Consumer Trends

To nobody's surprise, Chick-fil-A remains teens' favorite restaurant

The chicken chain topped Piper Sandler’s semi-annual survey of teen spending in the U.S., followed by Starbucks and Chipotle.
Chick-Fil-A
According to the survey, male teens spend more on food than females. / Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Teens love Chick-fil-A.

That is, at least, according to Piper Sandler’s Taking Stock with Teens survey. The semi-annual survey has again labeled Chick-fil-A teens' favorite restaurant, a rank it's held for the last few years running. This year, the chicken chain led teen food spending by making up 13% of their share of wallet.  

Starbucks came closely behind with a 12% share, and Chipotle followed with 7%.

Investment bank Piper Sandler, which surveyed 5,690 teens on their discretionary spending trends and brand preferences, also revealed that male teens spend more on food than their female counterparts. Food was the No. 1 spending priority for males at 24% share of wallet, while clothing was the top priority for females. Self-reported spending was up 2% year over year.

Per the survey, it also appears teens' willingness to try plant-based meat is on the decline. Piper Sandler found that 42% of teens consume or are willing to try plant-based meat, down from 49% in spring 2021. Of the teens surveyed, 40% either consume plant-based dairy or are willing to.

And when it comes to social media, TikTok is still young people’s favorite platform, taking 37% share, but it has decreased by 100 basis points compared to fall 2022. Snapchat came in at No. 2, followed by Instagram.

As far as social issues are concerned, teens care about the Earth. The survey revealed that the environment is teens' top social issue, with 19% of mind share.

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