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Gluten-free: passing fad or permanent trend?

Is it time for your restaurant to go "gluten-free?" Though the trend "seems to be leveling out in the mainstream," it's more than just a passing fad.

June 1, 2015

Is it time for your restaurant to go "gluten-free?" Though the trend "seems to be leveling out in the mainstream," it's more than just a passing fad, according to Executive Vice President Darren Tristano, Technomic Inc.,

"Gluten-free is here to stay," Tristano said. "We have seen quite a few pizza introductions and we're now moving toward breads for sandwiches." 

"According to Mintel, total gluten-free food sales reached $8.8 billion by the end of 2014 – a 63% increase versus 2012-14. Market research publisher Packaged Facts confirmed similar growth: retail sales of gluten-free foods had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34% over the five-year period ending in 2014, and total retail sales reached $973 million," said Kane Russell, head of marketing for Thanx, a customer data analytics company.

Adults avoiding gluten is up more than 25 percent compared to three years prior, and consumers believe it serves multiple purposes, such as aiding in weight loss and healthy eating, according to FoodIQ. It is perceived by consumers to be in the same category as "fresh" and "authentic" menu items.

"Consumers believe authenticity and health go hand-in-hand. Therefore, they are looking for health buzzwords like 'fresh,' 'gluten-free,' and 'hand made' to support these claims," saidErin Hargis, insights project coordinator for FoodIQ.

Brand repositioning

Going gluten-free isn't as easy as it looks, according to Tristano, and it requires some investment, but the rewards come in customers who see strong merit in gluten-free foods.

"I think that for most restaurant operators, providing gluten-free fare requires a major investment in equipment, ingredients and space in order to create a platform to avoid cross-contamination," Tristano said. "Getting to gluten-free is an accommodation to Celiacs and has strong merit but is difficult for operators to achieve. The bigger trend has been in serving food that is gluten-free in nature but serving it in the same kitchen with products that contain gluten. Although this doesn’t avoid cross contamination, it provides foods with no gluten that have minimal risk for contamination. For most Americans who have shifted toward a gluten-free diet, this creates a strong product offering with no health risk for intolerance and greater options for gluten-free diets."

"Pizza Hut made clear that the company’s gluten-free options would be truly gluten-free: employees would receive specific training to keep the company’s gluten-free products separate from everything else – gluten-free preparation would include specialty gloves, parchment paper, ingredient kits, and pizza cutters."

Russell recommends restaurants take advantage of market for gluten-free requests from customers and do the following:

• Showcase menu items attractive to health-conscious consumers

Remember, gluten-free is about health. Make sure your restaurant includes items for customers looking for the “healthy option” and isolate these options on the menu so that they are easy to find – both online and in-store.

• Use healthy items to attract new business (but never sacrifice taste)

 “Gluten-free” won’t dramatically alter sales on its own. Experiment with new recipes and, if you discover a great-tasting recipe, promote it to customers via email and mobile marketing. To quote Tom Krouse, CEO of Donatos, “We introduced gluten-free because that’s a whole new market. It took us three years to get to this product because when we put a product out, it’s got to be very high-quality.” 

• Promote gluten-free to existing customers first

Remember, your most loyal customers will always be willing to try something new before new customers. Use strategic marketing to get a feel for any gluten-free menu items. For example, 800 Degrees promotes a #PizzaoftheDay menu item that’s half price – this is the perfect type of strategy to promote a new gluten-free option to see how customers respond. 

• Get Customer Feedback

Gluten-free is a different animal. Customers demand careful preparation and gluten-free crusts are smaller and less elastic. The only way to be prepared and succeed is by soliciting customer input. Use a mobile survey technology to get a sense of customer satisfaction right after they make a gluten-free purchase. Respond to feedback, incorporate common trends into your overall preparation, and keep innovating.  

Above all, remember that you’ve been in this situation before, and will again – customer trends and preferences will always change. To remain successful, maintain close customer relationships. With a handle on how your customers are reacting to the changing times, you’ll be able to tackle the gluten-free craze – wherever it may go – without issue.   

Food IQ put together an infographic looking at consumers' opinions of gluten-free foods and an estimated trajectory for the trend up to 2017 below: