When millennials and baby boomers sit at the same table, it feels a bit like parents and teenagers eating a tense meal together. The younger set is photographing their food while the older diners wouldn’t dare take their phones out. The 30-somethings are anxious about the price while their older counterparts are confident they can pay. It may not seem like it, but the two groups have a lot in common — both want quality, convenience and a lot more from their restaurants.
Millennials, or people born between 1982 and 2004, have the attention of many restaurateurs because of their ability to drive the tastes of today. With a few clicks, a millennial diner can make a new cafe or food truck a huge hit. As certain people have massive followings on Instagram or Twitter, a casual comment is no longer casual. It can now be a major push for your location.
Baby Boomers, or people born between 1946 and 1964, take a very different approach to their online life. They tend to use the internet as a kind of encyclopedia, not a place to live in avatar form. They’ll visit a new restaurant’s Facebook page to check out its menu, reviews and overall quality. Unlike their younger counterparts, Boomers have more disposable income and are less likely to avoid a higher-priced place. They’re also much less likely to photograph their food before eating it or post comments about a good or bad experience.
Despite all these differences, there is a place where a few generations meet in the middle. As you plan your next restaurant and stock up on supplies, consider your concept and menu to help hit the median between these two generations.
What Millennials Want
Your younger diners have a major issue with most restaurants; They can’t afford most of them. Despite the shifts in technology and the advantage that appears to give millennials, in reality, they spend quite a bit less than their older peers. As a group, millennials only spend about $200 billion each year, a big step down from the Baby Boomers’ $2.3 trillion. The first thing a younger diner wants is affordable food. That is not to say they’ll only eat the cheapest food available; rather they’ll look for quality dishes that aren’t overpriced. A millennial will be excited about a great bowl of ramen for four dollars, even if it isn’t very big. He or she won’t be excited about a fancy, white-tablecloth-type restaurant with a wine list. The sight of it will keep them walking in search of a snack to take the place of a meal. When millennials do choose a place, they have specific elements they look for in each locale.
Individuality
Millennials seem to value uniqueness more than their predecessors. This means they want to receive marketing that features their name in the offer, products that offer new appeal and a story that creates a great selling point. When they see a completely new restaurant concept in the market, they want to know more about it.
The same is true for a new dish. The younger set is more open to trying something completely new. A dish from Oaxaca that includes blue corn tortilla or a vegan sour cream will be more appealing, especially if there is a blurb about the traditional corn mill that makes the masa or the local business creating vegan dairy products.
Why is storytelling so essential? This new element is essential because so many millennials want their products to be more than the sum of their parts. A restaurant that serves great food is one thing, but a soup and salad location that works with local farms is irresistible.
Thinking Small
The idea of sourcing food locally is one that millennials truly appreciate. A lot of them grew up eating at farmers’ markets and learning about the importance of helping the environment. They expect a good restaurant to reflect those values. A new bistro will do better with the younger group if it features bread from a small, independent bakery or beer from a local microbrewery. If you’re able to use smaller producers and suppliers, make sure you post that on your social media, on your menu and even on the walls of your restaurant.
A Sense of Community
Don’t be shy about putting in big, shared tables on your floor. Younger eaters are comfortable eating at a communal seating space like a long picnic-style table or a patio that allows customers to mingle. Your younger visitors will love the option to share their space.
Healthy Options
With so much information about ingredients, food production and the effects our food has on us as consumers, food-savvy millennials want to know what they’re eating is good for them. Many restaurants have been offering healthier options on their daily menus to draw in health-conscious young people. The label “organic” is also important to the new generation of diners, and they look for it everywhere they go, even if they’re just buying a snack. Other subcategories of food like “raw” or “fresh” are essential as well. Cold-pressed juices, good salads, and smoothie bowls are all responses to these new demands from diners.How Baby Boomers Eat
Not unlike their younger family members and friends, Baby Boomers are open to some new ideas, love a great deal and also like to know they’re making good choices for themselves.New Takes on Old Tastes
While Baby Boomers might not be open to a whole new kind of food, they are excited to see old favorites reimagined as something new and unique. Their favorite ethnic options tend to be Mexican, Chinese and Italian food, but now a lot of customers are familiar with the regions within those categories. Instead of offering something merely Chinese, focusing on specifically Sichuan dishes could be what pushes a small eatery over the edge. While pasta is great, offering a traditional dish like Chicken Piccata to highlight Italy’s talent with proteins will make a restaurant more special. One trick a restaurant can try to draw out the more adventurous side of the dining experience is to offer new, small plates around familiar proteins. Try a steak with Spanish tapas on the side or pair pork chops with sides inspired by the city of Prague.
The Takeaway Option
Like younger diners, Boomers want convenience. While millennials may prefer takeaway or delivery to accommodate a busy schedule, Boomers will like them because of the convenience. Convenience is one of the many selling points to Baby Boomers because it adds to the value of the experience. The option of stopping in, picking up dinner to go and then getting the chance to eat at home and watch a movie is highly attractive to someone in the older generation.
