11.29.2006
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For more Hartman Group articles on FOOD CULTURE, click here...
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Subscribe »Understanding The "foodie" Consumer
By now, most of us know that consumers aspire to eat healthier, but won't sacrifice taste. For the past several years, trends in food retailing and dining out have shown a rising interest among consumers for distinctive high-quality food experiences. The desire for upscale food products is strongest among "foodie" consumers.
Foodies are an integral part of the ever-evolving American consumer food culture. As elements of what was once the sole domain of the foodie's gourmet world fuse with mainstream food products, a new horizon for food-inspired shoppers is being formed. Evidence of this can be seen in the following mainstream foodie trends at retail:
- Cuts of meat: shanks (veal or lamb), short ribs (beef), Hangar steak, tri-tip, skirt steak
- Cooking methods: curing, braising, poaching, smoking and of course, grilling
- Language: artisanal, local, regional, sources, fresh, seasonal, cured, procured, heirloom, hand-crafted, small batch, Slow Food
- Imports: Marcona almonds, Spanish/Basque cheeses, regional Italian dried pastas, Spanish olive oil, truffle oils, specialty salts (Hawaiian smoked)
- Products: heirloom fruits and vegetables, artisanal cheese and buttere, truly local dairies, locally cured meats, single estate coffees
- Desserts: cupcakes, artisanal donuts, North American dessert wines
Because of their willingness to indulge in upscale foods, beverages and dining experiences, foodies are more likely to pay a premium for what they view as new and vibrant sensory experiences. These bon vivants are just as likely to embark on a culinary vacation to Napa Valley, Tuscany or Provence as they are to seek gustatory aspects of discovering new meals, wines and recipes locally within the boundaries of neighborhood communities. You can find foodies skulking stores in search of unique specialized kitchen gadgets and cookware.
Foodies are information junkies. They are inveterate enthusiasts of food-oriented magazines, television shows and scour the Web in pursuit of recipes and knowledge about various ingredients. Foodies are typically immersed in the collection and use of a broad range of cookbooks.
Where foodies shop
Among American consumers, the pursuit of various aspects of the foodie lifestyle paints a rich picture of shoppers actively seeking new experiences beyond the uniformity of conventional packaged foods. But, here's the rub: Gourmet foods are no longer the sole domain of specialty channels; gourmet is just as comfortable on the shelves on the traditional supermarket. In fact, the conventional supermarket is where most shoppers most often look for gourmet and specialty foods. Our recent poll uncovered that 54% of shoppers say they look for gourmet foods at their local supermarket, while another 14% of consumers shop specialty grocers such as Wild Oats for gourmet foods. Very few consumers report shopping boutique specialty stores such as Williams-Sonoma (3%) or Internet retailers (2%) for gourmet foods. Slightly more than one-quarter of shoppers (28%) say they don't buy gourmet foods. (Figure 1)
Dine in or dine out?
As we've described, consumers embracing foodie lifestyles love to smell and taste fine foods and actively seek out new food experiences. For foodies, in fact, it's all about the experience whether at home, in stores or eating out. Dining out is a favorite foodie behavior: foodies love the theater of restaurants, watching chefs in action and sitting at chef's tables. Those in pursuit of foodie lifestyles try to replicate these experiences in their own kitchens and dining rooms, but increasingly are looking away from home when it comes to occasions for indulgence.
When "in the mood to indulge or treat yourself" a majority of consumers (58%) choose to dine out over staying at home to eat (42%) (Figure 2). This sentiment parallels growth trends in American restaurant segments, which have placed an increasing emphasis on "upscale" menus, decor and dining experiences, even at the level of quick-serve restaurants and fast-casual chains.
Indulgent meals
When in the mood to indulge, what foods or meals do consumers turn to for a treat? Interestingly, among the many preferences mentioned, there is a balance between delightful dream dinners and gratifying dessert options. Top dinner-oriented foods of choice focused on protein as center-of-plate (seafood, beef, chicken and lamb) as well as ethnic foods entrees (Chinese or Italian). Indulgent desserts include the usual suspects: chocolate, ice cream, cake and pie.
Seafood choices (lobster, scallops, prawns, shrimp and oysters) ranked slightly ahead of chocolate (in a variety of forms) as the most popular type of food choice among consumers when in the mood to indulge (13% and 12%, respectively). Rounding out the top five indulgent food choices, steak is third (9%) followed by Chinese/Asian cuisine (8%) and ice cream (6%).
What this means
Restaurant trends correlate to trends in food retailing. Our Hartman Interactive poll acknowledges consumers' increased interest in seeking new, distinctive, high-quality food experiences across a wide range of visual and gustatory mediums to expand their food horizons. Just as gourmet foods are diverse, so too are foodie consumers: they are multi-layered and characterized by cultural lifestyles, rather than by any sort of demographic segmentation. They have a language all their own and a explicit set of needs. For those in the food marketing industry, meeting these needs is a challenge since catering to such desires sometimes means a general overhaul of dated menus, product assortment, ingredients or retail and dining formats.
At the same time, evolving with changing consumers is the hallmark of the most successful marketers today. 
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