FoodBytes - DataSsential

NOVEMBER 2014
FoodBytes
WHAT DO CONSUMERS WANT?
INSIGHTS FROM SCORES, DATASSENTIAL’S NEWEST INNOVATION TOOL
A TOPICAL TREND
REPORT FROM
:
NOVEMBER 2014
FoodBytes
Complete
demographic
breakdowns for every
dish and concept.
Hundreds of new dishes and LTOs
added every month.
DATASSENTIAL SCORES
Datassential’s powerful new consumer ratings tool is here.
In September, Datassential unveiled our newest innovation tool – SCORES. Think of SCORES as the world’s largest
continuous concept test. Every month we test the hundreds of new menu additions, LTOs, and test items added to
top chain menus with 500 consumers. Now you can track not only what chains are adding to menus, but what
consumers think about each of those items.
Which items are consumers most likely to purchase, and which dishes can they see themselves ordering all the
time? What do consumers really think about that unusual new LTO? And what are the dishes that will bring
customers in just to try that item? It’s all here, broken down by key consumer subgroups (gender, generation,
ethnicity, income, and region), all fully downloadable into detailed PDFs. You can even warehouse your own
concepts in a private, secure database visible only to your company and benchmark each concept’s results against
thousands of other menu items.
With nearly 1800 new items and LTOs tested in SCORES since June, this month’s FoodBytes takes a look at some
early insights, from the highest scoring dishes to themes and flavor trends that resonate with consumers. We look
at the dishes consumers will keep coming back for, the items that consumers feel offer the most value, and which
additions skew toward Millennials.
To subscribe to SCORES and gain access to millions of individual consumer ratings on thousands of dishes each
year, call Dave Jenkins at 847-903-5744 or email dave@datassential.com.
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NOVEMBER 2014
FoodBytes
CROISSANT DONUT
DUNKIN DONUTS | $2.49
DEFINED
PURCHASE INTENT
How likely are you to buy this
item?
FREQUENCY
Is this an item you could see
yourself having all the time?
UNIQUENESS
How new and different is this
item?
DRAW
Would you visit a restaurant
just for this item?
VALUE
Would you consider the item a
good value at this price?
LIKABILITY
How much do you like this item?
42%
15%
40%
PURCHASE
INTENT
FREQUENCY
UNIQUENESS
41%
35%
34%
DRAW
VALUE
LIKABILITY
CONSUMERS WILL KEEP
COMING BACK FOR
MAC & CHEESE
Consumers said they would keep bringing the family back to a
restaurant for a number of kid’s mac ‘n cheese meals added to
menus, while unlimited shrimp deals and beverages also scored
high in purchase frequency. Both the Kids BBQ Chicken Strips
with Macaroni and Cheese from Copeland’s of New Orleans
(which also scored high in purchase intent, as seen below) and
the new Mac & Cheese on the kid’s menu at Cheddar's Casual
Cafe scored the highest in purchase frequency, while a number
of drinks, particularly coffee and lemonade additions, also
scored high on the same metric. Top beverages included the
new Dark Roast and Colombian Coffees at Dunkin Donuts, Iced
Coffee at First Watch, Lemonade at IHOP, Strawberry
Lemonade at Original Roadhouse Grill, Tropical Mango Fruit
Refresher at Jamba Juice, and Teavana Shaken Iced Black Tea
Lemonade at Starbucks. And rounding out the top dishes that
consumers could see themselves coming back for were two
unlimited shrimp offerings from Outback Steakhouse.
KIDS’ ITEMS SCORE HIGH
Of the hundreds of new menu items
we tested, the two items that
consumers said they were most likely
to purchase overall were two kids’
offerings: the Cookie Crazy Kids
Sundae at Friendly’s (pictured) and
the Kids BBQ Chicken Strips with
Macaroni & Cheese at Copeland’s of
New Orleans.
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71%
PURCHASE
INTENT
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MOST MENUED
NOVEMBER 2014
Of the over 1700 items added to menus over the past few
months, over a quarter featured cheese (the top three
cheeses were mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan). The
top spice or herb added to menus was garlic, found in 114
new items and LTOs, followed by cinnamon, offered in a
number of seasonal desserts, beverages, and breakfast
dishes. While classic fruits, like lemon, lime, and apple,
were the most menued, a number of tropical fruits,
including pineapple, mango, and coconut could be found
in a variety of new items. The top vegetable added to
recent menus should come as no surprise – pumpkin was
featured in 176 new items and LTOs.
INDULGENT & UNIQUE
Many of the items that consumers scored the highest on
uniqueness are indulgent creations and treats. The highest
scoring item for uniqueness is the eye-catching First Class
Camouflage Ice Cream at Baskin-Robbins, while two cstore offerings – 7-Eleven's Doritos Loaded and Quik Trip's
Bac'n QuikShake, took the number two and three spots.
And two unusual burgers also rated high – the PBB & J
Burger at Ram Restaurant & Brewery and the Burger
Masher, topped with garlic mashed potatoes, at Carl's Jr.
were both rated very unique. Another peanut butter item
– the Peanut Butter S'Mores Pizookie at BJ's – also scored
high.
