United States
Quality
Guests views on 'quality' can vary depending on location, occasion and dining company. It can be a difficult concept to pin down.
Yet, research shows that ‘overall experience’ is the most important factor when it comes to choosing a restaurant.* Therefore operators should really be looking to boost quality in every aspect of their business. Making quality improvements on ingredients to menus, front of house service to facilities, impresses guests and contributes to the experience.
Guests’ quality expectations are rising. They are asking more about the food they are eating and making more considered choices. It’s time to think about quality.
*Peach Factory Food Trends 2010
What is driving the trend?
• Fresh and Natural
Consumers
associate natural ingredients with quality. 47% of consumers agreed
with the statement "my impression of a restaurant will improve if I know
they buy fresh ingredients".
Economic American Express
Market Brief
• Great Expectations
Consumers are looking for an ‘experience’ in many aspects of life. This is as much about the quality of the food, as it is about the location, ambiance and service.
• The Media
The huge popularity of cooking programs, celebrity chefs, and high profile destination restaurants, have put culinary expertise into the mainstream. Consumers have a heightened awareness of global cuisines, ingredients, cooking methods and quality.
How this is emerging in the market?
• Brands that are "passionate about quality"
The increasing success of restaurants that pride themselves on fresh, natural ingredients, and most importantly communicate that to the customer. Fresh foods, local producers, artisan ingredients.
• The "experience" of eating out
The consumer desire for a dining experience can be seen at the top end of the market, all the way to successful mainstream operations in staff feeding where the consumer watches their meal cooked fresh in front of them.
