2025
9
US Family Dining Trends Report 2025
2025-12-23T10:01:33+00:00
REP4927241B_5014_48A0_BC5D_4423E9B9E8B3
4995
189933
[{"name":"Foodservice","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/foodservice"},{"name":"Market Intelligence Reports","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/report-type\/market-intelligence-reports"},{"name":"US","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/markets\/us-market-research"}]
Report
en_GB
73% of parents (of children under 18) are open to kids taking the lead when dining out, and over a…
US
Foodservice
simple

US Family Dining Trends Report 2025

"Families are seeking restaurants that satisfy multiple individual tastes, enable healthy, affordable eating, and offer space for real connection as a family."

Varchasvi, Research Analyst

Varchasvi, Research Analyst

Market Intelligence ReportsFoodserviceUS

US Family Dining Trends and Insights

  • 73% of parents (of children under 18) are open to kids taking the lead when dining out, and over a third of kids already order food online themselves. This increasing autonomy means restaurant marketing must reassure parents on health and safety, while also appealing to kids with cues they recognize, like pop culture or gaming tie-ins.
  • Healthy choices remain a top priority and a key factor in restaurant selection, yet many parents say menus fall short. Kid-friendly dining ambiance is another pain point, and many believe kids’ menu items aren’t worth the price. These gaps signal opportunities for innovation – both in experience and menu items – especially as younger parents’ preferences, like Gen Z’s snacking habits, shape how their children eat.
  • At the same time, tight budgets and varied tastes complicate the current perception of value in foodservice. Families rely on restaurants not just for celebrations but for everyday dining and convenience, so designing menus that feel relevant and offer value while meeting unique family needs is critical. Operators that balance affordability, health, and family-friendly experiences will be best positioned to retain this important segment.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • How families are dining today
  • Decision-making dynamics at mealtimes
  • What families want from restaurants
  • Challenges parents face in family dining
  • New offerings that are capturing kids’ attention
  • Sentiment and satisfaction around family meals

Collapse All

  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Market predictions
    • Opportunities
    • Design spaces and menus for low-stress dining
    • Three priorities for enabling quality time in family dining
    • Align tech-driven fun with parent-approved choices
    • Graph 1: interest in various promotions and offerings, 2025
    • Future-proof family dining with pop culture, personalization, and seamless ordering

  2. MARKET DYNAMICS

    • Convenience drives the shift toward takeout and delivery
    • Graph 2: typical restaurant dining behavior, 2025
    • Graph 3: families’ restaurant ordering in the past three months, by method, 2025
    • Dining rooms are shrinking
    • Food AFH is expensive, but may offer a necessary compromise for families
    • Graph 4: Consumer Price Index for all Urban consumers, not seasonally adjusted – food AH and AFH, 2024-25
    • Family dining is about connection

  3. CONSUMER INSIGHTS

    • Who makes the call, and how much sway do kids have?
    • Parents decide on meals, but kids’ hold influence on dining out]
    • Parents decide on meals, but kids’ hold influence on dining out
    • Families want food that works every day
    • Graph 5: family dining behaviors, 2025
    • What drives restaurant choice?
    • Healthy options matter most to families
    • Graph 6: factors important when choosing a restaurant, ranked, 2025
    • Family dining forces a tradeoff between health and ease
    • Graph 7: select factors when choosing a restaurant – any rank, by number of children under 18 in household, 2025
    • Use family-friendly bundles to bridge the health-value gap
    • Graph 8: select attitudes – value and nutrition in family dining – any agree, 2025
    • Gen Z is making snacking a part of family dining
    • Graph 9: select factors when choosing a restaurant – any rank, by generation, 2025
    • Where are the friction points?
    • Kid-friendly dining is hard to find
    • Graph 10: aspects that seem challenging when ordering from restaurants, 2025
    • Bridging kids’ and parents’ dining preferences is harder for Gen X
    • Graph 11: aspects that seem challenging when ordering from restaurants, 2025
    • Families want value and quality in kids’ menu items
    • Graph 12: kids’ menu items – price perception, 2025
    • Simplicity and adventure can coexist on kids’ menus
    • Graph 13: select attitudes – kids’ menu items, 2025

  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES

    • Restaurant design will be a key driver of family loyalty
    • Online and AI-enabled ordering will require new safeguards for families
    • Elaborate, thoughtfully-curated kids’ menus will appeal
    • QSR LTOs go all in on character merchandise
    • Family bundles remain a key lever to pull, especially around the holidays
    • Cuisine exploration can be a shared family experience
    • Mintel Spark: ideas for elevated, innovative kids’ menus

  5. 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.
$ 4,995 (Excl.Tax)
  • Download today with instant access
  • Multiple formats provided
  • Interactive databook included
Add to cart
Report Brochure Methodology Talk to a Reports Specialist

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more

Trusted by global industry leaders

Deutsch logo

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
Jackman logo

At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.

Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
Amazon logo

Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.

Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.

Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon
Tenth Wave logo

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
VML logo

We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.

Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.

Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, VML

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more