FoodBytes
BUILD YOUR OWN BURGER
WENDY’S | $8.26
67%
26%
44%
PURCHASE
INTENT
FREQUENCY
UNIQUENESS
56%
28%
59%
DRAW
VALUE
LIKABILITY
DOLLAR PRICE POINT
The highest-rated item by consumers’ perceived value was
the Steakhouse Swiss Burger at Checker’s/Rally’s, which
featured a creamy steak sauce, Swiss cheese, and
caramelized onions for $1. That $1 price point is key – 14
of the top 20 items that consumers felt offered the most
value were priced at $0.99 or $1.00. And over half of the
top 20 items by perceived value were from Taco Bell,
which introduced its new Dollar Cravings menu in August.
MOST ACTIVE AWARD…
Bonefish Grill was the most
active chain over the past few
months, adding 67 new items
to the menu, 17 more than
Ram Restaurant & Brewery, the
second most active chain.
Consumers were most likely to
order the chain’s rib-eye steak
(pictured), while 71% said the
$3 Porcini Mushroom Ravioli
was a good deal.
64%
DARK BARREL LATTE (TESTING)
STARBUCKS | Price Unavailable
21%
14%
27%
PURCHASE
INTENT
FREQUENCY
UNIQUENESS
29%
N/A
17%
DRAW
VALUE
LIKABILITY
PURCHASE
INTENT
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SEAFOOD DRAWS THEM IN
NOVEMBER 2014
The six dishes with the highest “draw” scores overall – items that will bring a
customer in just to try that dish – are all seafood dishes featuring crab, shrimp, or
lobster. The top-scoring item was the Crab Lover's Trio at Red Lobster, and the
chain also scored high with their Lobster Tacos (the chain is revamping the menu
to focus more on seafood). On average, over half of consumers would visit Red
Lobster to try one of the chain’s new dishes. Joe's Crab Shack's Bean Town Bake
and Southern Fried Maine Lobster also scored high.
FoodBytes
BREAKFAST INSIGHTS
With so much focus on breakfast, which breakfast dishes are consumers interested in? The three breakfast
dishes consumers said they are most likely to purchase overall are all classic breakfast combinations from
Perkin’s and Cracker Barrel, followed by two peach offerings at Coco’s Restaurant & Bakery and Carrow’s and
two cinnamon offerings at QSRs – the Cinnamon Swirls at Chick-fil-A and Cinnamon Pull-Aparts at Perkin’s.
Consumers rated c-stores highly for breakfast sandwiches, with over half saying they were likely to purchase the
Bavarian Pretzel Breakfast Sandwich from Holiday Station, followed by the English Breakfast Muffin from
am/pm. Consumers rated the Pumpkin Bagel Clusters at Einstein Bros. as the most unique offering, while four
items from Taco Bell’s breakfast menu scored the highest for value – the $1.00 Biscuit Tacos took the top two
spots, followed by the $1.29 Breakfast Burritos, all available in bacon or sausage options.
CONSUMERS LOVE CHOCOLATE
It may come as no surprise, but on a pure "likability" ranking, chocolate ranks high. The top-scoring item overall
– not just desserts – was the Chocolate Lover's Cake at Bennigan's, while the Chocolate Silk Pie at Coco's
Restaurant & Bakery, Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Waffle Cone Sundae at Sonic, and Double Chocolate
Brownie Bites at Starbucks all scored highly. In fact, nine of the top ten most-liked desserts featured chocolate.
But if you want to draw consumers to your restaurant just to try a dessert, it helps to have a well-known brand
featured – the top five desserts by “draw” all feature a retail candy or cookie brand.
53%
19%
52%
55%
66%
41%
PURCHASE
INTENT
FREQUENCY
UNIQUENESS
DRAW
VALUE
LIKABILITY
SOFT PRETZEL CRUST PEPPERONI PIZZA
LITTLE CAESAR’S | $6.00
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NOVEMBER 2014
FoodBytes
SPICY CALABRIAN WINGS
OLIVE GARDEN | $9.49
MILLENNIALS PREFER
BEVERAGES, SWEETS
Which new items and LTOS uniquely appeal to
Millennials? Seventeen of the top twenty dishes that
skew towards Millennials are beverages and all but
one are sweet. The Sour Patch Splash from
Friendly’s, which features watermelon-lime flavors
mixed into Sprite topped with Sour Patch Kids, had
the widest gap between Millennials and the overall
population. Meanwhile, while the general public rates
classic steak or seafood preparations highly, these
items tend to skew away from Millennials – items like
fish and chips, prime rib and lobster, and lasagna
with shrimp. There was also a gap between
Millennials and overall consumers between dishes
that might be described as “classic” or “traditional”,
such as cheddar melts, sliders, and footlong hot
dogs, which Millennials tended to skew away from.
39%
18%
38%
PURCHASE
INTENT
FREQUENCY
UNIQUENESS
43%
23%
42%
DRAW
VALUE
LIKABILITY
OUTLIER
What was the one non-sweet,
non-beverage product in the top
twenty dishes that skewed
toward Millennials? The Queso
Diablo at Qdoba, with 3-cheese
queso, jalapenos, and chipotle
peppers. The dish began as an
LTO in February before becoming
a permanent option in August.
