Tuesday, May 26, 1998

New Takeout Food Trends Study Available

by Bryan Salvage

In a given month, 70 percent of U.S. households make at least one carryout purchase, 33 percent order meals to be delivered, and 25 percent make both carryout and delivery purchases. These are some of the findings uncovered in a new study entitled "Takeout Foods: A Consumer Study of Carryout and Delivery" sponsored by the National Restaurant Association.

The study also explores who uses takeout service, what types of restaurants are patronized, and what factors motivate consumers to use takeout services and visit a particular type of restaurant.

Twenty-one percent of respondents who use off-premise restaurant services purchase one or more such meals a day (daily users); 21 percent of respondents purchase off-premise meals every other day (frequent users); 22 percent purchase meals for off-premise consumption about twice a week (moderate users); and 31 percent make purchases for off-premise consumption less than once a week (light users).

Daily users are young and mobile, more likely to be men, and depend on takeout foods for much of their total food intake, according to the survey. They represent 51 percent of off-premise dining occasions. Daily users are home infrequently and use delivery at or below average rates. Often these consumers have yet to establish their own household.

Frequent users tend to live in newly formed households, and are typically young couples and young parents who favor fast food, carryout and delivery service. They represent 29 percent of off-premise dining occasions.

Moderate users include young couples and older couples. These patrons favor carryout places, grocery store carryout and deli, bagel and doughnut shops. Moderate users represent 13 percent of off-premises occasions.

Light users are the most mature, or elderly, off-premise users. These patrons favor delivery and carryout places and view such restaurant services as a "change of pace." Light users represent 7 percent of off-premise dining occasions.

Fast-food restaurants capture the largest share of off-premise dining occasions (52 percent) and dollars (41 percent). Carryout restaurants capture 10 percent of off-premise dining patronage and 15 percent of sales. Full-service restaurants account for 6 percent of off-premise dining patronage and 11 percent of sales.

Eighteen percent of off-premise dining occasions occur before 11 a.m., with fast-food restaurants, and deli, bagel and doughnut shops as the main competition in the morning.

Thirty-eight percent of off-premise diner occasions occur between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., with the majority occurring around noon. Fast-food restaurants are especially strong during midday and represent 60 percent of midday, off-premises diner occasions. Carryout places represent 10 percent of off-premises diner occasions.

Forty-four percent of off-premises occasions occur after 4 p.m. During this time, carryout restaurants (13 percent) and delivery outlets (15 percent) conduct the majority of their business. Other dining outlets that do well in this time frame are fast-food (45 percent of dining occasions) and full-service restaurants at 8 percent.

The Takeout Foods survey identifies five different consumer need states for off-premise occasions: in a hurry, tired, treat, healthy and no other choice.

This article reprinted with permission from Meat Marketing and Technology Magazine.

Return to 1998 News Archives