Economy Is Shaping Restaurant Goers’ Entree Options

Technomic’s “Center of the Plate” series, the Poultry Consumer Trend Report and Beef & Pork Consumer Trend Report find that the economy is causing many consumers to substitute beef for less expensive proteins such as chicken. These reports examine changing consumer protein preferences, attitudes toward health and food safety issues and their effects on purchase behavior, plus emerging trends in flavor, preparation and presentation.

Major findings [Excerpted from article]:

• More than three out of five consumers think that turkey (64 percent) and chicken (61 percent) are healthier than beef or pork.
• Among emerging full-service chains and independent restaurants, the top three preparation methods for beef were “cut” (as in hand-cut, center-cut or barrel-cut) at 16.7 percent, “grilled” (13.3 percent) and “aged” (12.4 percent). These were often used together in describing specific beef entrees.
• Though consumers say they would like to order more ethnic and regional chicken dishes, restaurants have not yet met growing demand. Operators have increased their offerings of bolder, globally-inspired poultry dishes, but menu analysis reveals there is even more room for growth.

Compared to the population at large, both students and Canadians displayed interesting differences, including:

• The high protein content of beef was less appealing to students (39 percent) than to non-students (47 percent). However, students were more likely than non-students to think that beef is healthier than pork, chicken or turkey.
• Several flavors for beef preferred by Americans, such as bourbon and chipotle, are significantly less appealing to Canadian consumers.
• For beef, students show increased interest in spicy, ethnic flavors such as chili pepper, chipotle and hot sauce, and less for traditional flavors such as garlic and black pepper.