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How consumers favor flavor

See how flavor preferences break out among demographic groups.

1 Min Read
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Heat and spice continue to draw consumers to menu items, but diners are also seeking more complex flavor combinations. Spicy heat balanced with sweet, sour, savory or pickled flavors is a trend to watch. Data from Technomic’s Flavor Consumer Trend Report, powered by Ignite, backs up these flavor preferences and variations among demographics.

  • 50% of consumers prefer very spicy sauces. The number climbs higher for millennials (59%) and men (58%).

  • 43% of 18- to 34-year-olds would like foodservice venues to offer more foods with a combination or fusion of flavors from more than one type of cuisine. The number decreases to 32% and 24%, respectively, for consumers over 35.

  • 43% of Gen Zers and 46% of millennials would like to see more local flavors on menus. The demand is higher in regions with distinct flavor profiles, such as the South.

  • 37% of consumers expect operators to frequently introduce new flavors to the menu. That number surges to 47% with younger diners (ages 18-34), who express a stronger demand for flavor innovation, compared to 33% for those 35 and older.

  • 23% of baby boomers prefer sticking to favorite flavors and rarely try new ones.

  • 59% of consumers overall try new menu items to discover new flavors.

About the Authors

Lizzy Freier

Managing Editor

Lizzy Freier is a managing editor at Technomic, a Winsight Company, with a focus on menu trends. Lizzy covers trending flavors, ingredients, dishes and preparations for food and beverage at independent restaurants, emerging chains and top chain restaurant brands. She has also analyzed global trends. She has presented at numerous conferences in the U.S. and Canada on menu trend development for restaurant operators, manufacturers and distributors.

Lizzy studied English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She currently resides in Chicago.

Patricia Cobe

Senior Editor

Pat plans and executes the menu sections of Restaurant Business and FoodService Director, covering food and beverage trends, Menu R&D, profiles of chefs and restaurateurs and Technomic research. She also contributes to the digital content of both RB and FSD and is editor of two weekly e-newsletters, Recipe Report and On the Menu. Pat’s weekly podcast, MenuFeed, covers a wide range of menu topics through interviews with chefs and operators.

Pat came to Winsight from Hearst, where she was an executive editor. She is the co-author of the Mompreneurs series of books as well as two cookbooks. She graduated from Cornell University and earned a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. She is active in several professional organizations, including Les Dames d’Escoffier and the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), and serves as a judge for the James Beard Media Awards.

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