Teen diners still love Starbucks

teens starbucks

Starbucks remains the top restaurant brand among teens, according to a recent report by financial firm Piper Jaffray.

The coffee giant is the top choice among teens from both average- and high-income backgrounds, edging out such competitors as Chipotle and Chick-fil-A, according to the firm’s biannual “Taking Stock with Teens” survey.

Echoing changing preferences among diners overall, 64% of teens now lean toward limited-service brands, Piper Jaffray notes. Olive Garden and Buffalo Wild Wings were the only full-service chains to make the list of preferred restaurant brands—coming in fourth and fifth, respectively, among average-income teens.

According to Piper Jaffray, teens’ restaurant spending continues to grow, outpacing their spending on what’s often seen as the ultimate status symbol for that age group—clothes.

Starbucks has been named the top restaurant among teens surveyed by Piper Jaffray since at least 2008. 

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners