This report offers a complete review of the Gen Z food consumer. As Gen Z explore food and foodservice, they’re going to shape the spending future of these industries. Explore how Gen Z perceive and prefer food with this report.
US Gen Z Food Consumer – Current Trends
While the full opportunity of Gen Z won’t be realized until they fully hit adulthood, around 95% are engaging with foodservice, retail food, or both. It may not be their dollars spent at this stage, but they’re building the loyalties now that will shape their spend well into the future.
Like most consumers, Gen Z food habits revolve around convenience, quality, and value. And, perhaps above all else, Gen Z is looking for food to be an experience, not simply a way to fuel their bodies.
Bringing a sense of fun to food can engage Gen Z, allowing them to express themselves and capture a sense of adventure. CPG and foodservice alike can embrace a sense of play in their brand story and messaging, remembering that food doesn’t have to be serious or stuffy to win its category. At restaurants, this might look like casual vibes with snacking menus; for CPG, this can include fun flavors, innovative formats, and products that help cooking be fun, even as young people are still learning.
Gen Z has real power: about 60% picked some or most of the restaurants they ate at in the last three months, and only 4% of those 14-17 (2% for 18+) did not buy any food. Help them come of age in the kitchen with products that make the learning process less painful, and get them in the door at restaurants with menus that consider the budgets of early adulthood.
US Gen Z Food Consumer Statistics
- Snacks top meal choice for teen (14-17) Gen Z: Gen Z is the snacking generation, and this carries across to foodservice, too. Coffee/tea shops are prioritized more than other restaurant types visited recently at 59% of teen consumers.
- Importance of dollar value increases into older Gen Z: While good service is the preferred restaurant attribute for both teen and 18+ Gen Z, preferences change as Gen Z age into adulthood. Winning over younger Gen Z will enable loyalty into adulthood.
- 49% of 18+ Gen Z go to restaurants to celebrate: Special occasions are key for Gen Z, and restaurants must consider that this generation require more than just a meal provider, especially as prepared meals are considered on-par with foodservice.
US Gen Z Food Consumer Report – What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analyzed in the Report
Each of the following is broken down by teen Gen Z (14-17) and adult (18+):
- Restaurant visitation, choice and influence
- Important attributes for foodservice
- Attitudes and behaviors towards restaurants
- Associations with specific meal types
- Food purchase location
- Important attributes from food brands
- Attitudes and behaviors towards cooking and eating
- Concept interest
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
Michele joined Mintel in 2019 as a Senior Research Analyst reporting on the cannabis industry. In her current role, she covers all things cannabis, including topics related to THC, CBD and hemp. Michele has a PhD in sociology from North Carolina State University and has expertise in qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Opportunity won’t wait for Gen Z to age up; meeting their demands and acting as a partner in their culinary coming of age is fruitful now, and into the future.
Michele Scott
Associate Director, US Research – Food and Drink
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Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
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Market Dynamics
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Annual inflation sits at 3% as of June, the lowest it has been in over three years
- Graph 1: headline CPI and core CPI, 2021-24
- Consumer sentiment remains down, but is expected to rebound soon
- Graph 2: consumer sentiment index, 2022-24
- Gen Z won’t settle when it comes to food experiences
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Overview
- Driven by an increase in multiracial identities, Gen Z is the most ethnically diverse generation of adults
- Graph 3: generations, by race, 2024
- Graph 4: generations by Hispanic origin, 2024
- Gen Z’s independence will continue to be apparent in their food choices
- Graph 5: population distribution and prediction, by generation, 2018-28
- Smaller families change the shape and size of food
- Graph 6: population growth and projections, 2014-29
- Restaurant visitation
- Snacks top meals for teen Gen Z foodservice occasions
- Graph 7: gen Z (14-17) restaurants visited in last three months, 2024
- Fast food meets the most needs for adult Gen Z
- Graph 8: gen Z (18+) restaurants visited in the last three months, 2024
- Foodservice is a social hub for teen girls
- Graph 9: gen Z (18+) restaurants visited in the last three months, by gender, 2024
