinea 2.0 has its much-awaited reveal.

Consumer Trends