News

Service, menu variety drive late-night dining occasions

October 2, 2014

New research from Technomic examines the drivers of late-night dining occasions. While most dinners are prepared at home, 53 percent of consumers use foodservice for these occasions at least once a week, the market research firm said in a news release.

Drivers of these occasions include convenience, cravings (consumers want food they love but may not be able to duplicate at home) and experience/service.

"Consumers say the sheer enjoyment of dining out is vital for dinner and late-night occasions," EVP Darren Tristano said in the release. "Key attributes like attentive service, an appealing ambiance, and a craveable mix of menu offerings can combine to create experiences that attract evening traffic and give operators more opportunities to capitalize on dinner and late-night visits."

Other findings from the report include:

• About a quarter of consumers visit restaurants for happy hour (28 percent), late-night snacks or drinks (27 percent), and special-occasion dinners (23 percent) at least once a month.
• When choosing a dinner spot, good overall value is important to 83 percent of respondents, while just 63 percent cite low prices, stressing the importance of value over cost.
• Health is more important for dinner than late-night visits: 53 percent of consumers say healthy options are important when choosing a dinner restaurant versus 30 percent who say the same for choosing a late-night spot.
• Appetizers, snacks and small plates are ideal for evening foodservice visits: 57 percent of consumers order appetizers for dinner at least sometimes, while 45 percent order appetizers and snacks for late-night occasions.