FAST CASUALS SEEK TO BE A DESTINATION FOR SNACKS

CHRISTINE LAFAVE GRACE
MARCH 13, 2014
In November, Technomic identified “Every daypart is a snack daypart” as one of its 10 foodservice trends for 2014. New consumer numbers from our 2014Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report bear that out: A slight majority of U.S. consumers (51%) say they snack at least twice a day.
That’s up from 48% who said the same in 2012. In addition, nearly one-fifth (19%) of consumers say they snack three times or more daily. Perhaps unsurprisingly, grazing is especially popular among younger consumers: 42% of those ages 18–34 say they’re snacking more frequently now than they were two years ago.
Foodservice outlets from convenience stores to casual-dining restaurants have sought to capitalize on consumers’ growing interest in anytime snacking in recent years by rolling out a range of small bites, to-go snack cups and half-portion options. Here, retail stores absolutely have the upper hand with consumers, and fast-casual restaurants have a notably lower rate of use for snacks than do quick-service restaurants. On average, our report finds, 80% of snacks are sourced from retail stores, while 20% are purchased from restaurants. And while more than half of consumers (54%) say they buy snacks from fast-food burger restaurants at least once every three months, just 20% say the same for snacks from bakery cafés, and 11% report buying snacks from other fast-casual restaurants with that frequency.
A perceived lack of choices of snackable menu items at restaurants may be keeping restaurants from realizing their between-meals business potential. Only 21% of consumers, for example, agree that limited-service restaurants do a good job of offering items they would purchase as a snack.
Several fast-casual concepts are aiming to combat this perception, promising high-quality, right-size snack choices that are more satisfying and/or healthful than what consumers might find at a retail store or fast-food outlet, but delivered with the same convenience. The sweet and savory new snacks they’re offering—designed to bolster their image as a snacktime destination—target consumers’ diverse snacking interests and appetites. Here’s a look at several of their current snack selections:
Rubio’s Street Tacos, Rubio’s: Chicken or steak on snack-size tortillas with fresh guacamole, cilantro and onions ($1.89 each)
Snack-Size Specialty or Seasonal Milkshake/Smoothie, Burgerville: In flavors such as Chocolate Monkey, Mocha Perk or Oreo cookies and mint ($2.20)
Apple Snacking Spice Cake, Flour (Boston): With apples, raisins, spices and nuts ($2.95)
Michigan Blueberry and Granola Pretpot, Pret A Manger: Ronnybrook Farm Yogurt with a blueberry compote and honey-sweetened multigrain granola ($3.69)
The L’il Hoagie, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: A smaller portion of barbecue on a hoagie bun with pickles, onion and barbecue sauce ($4)
Chicken Snack, House of Ribs (Chicago): Lightly breaded and broasted in vegetable oil ($6.40)
Gluten-Free Carrot, Zucchini and Broccoli Stir-Fry, Nature’s Grill: Stir-fry vegetable salad (“a great light meal or snack”) served over brown rice ($7.85)
A few final snack stats worth noting: By a sizable margin, the appetizers/starters section is the leading area of the menu consumers look to for snacks. Two-thirds of consumers say they often order snacks from appetizer/starter menus, vs. 45% who report regularly choosing snacks from the desserts and dollar menus, respectively. Smaller shares of consumers select snacks from sides (39%) and beverage (34%) menus. As for pricing, consumers say they’re willing to pay up to $4.70 for a snack at a bakery café and as much as $6.10 for a snack from a different type of fast-casual restaurant.