A new Y-Pulse® nationwide study of Millennial and Gen Z consumers delved into their perspectives on dining out experiences. In a food culture driven by convenience, young adult consumers have developed a reputation for their interest in exploring new foods and setting trends. This study provides insight on how culinary professionals can feed customers’ desires for speed and culinary adventure while nourishing their own culinary creativity in the kitchen.  

“This study found more than half of the Millennial and Gen Z consumers surveyed agreed that convenience was more important than cuisine, and that was surprising and a bit unsettling,” said Sharon Olson, Executive Director of Y-Pulse. “Yet as we took a closer look at the fresh, delicious and trend-setting dining options available in fast casual restaurants and on college and university campuses around the country, we soon realized that there is little need for young adult consumers to have to make that choice.”

This study revealed three key insights on dining behavior in today’s convenience driven food culture for foodservice professionals.

Convenient Lifestyle Dining
Breaking bread together has always been a way of bringing people together, and the young adults who participated in this survey provided a fresh perspective. Seventy-two percent reported that sharing a meal with a friend or family member in the car suits their hectic lifestyle.

Thanks to a recent Tik-Tok video of an ice cream sundae hack posted by two moms with their drive-through ice cream cones and a few supplies, dashboard dining has given way to extreme in-car cooking among friends. With the variety of foods available from quick service restaurants, the drive-through may become a new venue for culinary exploration.

Convenient Café Cuisine
Convenience stores that might have been considered little more than a fuel stop a decade ago are becoming adult friendly gathering places. In fact, 77% of survey participants said they like convenience stores that have café seating.  Forward thinking foodservice professionals have become accustomed to customers with high expectations for convenient and high-quality food and beverage offerings. 

Food halls and marketplaces also attract young adult consumers where they can conveniently experience a world of choices through the wide range of vendors. Food halls are favored by 81% of survey participants because of the variety of food offerings. They also make it easy and convenient for a group of friends with diverse tastes to dine together. Eighty-eight percent liked food markets because of the ease of sharing a meal with others when not everyone in the party wants the same type of food. 

Convivial To-go Experiences
Seventy-one percent of Millennial and Gen Z consumers surveyed said they prefer meals they can consume on the go. Yet, that does not necessarily mean they are consuming those meals alone. Ninety-one percent enjoyed sharing meals with other people rather than dining alone. Eighty-seven percent reported that they enjoy taking their to-go meal somewhere else to relax and enjoy with others. 

Welcoming gathering places are a hallmark of college and university campuses and today’s campuses are even more mindful of creating friendly and inclusive spaces. Comfortable, convenient, customer friendly venues are also popping up on business campuses around the country as employers try to entice employees back to the workplace post-pandemic. 

The inspiration for this new report came from a 2017 Y-Pulse study that asked the same question about convenience versus cuisine of young adult consumers. Six years ago, 44% of those surveyed reported convenience as more important than cuisine in their dining decisions compared to 59% in the latest study. It is important to look at the innovation and evolution driven by visionary foodservice professionals who have created menu items and modern venues that continue to entice and enthrall young adults so they can have a memorable culinary experience that suits their lifestyle.