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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want and why
- Opportunities
- Use trusted ingredients as the building blocks in healthy menu options
- Don’t ignore indulgence…
- …or value in healthy dining trends
- Pay attention to how consumers interact with menu items
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Financial pressures shift priorities in AFH dining
- Graph 1: opinions on financial future, 2023-25
- Value beats out AFH health considerations when money is on the table
- Graph 2: motivations to order more often from QSRs, 2025
- Graph 3: cut back on dining out/other leisure activities in the past six months, by financial situation, 2024
- Alignment with health claims becomes a political statement
- Separating health claims from political agendas will be challenging
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts
- Dining out habits
- Approach to dining is a balancing act between enjoyment and health
- Consumers tend to be idealistic when asked about healthy dining habits
- Graph 4: habits when dining out or ordering food away from home, 2025
- The duality of social media food content shapes diverging preferences
- Graph 5: habits when dining out or ordering food away from home, by generation, 2025
- Health-conscious menus will thrive on the coasts first
- Graph 6: habits when dining out or ordering food away from home, by region, 2025
- Healthy dining options don’t always feel accessible to lower incomes
- Graph 7: habits when dining out or ordering food away from home, by financial situation, 2025
- Change in healthy dining habits
- 34% of consumers are ordering healthy menu items more often
- Graph 8: trends in selecting healthy menu items, 2025
- Visibility and improvements in taste drive the increase in healthy dining choices
- Graph 9: reasons for choosing healthy menu items more often, 2025
- Preconceived perceptions of FS reputations could make healthy offerings a hard sell
- Graph 10: reasons for choosing healthy menu items less often, 2025
- Younger consumers lead the shift toward healthier dining
- Graph 11: trends in selecting healthy menu items, by generation, 2025
- Older consumers choose healthy menu options for necessity, younger ones for preference
- Graph 12: reasons for choosing healthy menu items more often, by generation, 2025
- Approach to ordering healthy items
- Building brand trust is as crucial as creating a good menu
- Graph 13: approach to ordering healthy items at a restaurant, 2024-25
- Young consumers rely on a restaurant’s reputation for healthy eating choices
- Graph 14: approach to ordering healthy items at a restaurant, by generation, 2025
- Factors of consideration in occasions
- Consumers trade off some control over nutrition for the sake of convenience when eating out
- Graph 15: factors of consideration for different occasions, 2025
- Younger consumers drive the shift toward healthier AFH dining, but their evolving definition adds complexity
- Younger consumers drive the shift toward healthier AFH dining, but their evolving definition adds complexity
- Graph 16: factors of consideration for different occasions – ordering meals from restaurants, by generation, 2025
- Gen Z blurs the line between home and restaurant health habits
- Ingredients to encourage ordering healthy dishes
- Don’t rely on “trendy” ingredients in healthy menu offers
- Graph 17: top ingredients motivating healthy dining choice, 2025
- Younger generations have an expanded definition of “health”
- Graph 18: top ingredients motivating healthy dining choice, by generation, 2025
- Women keep it simple with trusted ingredients
- Graph 19: top ingredients motivating healthy dining choice, by gender, 2025
- Go back to the basics when money is on the table
- Graph 20: top ingredients motivating healthy dining choice, by financial situation, 2025
- What makes a meal healthier at a restaurant
- Healthy ingredients don’t need to take center stage to be impactful
- Graph 21: changes to make restaurant meals healthier, 2025
- Younger consumers want healthy options to be exciting and flavorful, not just there for the sake of it
- Graph 22: changes to make restaurant meals healthier, by generation, 2025
- Save creative healthy menu items for urban FS locations
- Graph 23: changes to make restaurant meals healthier, by area, 2025
- Attitudes toward healthy eating at restaurants
- 70% of consumers want healthy options that still feel indulgent
- Graph 24: attitudes toward healthy eating at restaurants, 2025
- Build trust through clear communication for the skeptics
- Graph 25: attitudes toward healthy eating at restaurants, 2025
- Younger consumers drive the future of healthy dining trends
- Graph 26: attitudes toward healthy eating at restaurants, by generation, 2025
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Launch activity and innovation
- Qdoba focuses on value with budget-friendly small bowls and free guacamole
- True Food Kitchen promises real food indulgence without compromise
- Starbucks jumps on the “protein bandwagon” with protein coffee drinks
- Cava offers meal customization to accommodate sensitivities and allergens
- Marketing and advertising
- Steak ‘n Shaken takes a risk blurring the lines between politics and food
- Balancing indulgence and operations: lessons from Sweetgreen’s Ripple Fries
- Smoothie King connects the dots between nutrition and tangible health benefits
- Cava brings consumers behind the scenes in food preparation
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APPENDIX
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
Healthy dining options remain a cornerstone of meeting diners’ shifting preferences, driven by a continued awareness of health and wellness. However, consumers demand more than just the label of “healthy;” these options must deliver on flavor, value and convenience, especially as financial pressures influence dining decisions. Diners seek intentional, meaningful offerings that align with their health goals without compromising indulgence or enjoyment. Personalization is key, with consumers valuing the ability to customize meals to suit their dietary needs and preferences.
Restaurants should prioritize trusted, wholesome ingredients like fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which are universally appreciated and enduring, rather than chasing fleeting health trends. By balancing health with taste, affordability and flexibility, foodservice providers can create offerings that resonate with today’s discerning diners.
This report looks at the following areas:
- How consumers approach healthy dining at restaurants
- Healthy dining claims and motivators
- Features consumers desire in healthy menu items
- Attitudes and behaviors toward eating healthy at-home and away-from-home
- Innovation and marketing in healthy dining in foodservice
Consumers don’t want healthy options to exist just for show; they need to be intentional. An ideal "healthy" meal will balance value, convenience and indulgence with trusted ingredients.
Julia Mills, Food & Drink Analyst
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