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Consumer Trends

Consumer trends, insights and preferences

Consumer Trends

How Technomic's 2026 trend predictions are panning out

 By Patricia Cobe and Bret Thorn on Feb. 03, 2026

Menu Talk: A month into the new year, Lizzy Freier, senior director of menu research & insights at Technomic, revisits the team’s top trends.

Consumer Trends

Why private-label’s grocery glow up should make restaurants nervous

 By Heather Lalley on Jan. 22, 2026

Retail Watch: Store brands continue to set records. Their rise should give restaurants some clues about what diners want right now.

Consumer Trends

Chain restaurants accelerate limited-time offers to lure consumers

By Patricia Cobe on Jan. 05, 2026

LTO launches are up 19% year over year, with nearly 4,000 rolling out in November alone, finds Technomic.

Consumer Trends

Grubhub: 2025 was the year convenience stores became meal destinations

By Hannah Hammond on Dec. 16, 2025

A survey by the delivery platform found a major consumer shift toward orders of hot, protein-forward, grab-and-go c-store foods like taquitos, chicken rollers and hot dogs.

Consumer Trends

Taco Bell parent Yum Brands gazes into its crystal ball with first-ever food trends report

By Patricia Cobe on Dec. 10, 2025

The parent of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut joins dozens of forecasters to predict what consumers will be eating and drinking in 2026.

Consumer Trends

Sustainability still matters to restaurant customers, but not as much as before

By Patricia Cobe on Dec. 03, 2025

Consumers everywhere are most interested in getting their money’s worth when dining out, but sustainable messaging can help sell value.

Consumer Trends

Consumers are still dining out, with some caveats

By Joe Guszkowski on Nov. 19, 2025

New reports from Toast, OpenTable and Resy show how diner demands are shifting. Late dinner is out, bar seating is in, and the bathroom better be Instagrammable.

Consumer Trends

Americans' favorite fast-food chain is a convenience store

By Chuck Ulie on Nov. 18, 2025

Buc-ee's topped a ranking of quick-service brands compiled by researcher dunnhumby, and Kwik Trip came in at No. 2. The results show the continued blurring of lines between restaurants and c-stores.

Consumer Trends

Jam-packed workdays are impacting restaurants' lunch business

By Patricia Cobe on Oct. 13, 2025

Restaurant lunch sales are taking a hit as 51% of office workers now skip lunch weekly, with Gen Z leading the trend. Rising costs and heavy workloads are reshaping midday dining habits, finds ezCater, creating new challenges and opportunities for foodservice operators targeting the workplace market.

Consumer Trends

Chick-fil-A remains top restaurant brand for teenagers

By Lisa Jennings on Oct. 10, 2025

Chick-fil-A dominates teen dining preferences for the seventh consecutive year, capturing 17% of votes in Piper Sandler's latest "Taking Stock with Teens" survey, outpacing McDonald's (11%) and Chipotle (10%). The Atlanta-based quick-service chain dethroned Starbucks from the top spot years ago and continues its reign among younger consumers. However, teen spending declined 6% year-over-year to $2,213, reflecting broader economic pressures on this key demographic.

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