As you set up your dining room, consider how to best accommodate carry out options. Delivery through companies like Uber Eats or Postmates is also worth your consideration.
The Rise of Fast Casual Restaurants
So where can these two disparate groups meet and sit down together for a meal? The answer is the fast-casual restaurant. Fast-casual takes the best concepts of fast food restaurants and elevates the flavor without sacrificing convenience. The fast-casual restaurant is worth the attention of any business-minded food purveyor. A basic setup can provide the backdrop to your great new concept. From perfectly-formed burgers to craveable tacos, fast-casual stores are a leading trend that will evolve for years to come. Millennials love a place with a transparent business plan that supports local farmers and offers food for less. Baby Boomers love something that feels familiar yet fresh and comes at a fair price. Everyone can get what they want in these new, scaled-down spots.Celebrity Restaurants
Many of the new fast-casual places are hoping to capitalize on the last wave of the food truck craze. In fact, some famous food truck chefs are making the switch. Roy Choi, whom many consider to be the forefather of the food truck movement, has already opened a place of his own. Famous for his veggie burgers and Asian flavors, Choi is one of many chefs capitalizing on the new trend.
Other chefs riding the fast-casual wave are José Andres of World Central Kitchen, Daniel Humm of the NoMad and Eleven Madison Park as well as David Chang, founder of the Momofuku Restaurant Group.
Successful Fast Casual Concepts
After the trailblazers like Panera Bread and Chipotle saw huge successes, other restaurant CEOs took notice and began working on concepts of their own. These are the places that eaters hope will be around for a long time to satisfy their new cravings.
Freshii
This Canadian food chain is capitalizing on the call for healthier options by giving their customers plenty of choices. Visitors can choose from beef, chicken or tofu in their rice bowl or burrito. Breakfast options are also popular and let eaters choose from green smoothies or a large breakfast sandwich. The chance to build their own salads and personalize each dish is what makes this place an important one to diners of all ages.
Jersey Mike’s
This sub shop is a big step away from its fast food predecessors. Unlike other businesses, this sub shop slices meats to order and focuses on tasty elements like bread and fresh toppings. The concept is familiar while the approach and execution are deliberate and new.
People Dedicated to Quality, (PDQ)
PDQ decided to bank entirely on chicken tenders and trust that they are the best base for great food. The dishes feature fried chicken, and the meat is free from steroids or hormones. Dressings are prepared every day, and salads are only mixed when they’re ordered. The spot also offers excellent milkshakes with similarly fresh and unique flavors. Already famous and expanding, PDQ has promised to have 100 locations by the end of this year.
&Pizza
This fast-casual concept plays with the ever-popular choice of pizza. By offering vegan cheese and a tofu-based beef as well as chickpeas, there’s no stressing over what your vegetarian friend can eat. Another great option is the ancient grains crust as a base for some cheese and bitter greens. The chain is more prominent on the east coast, but continued success may help it spread across the country.
Blaze Pizza
Created by Rick Wetzel, (of Wetzel’s Pretzels), this restaurant took a note from Chipotle for its execution. While Chipotle lets customers build burritos or bowls in a matter of minutes thanks to its assembly line-style eating, Wetzel saw no reason why pizza couldn’t do the same.
At Blaze, customers choose a crust and a sauce, get some standard mozzarella and then select toppings of their choice. Pizzas are cooked in a high-powered oven in just three minutes. Salads, drinks, and desserts are also on offer, but it’s the cook time of the pizza that really sells this place.
BurgerFi
Taking the traditional burger place to a new level, BurgerFi lets customers pile toppings onto their burger as well as fries. They take the opportunity to push the palate of their customers with toppings like candied Bacon-Tomato Jam and Truffle Aioli as well as more common toppings like onion rings. Hot dogs, shakes and custards round out the menu, and plenty of drink options are standing by. The beef is free of hormones and antibiotics, and BurgerFi also carries the Beyond Burger, a patty made from all plant protein. Rapidly expanding, BurgerFi plans to have over 100 U.S. locations by the end of the year and already has some in other countries.
HopDoddy Burger Bar
Named after cows native to Scotland, HopDoddy offers classic, well-made burgers sourced from local farms and served on house-made buns. All this is great, but the selling point is the full bar available to customers. Also, after they leave the counter, diners can still count on full service at their table. A true combination of the traditional fine-dining experience and the draw of fast food, this place epitomizes the fast-casual experience. Are you hoping to open a fast-casual spot? Take a moment to visit some of the already functioning places in your area to see what they’re doing right. If you have a passion for grilled cheese sandwiches or love a root beer float, you could take your love of that food to a new level and have the next hot concept on your hands.7 years ago
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