Restaurateurs interested in the foodservice universe will find considerable food for thought in The Foodservice Handbook, a compendium of data and insights drawn from every channel vying for share of stomach. Published by RB parent CSP Business Media, the Handbook benchmarks the performance of such diverse grab-and-go sources as c-stores, supermarkets and drugstores. Here are some of the gauges it provides on restaurants.
Condiment preference
In away-from-home servings of coffee, condiments are a popular add-in, included in nearly three-quarters of incidences, according to Datassential research. The most popular condiment is creamer, included in 66 percent of servings, followed by a sweetener at 48 percent.
For flavored creamers, consumers’ favorite variety is vanilla, with nearly 30 percent ranking it the most appealing offer, followed by hazelnut and caramel. Just as with flavored coffee, women found flavored creamers more appealing than men did.
| Creamer flavor appeal | |||
| Flavor | Total | Male | Female |
| Vanilla/French vanilla | 29% | 23% | 37% |
| Hazelnut | 20% | 15% | 25% |
| Caramel | 19% | 14% | 25% |
| Irish cream | 17% | 15% | 20% |
| Chocolate | 16% | 12% | 21% |
| Amaretto | 12% | 10% | 14% |
| Pumpkin | 12% | 8% | 16% |
| Peppermint | 9% | 7% | 11% |
Source: Datassential
| Condiment | Percentage of incidences |
| Creamer | 66% |
| Sweetener (sugar, sweetener, etc.) | 48% |
| Flavored syrup | 5% |
| Powdered hot chocolate | 3% |
| None | 24% |
Source: Datassential
Roast preferences
Percent responding “appealing” or “very appealing”
Consumers favor a middle road when it comes to the type of brewed coffee they drink away from home, according to Datassential research. For coffee-roast types, consumers in the Buzz survey rated medium roasts as most appealing, followed by dark roasts.
| Roast type | Appeal |
| Medium | 32% |
| Dark | 29% |
| French | 23% |
| Italian | 14% |
| Light | 14% |
| European | 14% |
| Blonde | 10% |
| City | 8% |
Source: Datassential
Top sandwich ingredients
Percent of menus offering
The following data from Food Genius reveals the most common sandwich types and ingredients across what the research firm categorizes as quick-service, fast-food, fast-casual, quick-casual and family-dining segments. Of the 87,000 unique menus that Food Genius tracks, 85,000 come from independent operations, hence the close alignment between the overall percentages and the independent percentages.
| Type | Overall | Chain | Independent |
| Styles | |||
| Club | 28% | 40% | 28% |
| Submarine | 27% | 31% | 27% |
| BLT | 27% | 29% | 27% |
| Cheesesteak | 19% | 20% | 19% |
| Sandwich Wrap | 19% | 25% | 19% |
| Reuben | 15% | 16% | 15% |
| Hoagie | 9% | 11% | 9% |
| French dip | 5% | 9% | 5% |
| Breakfast | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Cuban | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Breads | |||
| Bread roll | 24% | 41% | 24% |
| Bun | 14% | 30% | 14% |
| Pita | 12% | 10% | 12% |
| Rye bread | 9% | 11% | 9% |
| Toast | 8% | 9% | 8% |
| Kaiser roll | 6% | 8% | 6% |
| Ciabatta | 5% | 14% | 5% |
| Bagel | 5% | 6% | 5% |
| Croissant | 5% | 6% | 5% |
| Baguette | 5% | 7% | 5% |
| Focaccia | 4% | 6% | 4% |
| Hoagie roll | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| White bread | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| French bread | 3% | 5% | 3% |
| English muffin | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Proteins | |||
| Chicken | 81% | 88% | 81% |
| Pork | 72% | 78% | 72% |
| Beef | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Seafood | 58% | 60% | 58% |
| Turkey | 56% | 59% | 56% |
| Ham | 55% | 57% | 55% |
| Bacon | 52% | 65% | 51% |
| Fish | 52% | 55% | 52% |
| Steak | 42% | 44% | 41% |
| Sausage | 40% | 43% | 40% |
| Cheeses | |||
| Swiss cheese | 37% | 42% | 37% |
| Provolone | 29% | 36% | 29% |
| Mozzarella | 29% | 32% | 29% |
| Cheddar | 28% | 44% | 28% |
| Parmesan | 21% | 32% | 21% |
| American | 21% | 27% | 21% |
| Feta | 11% | 13% | 11% |
| Blue | 11% | 16% | 11% |
| Fresh mozzarella | 11% | 10% | 11% |
| Pepperjack | 7% | 13% | 7% |
| Sauces | |||
| Mayonnaise | 42% | 57% | 42% |
| Salad dressing | 38% | 56% | 38% |
| Mustard | 27% | 41% | 26% |
| Ranch dressing | 17% | 35% | 16% |
| Barbecue sauce | 13% | 25% | 13% |
| Honey mustard | 13% | 20% | 13% |
| Caesar dressing | 12% | 19% | 12% |
| Pesto | 11% | 20% | 11% |
| Hot sauce | 11% | 16% | 11% |
| Marinara sauce | 11% | 18% | 10% |
Source: Food Genius, first quarter 2014
Most important pizza attributes
Respondents answering “important” or “extremely important”
Consumers certainly put quality over quantity when ranking the most important factors in creating a good pizza.
| Attribute | Ranking |
| Fresh toppings | 84% |
| Rich/flavorful sauce | 78% |
| Cheese flavor | 78% |
| Dough/crust texture/consistency | 77% |
| Dough/crust flavor | 75% |
| Variety of toppings | 74% |
| Appetizing appearance | 73% |
| Large quantity of toppings | 68% |
| Large quantity of cheese | 68% |
| Strong aroma | 49% |
| New/innovative toppings | 32% |
Source: Technomic Inc.
