Faces of the future: What four types of diners are looking for

During a 1965 radio interview, surrealist painter Rene Magritte said of his piece “Son of Man” that everything people see hides another thing—and people always want to see what is hidden. Consumers’ gender, age, ethnicity or income are generally in plain sight. However, sometimes those classifications eclipse diverse habits, needs and motivations—the hidden factors.

In the golden age of social media, dining trends seem to explode and fade nearly as quickly as consumers can send a tweet. To keep a finger on the elusive pulse of today’s diners, operators need to know exactly whom they’re dealing with. Together with data firm Technomic, FoodService Director presents the four consumer archetypes noncommercial operations should be watching—and how to cater to their hidden desires.

 Consumer Breakdown

Demographics were selected to represent the consumers who have the greatest impact on noncommercial foodservice.

Busy Balancers

Ages 25 to 64

Jorge is always on the move. His job as a manager at a hospital has him on his feet all day—not to mention he has three young kids at home. Frequently pushed for time and not always able to cook, he often eats at the dining services his hospital offers. Still, he goes out of his way to be healthy.

Need to know

• Consumers ages 25 through 64 make up more than 17% of Busy Balancers—one of the highest percentages of any age group in the category.

• About half of Busy Balancers—and 47% of those between the ages of 25 and 64—say it’s very important that dining staff is knowledgeable.

• Many Busy Balancers ages 25 through 64 are parents, so ensuring there are kid-friendly features is a must.

Opportunities for operators

 Consumer Breakdown

Demographics were selected to represent the consumers who have the greatest impact on noncommercial foodservice.

Functional Eaters

Ages 18 to 24

Aliyah is just looking for some grub that will carry her through her daily grind of full-time coursework and multiple gigs. She’s on a tight budget—this college student won’t be spending $15 on avocado toast anytime soon. Convenience and simplicity are essential for this diner, who does not have much time to cook and makes quick decisions on the go. But keeping up her nonstop hustle is stressful, so any processes geared toward ease and convenience are a big win for Aliyah.

Need to know

• Functional Eaters expect speed and accuracy and do not have time to deal with botched meals. In fact, the only other elements that are equally or more important to this group are the cleanliness of the kitchen and dishes, and the taste of the food.
College-age Functional Eaters opt for healthier options more often than older demographics.

• About 23% of Functional Eaters between the ages of 18 and 24 look for high-value, high-quality items, and 38% dub food quality as very important.

Opportunities for operators

 Consumer Breakdown

Demographics were selected to represent the consumers who have the greatest impact on noncommercial foodservice.

Foodservice Hobbyists

Ages 25 to 64

Need to know

• Consumers ages 25 through 64 make up more than 15% of Foodservice Hobbyists.

• Foodservice Hobbyists are early adopters of plant-forward dining.

• More than three-fourths (80%) of Foodservice Hobbyists—and 81% of those between the ages of 25 and 64—say the food quality of away-from-home meals is very important. This is consistent across all segments, as it’d be rare to find someone who doesn’t want quality food. But Foodservice Hobbyists are pickier.

Opportunities for operators

 Consumer Breakdown

Demographics were selected to represent the consumers who have the greatest impact on noncommercial foodservice.

Health Enthusiasts

Ages 65 and up

Need to know

• Consumers ages 65 and older make up nearly 18% of Health Enthusiasts—the largest age group in the category.

• Roughly 71% of Health Enthusiasts age 65 and older say a clean interior space is very important whenever they’re dining away from home, the highest percentage among age groups in that archetype.

• While some of these consumers find menu variety important (40%), only 34% of those ages 65 and older in this category do.

Opportunities for operators

 Consumer Breakdown

Demographics were selected to represent the consumers who have the greatest impact on noncommercial foodservice.