Vol. XXV, No. 3, March 2025
2025 healthy eating trends
We are increasing food and beverage coverage in our e-newsletter as it has become increasingly crucial to the success of location-based entertainment venues.
In last month's enewsletter, we discussed Dry January and the sober-curious trend. If you haven't read it, you can check it out here. However, the New Year also brings resolutions to eat healthier; this year is no exception. At the end of 2024, Toast surveyed 850 U.S. adults about the role healthy eating plays in their dining habits. Here are the results:
- 74% of respondents feel it is somewhat or very important to see healthy options on a restaurant menu.
- 53% of respondents actively look for restaurants that offer healthier options. For the 20-29 age group, that number jumps to 71% of respondents.
Of course, healthy eating is a generic term, so what precisely are health-conscious diners looking for?
Sustainable/organic food -36% of respondents are willing to pay more for organic or sustainably sourced dishes. This jumped to 46% with diners aged 20-29 and 49% with diners aged 30-39.
High Protein- 43% of respondents wish more restaurants offered high-protein meals.
Low-No Alcohol -24% of respondents have tried non-alcoholic beer and plan to try it again. Meanwhile, 34% of respondents aged 30-39 said they would visit a restaurant for its mocktail and non-alcoholic beer selection.
Healthy, sustainable food and beverages are high priorities for the majority of diners and even more so for Gen Z and Millennial diners, who are the prime demographic for community location-based entertainment centers (LBEs), including family entertainment centers and social gaming venues. Since food and beverage is one of the main drivers of revenue and repeat business for most LBEs, it benefits your business greatly to stay current with food trends and offer your customers the same variety and quality of food that they would find at any dining establishment, especially since restaurants are now entering the entertainment game (see last month's article) Here are some suggestions to implement this at your venue.
Increase Visibility of Healthy Choices: Since many diners actively look for healthier options, make these items prominent on your menu or in marketing materials. You could also use clear labels to highlight sustainable or high-protein dishes. If you have trouble finding healthy options on your menu, now is the time to add them.
Focus on Younger Demographics: Since Millennials and Gen Z are focused on health-conscious dining, tailor marketing strategies and menu offerings to appeal to these age groups. Offering trendy options like plant-based meals, mocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages can help attract this market.
Experiment with Non-Alcoholic Offerings: Given the interest in non-alcoholic beers and mocktails, incorporating more alcohol-free beverages into your beverage menu could be a smart move. This will attract a broader range of customers, especially those in the 30-39 age group.
Stay on Top of Industry Trends: As the food industry constantly evolves, staying informed about emerging food and beverage trends reports can help ensure your business remains competitive and appealing to health-conscious diners. You can check out some of our recent articles on food and beverage here, here, and here. And, of course, make sure you are signed up for our enewsletter to keep up with all the current industry trends.
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