As the seasons change, 3 in 4 foodservice diners make some sort of change to their fall/winter dining experiences. Comfort food leads the change, as 43% of diners report ordering more comforting menu items. Despite PSLs and seasonal coffee beverages often dominating the seasonal menu space, dishes like soups and hot chocolate made with seasonal flavors and ingredients hold the most interest and speak to the need for comfort food menu variety and differentiation to meet cravings across regions, generations and genders.
Operators can lean into the comfort and tradition of the season while balancing creativity that delivers options for flavor exploration and unlocks new everyday occasions with fresh and lighter options. One avenue for creativity can be found in venturing down a road less taken and introducing consumers to fall/winter seasonal ingredients to grow their (currently smaller) seasonal produce repertoires.
When it comes to building seasonal flavor anticipation, some operators are getting creative and creating hype around Brussels sprouts menu launches, while others are pairing up value with seasonality. Still, the question remains on how to balance seasonal flavor anticipation, while extending the holiday season without launching too early or too late, opening up conversations about hyper-seasonal fall/winter menus.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Approach to fall and winter foodservice dining
- Interest in fall/winter menu innovation
- Experience and interest in fall and winter seasonal produce and fall/winter flavors and ingredients
- Interest in trial of fall/winter flavors in specific menu items
- Fall/winter foodservice attitudes
- Fall/winter menu innovation: what’s now, near and next
Restaurant operators can blend traditional comfort with creativity to grow enjoyment of and appreciation for flavors and ingredients during the fall/winter seasons.
Kelsey Olsen, Food & Drink Analyst
Collapse All
-
Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
- There's more to comfort than currently meets the menu
- Graph 1: interest in fall/winter flavors in specific types of menu items, 2024
- Graph 2: approach to fall/winter foodservice dining, 2024
- Seasonality must flex to fit different climate cravings
- Graph 3: approach to fall/winter restaurant dining, by region, 2024
- Graph 4: fall/winter dining attitudes and behaviors, by region, 2024
- Grow appreciation for fall/winter produce
- Graph 5: experience with and interest in fall/winter seasonal produce, 2024
- Help explorative younger generations step into more seasonal flavors and ingredients
- Graph 6: interest in trial of seasonal flavors and ingredients, by generation, 2024
-
Market Dynamics
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Elevated dining costs demand creative value strategies
- Graph 7: sales of food at home and away from home, 2010-24
- Flavor trial shifts to lower cost, more casual occasions
- Graph 8: new flavor trial locations, 2023
- Gen Z drives the accelerating pace of trends and fast food flavor exploration
- Graph 9: new flavor trial locations, by generation, 2023
- Fall spills into summer
-
Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Approach to fall/winter foodservice dining
- Eating for the seasons is a year round affair
- Eating for the seasons is a year-round affair
- Graph 10: approach to fall/winter foodservice dining, 2024
- Expand seasonal enjoyment across generations with menu variety
- Graph 11: approach to fall/winter foodservice dining, by generation, 2024
- Regional fall/winter dining behaviors and definitions of comfort differ
- Graph 12: approach to fall/winter restaurant dining, by region, 2024
- Interest in fall/winter menu innovation
- Seasonal produce can bring many benefits to menus
- Graph 13: interest in fall/winter menu innovation, 2024
- Grocery shopping responsibilities make women more seasonally attuned to ingredients
- Graph 14: interest in fall/winter menu innovation, by gender, 2024
- Enjoyment at the core of Gen Z's flavor exploration
- Graph 15: interest in fall/winter menu innovation, 2024
- Experience and interest: fall and winter seasonal produce ingredients
- Consumers are open to diversifying fall/winter produce-centered experiences
- Graph 16: experience with and interest in fall/winter seasonal produce, 2024
- Plenty of room to grow generational experiences with staple seasonal produce
- Graph 17: positive trial of select flavors/ingredients at a restaurant, by generation, 2024
- Experience and interest: fall and winter flavors/ingredients
- Seasonal spices and herbs can wear many hats
- Graph 18: experience with and interest in fall/winter flavors and ingredients, 2024
- A season that lends well to seasoning and herb exploration
- Graph 19: interest in trial of seasonal flavors and ingredients, by generation, 2024
- Interest in fall/winter flavors in specific menu items
- Seasonal eats for everyday options
- Graph 20: interest in trial of fall/winter flavors and ingredients in specific menu items, 2024
- Women lead seasonal flavor interests across menu items
- Graph 21: interest in trial of fall/winter flavors and ingredients in specific menu items, by gender, 2024
- Generations seek different sized seasonal experiences
- Graph 22: interest in trial of fall/winter flavors and ingredients in specific menu items
- Fall/winter foodservice attitudes
- Hyper-seasonal menu launches can balance anticipation with extension of celebrations
- Graph 23: fall/winter dining attitudes and behaviors, 2024
- Seasonal flavor anticipation driven by female diners
- Graph 24: fall/winter dining attitudes and behaviors, by gender, 2024
- Comforting classics can meet creativity for generationally relevant cravings
- Graph 25: fall/winter dining attitudes and behaviors, by generation, 2024
- Seasonal cravings are geographically dependent
- Graph 26: fall/winter dining attitudes and behaviors, by region, 2024
-
Innovation and Marketing strategies
- Menu innovation: what's now
- P is for more than just PSL's
- Apples bring versatility via beverages
- Flavor combinations add duality to seasonal taste experiences
- Pecans prove perfect for pairing
- Menu innovation: what's near
- Harvest bowls put the spotlight on savory seasonal produce and ingredients…
- …paving the way for fresh fall/winter dishes
- Pears and pomegranates sweeten fall/winter seasonal fruit options
- Oktoberfest on the menu means more seasonal flavors and ingredients to celebrate
- Menu innovation: what's next
- Global flavors infuse heat into fall/winter
- Inclusive menus support more seasonal holidays
- Lean into soup season
- Up the umami
- Marketing and advertising
- Caribou Coffee highlights authenticity of ingredients used in fall flavors
- Tis the season to pair value with seasonal items
-
Appendix
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 3,695 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or purchase order
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.
Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
