Is The Trend Towards Healthy Foods In The Quick Service Restaurant Industry The Right Way To Go?

Total Market Consumers Prefer Taste Over Health When It Comes To Fast Food. 

By – Mario Xavier CarrascoThinkNow Research

With the fast food industry projected to grow only about 2 percent annually over the next five years, according to IBIS World, many top fast food chains have tried to meet the challenge of presenting menu items for price-sensitive customers who want healthy options. However, is that what they really want?

 

ThinkNow Research conducted a nationwide survey researching 600N Hispanics, 250N African-Americans, 250N Asian, and 250N non-Hispanic whites on the topic of fast food and found that “great tasting food” is the most important factor in choosing which quick service restaurant to go to:

Great tasting food and healthy options aren’t mutually exclusive though. We all want great tasting food that is healthy for us right? However, taking a look at the statement “Is healthier than other fast food restaurants”, this factor drops below the top 5 for all groups:

Burger King may have been on to something after testing and abandoning such innovations as apple cranberry salad and low-calorie “satisfries,” then hitting its stride with such menu items as chicken fries — chicken tenders shaped like french fries — a Sriracha cheeseburger and the Halloween Whopper. As a result of those offerings and new “two for $5” promotions, Burger King’s comparable sales increased 5.4 percent for the year.

Movement towards variations of dollar menus and value combos among all the fast food brands are a good move according to our survey:

Has low prices is in the top 3 most important factors when choosing fast food restaurants for all groups. Price is particularly important to African-American and Hispanic consumers who are significantly more likely to choose price as an important factor over non-Hispanic whites.
Having healthy food options will always be a good idea for restaurants and quick service restaurants alike. However, our data shows that when it comes to fast food, taste trumps every other factor, including healthy menu options. As the quick service industry goes through some disruptive changes and increased competition from businesses like Starbucks, perhaps going back to their roots and delivering what made them household brands will help them stay relevant in the minds of consumers.

By – Mario Xavier Carrasco

ThinkNow Research is a culturally-integrated market research agency. We integrate Hispanic, African-American, and Asian insights into custom market research for companies and government agencies looking to thrive in a changing demographic environment.

ThinkNow Research also owns and operates one of the largest and most representative Hispanic online panels in the industry, DigaYGane.com, which is used to service our own research as well as provide sample to the leading market research companies in the world.

To learn more about the data, click here.