Overall, 36% of consumers were
interested in purchasing the dish.
58%
PURCHASE INTENT
AMONG MILLENIALS
MENU ITEMS THAT SKEW TOWARDS MILLENNIALS:
CHAIN
ITEM
TOTAL US
PCTL
MILLENNIALS
PCTL
GAP
Friendly’s
Sour Patch Splash
16
83
67
Dunkin’ Donuts
Hazelnut Swirl Iced Latte
24
86
61
Applebee’s
Fireball Whisky Lemonade
26
76
51
Bonefish Grill
Banana Split Flatbread
29
79
50
Cantina Laredo
Old Glory Rita
23
73
50
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TOPICS COVERED IN LAST MONTH’S
TRENDSPOTTING REPORTS
NOVEMBER 2014
FoodBytes
DINE AROUND
In our one-year anniversary issue of Dine Around, we took a trendspotting trip to Oakland,
California, where diverse flavors and innovative chefs and operators are contributing to one
of the hippest, most on-trend cities in the country. We covered everything from modern
soul food to an upscale Asian fusion diner, contemporary Indian street food to the country’s
first cat café.
UPCOMING: We travel to Portland, Oregon, one of the hippest, trendiest cities in the U.S.
ON THE MENU
In the October’s issue of On the Menu, we discovered the Mexico-inspired flavors of mezcal,
agave syrup, and fish tacos; the rich meats of porchetta and quail; and the deep,
concentrated fruit flavor of fruit butters. And in our extensive coverage of new menu items
and LTOs at top chain operators, we look beyond the popular seasonal flavors of pumpkin to
discover lighter menu items, energy bowls, and milkshakes added to menus.
UPCOMING: We cover duck fat, polenta, skinny cocktails, sweetbreads, and more.
CREATIVE CONCEPTS
In October’s Creative Concepts, we looked at the delivery-focused startups that are
attempting to disrupt the traditional food industry. From meal kit delivery services to ondemand services that deliver chef-created, ready-to eat lunches and dinners, these
companies are attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in investments and making fresh,
healthy, innovative meals fast, affordable, and convenient for consumers.
UPCOMING: We look at how innovative operators are updating the classic steakhouse.
WORLD BITES
In World Bites, we traveled to Germany, where the rustic, comforting cuisine has provided
the basis for a number of dishes around the world. We looked at on-trend favorites like
pretzels and spatzle, plus authentic dishes inspiring innovative chefs in the U.S., like the
lemonade/beer combination of the radler and the cheese-and-butter spread obatzda. We
covered 12 authentic dishes, each with extensive consumer data on awareness and appeal.
UPCOMING: We travel to the Philippines to check out dishes like lumpia and halo-halo.
INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTS
Before traveling to the Philippines in the December issue of World Bites, we covered the
chain culture of this island chain in October’s International Concepts. This market, home to
100 million consumers, is home to a number of homegrown chains, many of which have a
presence in the U.S., from bakery chains to chicken-focused operators. We also looked at the
dishes and LTOs that US chains have adapted for the Filipino market.
UPCOMING: We head down under to check out the chain market in Australia.
NEVER MISS OUT ON A TREND!
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Contact Maeve Webster at 312-655-0596 or
maeve.webster@datassential.com to subscribe.
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NOVEMBER 2014
FoodBytes
A MAJORITY OF CONSUMERS SAY
THEIR TASTES ARE SHAPED BY
THEIR RESTAURANT EXPERIENCES
What’s happening on the menu today can
be a leading indicator of tomorrow’s food
trends.
Datassential MenuTrends is the industry’s largest
menu data set with the longest historic trend
record, plus the ability to search millions of dishes
from over 100,000 menus. Because the database is
designed to mirror the US restaurant census by
segment, region, and menu type, MenuTrends is the
only system that offers true projectable data. All
segments and cuisine types are tracked extensively
– from food trucks to fine dining.
MenuTrends INSIDER is also updated every month
with Limited Time Offers (LTOs) and other new
menu activity, with product photos that bring the
listings to life. And with thousands of ready-to-use
reports and simple trend detection tools, you can
jump right into the database, identifying,
measuring, and predicting the food and flavor
trends that matter to your business.
Call us today to begin using the food industry’s
authoritative resource for flavor trends.
Call Jana Mann at 312-655-0595 or
email jana.mann@datassential.com.
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FoodBytes
NOVEMBER 2014
FoodBytes
HUNGRY
FOR MORE?
This is just a small taste of the research and
data we have collected in order to make
accurate, data-backed trend identifications.
Now let Datassential take you deeper into
the implications of these trends and what
they mean for your company.
We can take you behind the data that shows
how restaurant menus are shrinking and
morphing, show you an in-depth look at the
surprising demographic data on consumers
(including Millennials) that informed these
trends, and show you real-world examples of
every trend covered.
And it’s all backed by the industry’s most
accurate and trusted menu database,
MenuTrends, and the industry’s largest
operator research panel, OPERA.
To start putting these trends to work for you,
contact Datassential today:
1-312-655-0596
info@datassential.com
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