Average snacks per day
Compared to baby boomers, more millennials report snacking four or more times per day. Conversely, more boomers (compared to millennial respondents) report snacking one or two times per day.
| Number of snacks per day | Millennials* | Baby boomers* |
| 1 | 16.7% | 37.1% |
| 2 | 35.1% | 39.3% |
| 3 | 22.3% | 14.3% |
| 4 | 15.3% | 6.2% |
| 5 | 5.7% | 2.2% |
| More than 5 | 4.9% | 1.1% |
Source: Culinary Visions Panel Research 2013
Base: 372 baby boomers (49-67) and 942 millennials (19-36)
*Numbers do not equal 100 due to rounding
Snacking preferences, time of day
Baby-boomer survey respondents snack much more than millennial respondents after dinner (42 percent vs. 35 percent). Millennials snack just before dinner much more frequently than boomers (22 percent vs. 8 percent).
| Day-part | Millennials | Boomers |
| Morning | 15% | 4% |
| Midmorning | 40% | 34% |
| Early afternoon | 43% | 27% |
| Late afternoon | 58% | 47% |
| Before dinner | 22% | 8% |
| After dinner | 35% | 42% |
| Late night | 37% | 25% |
Source: Culinary Visions Panel Research 2013
Base: 372 baby boomers (49-67) and 942 millennials (19-36)
Snack purchasing venue choices
Millennials prefer purchasing snacks from convenience stores and fast-food restaurants, whereas baby boomers prefer making snacks at home.
| Venue | Boomers | Millennials |
| C-store | 19% | 47% |
| Make my own at home | 45% | 33% |
| Fast-food restaurant | 21% | 39% |
| Drug store | 14% | 20% |
| Supermarket bakery | 17% | 17% |
| Supermarket deli | 12% | 16% |
| Fast-casual restaurant | 5% | 11% |
| Cafeteria at workplace | 3% | 7% |
| Casual-dining restaurant | 3% | 7% |
| Cafeteria or other venue at my school | 1% | 4% |
| Supermarket (other) | 2% | 1% |
| Other | 12% | 3% |
Source: Culinary Visions Panel Research 2013
Base: 372 baby boomers (49-67) and 942 millennials (19-36)
Snack preferences throughout the day
A look at three of the most common snacking day-parts reveals consumers start their day with more better-for-you snacks and move toward indulgence by late night. Boomers’ favorite early-morning snack is a bakery item; for millennials it’s yogurt. The preferred after-dinner snack for millennials is a tie between salty snacks, candy and bakery items, while boomers prefer chips.
| Snack | Millennials | Boomers |
| Fruit | 66% | 63% |
| Yogurt | 57% | 54% |
| Granola bar/energy bar | 56% | 47% |
| Bakery item | 52% | 59% |
| Smoothie | 43% | 16% |
| Nuts | 34% | 30% |
| Cheese | 31% | 34% |
| Candy | 26% | 22% |
| Chips/salty snacks | 23% | 24% |
| Vegetables | 25% | 14% |
| Mini meal/combination of a few foods | 21% | 11% |
| Mini sandwich/mini wrap | 20% | 11% |
| Beef jerky/meat snack | 15% | 8% |
| Prepared salad | 15% | 6% |
| Hummus | 11% | 9% |
| Soup/chili | 8% | 3% |
| Late afternoon | ||
| Chips/salty snacks | 57% | 59% |
| Fruit | 53% | 62% |
| Cheese | 47% | 57% |
| Candy | 48% | 47% |
| Nuts | 42% | 58% |
| Granola bar/energy bar | 43% | 36% |
| Bakery item | 42% | 40% |
| Vegetables | 40% | 34% |
| Mini sandwich/wrap | 41% | 19% |
| Mini meal/combination of a few foods | 39% | 18% |
| Yogurt | 30% | 35% |
| Prepared salad | 35% | 19% |
| Beef jerky/meat snacks | 36% | 15% |
| Smoothie | 35% | 15% |
| Soup/chili | 32% | 16% |
| Hummus | 25% | 15% |
| Late night | ||
| Chips/salty snacks | 57% | 63% |
| Candy | 51% | 41% |
| Bakery item | 46% | 43% |
| Fruit | 43% | 47% |
| Cheese | 40% | 38% |
| Nuts | 31% | 50% |
| Beef jerky/meat snacks | 29% | 15% |
| Yogurt | 23% | 32% |
| Mini meal/combination of a few foods | 27% | 15% |
| Granola bar/energy bar | 23% | 25% |
| Vegetables | 24% | 17% |
| Smoothie | 22% | 12% |
| Mini sandwich/wrap | 21% | 14% |
| Soup/chili | 21% | 11% |
| Hummus | 17% | 5% |
| Prepared salad | 11% | 8% |
Source: Culinary Visions Panel Research 2013
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