- Graph 10: gen Z (14-17) restaurant visitation, by gender, 2024
- Restaurant choice and influence
- Ignoring teen Gen Z now leaves both current and future opportunities on the table
- Graph 11: gen Z restaurant choice and influence, 2024
- Group dynamics complicate restaurant choice, but operators can smooth the process with inclusive menus
- Graph 12: gen Z restaurant choice and influence, by age and gender, 2024
- Important foodservice attributes
- 18+ have stronger feelings about foodservice
- Graph 13: important attributes for foodservice (14-17), 2024
- Graph 14: important attributes for foodservice (18+), 2024
- Key attributes only gain importance over time, and women double down on preferences
- Graph 15: important attributes for restaurants (18+), by gender, 2024
- Graph 16: important attributes for restaurants (14-17), by gender, 2024
- Attitudes and behaviors towards restaurants
- Gen Z carries on the trend of foodservice as an event, not just a meal
- Consistencies into adulthood suggest celebratory occasions are the opportunity
- Graph 17: attitudes and behaviors towards restaurants (18+), 2024
- Graph 18: attitudes and behaviors towards restaurants (14-17), 2024
- Fun, memorable spaces lock in the next generation of women
- Graph 19: attitudes and behaviors towards restaurants, by age and gender, 2024
- Associations with foodservice and food at home
- Self-care though food has a surprising association
- Self-care messaging can be boosted by other associations
- Graph 20: meal associations from Gen Z (14-17), 2024
- Convenience isn’t enough to carry take-out, premade meals
- Graph 21: meal type associations from Gen Z (18+), 2024
- Foodservice success is in the hands of young women
- Graph 22: meal associations – good with a group, by age and gender, 2024
- Retail purchase location
- Coming of age shifts shopping
- Supermarket sweeps on pause till adulthood
- Graph 23: food purchase location, 14-17, 2024
- Graph 24: food purchase location, 18+, 2024
- Online is the great equalizer, especially with younger Gen Z
- Graph 25: food purchase location, Gen Z by age and gender, 2024
- Important attributes from food brands
- Ease builds brand loyalty in youth, and will carry into grown-up associations
- Practical matters mean more in adulthood
- Graph 26: important attributes from food brands (14-17), 2024
- Graph 27: important attributes from food brands (18+), 2024
- Young men lead innovation interest
- Graph 28: Important attributes from food brands, by age and gender, 2024 – A brand that innovates
- Attitudes and behavior towards cooking
- Teens value cooking as a skill and cultural connector
- Graph 29: attitudes and behavior towards cooking (14-17), 2024
- Cooking maintains its role as a cost-saving life skill, with cultural relevance and entertainment value
- Graph 30: attitudes and behavior towards cooking (18+) , 2024
- Social media isn’t the panacea for Gen Z, especially into adulthood
- Graph 31: attitudes about cooking, by age and gender, 2024
- Attitudes toward cooking and eating
- Foodservice can’t depend on an increase in spending power to translate into more dining out occasions.
- Interest in foodservice dwindles as cooking rises
- Graph 32: attitudes towards cooking and eating (14-17), 2024
- Graph 33: attitudes towards cooking and eating (18+), 2024
- Gen Z women are choosing the winners of foodservice, CPG
- Graph 34: attitudes towards cooking and eating, by gender, 2024
- Concept interest
- Tech innovation sees biggest ROI with younger Gen Z
- Graph 35: concept interest (18+), 2024
- Graph 36: concept interest (14-17), 2024
- Getting Gen Z men on board starts young, requires partnerships
- Graph 37: concept interest, by age and gender, 2024
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Innovation and Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Coca-Cola has been to the year 3000
- Internet personalities parlay viral successes in the CPG space
- Keeping up with celebrity clout and cachet is a must for potential partnerships
- Marketing and advertising
- Play up pop culture moments
- Find ways to evolve legacy brands, branding
- Opportunities
- Snack brands are in a good spot; other brands should become more snackish
- Graph 38: snacking frequency, by generation, 2023
- Cooking comes into tighter focus as Gen Z comes of age
- Cooking saves money, but brands can save adult Gen Z the headache
- Value menus balance good and bad of teen finances
- Foodservice wanes with age, likely because consumers are footing their own bills
- Tech isn’t a deal breaker, but it can be a differentiator for cutting-edge brands
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Appendix
- Consumer research methodology
- Methodology: CHAID Decision tree analysis
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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