ver the past several years, we’ve been keen observers of the foodservice consumer and have noted how the movement toward health and wellness has grown. Smart operators are adjusting their practices regarding cooking techniques, menu diversity, and hours of business to account for these longer-term consumer trends.

Eating habits are changing. It’s no exaggeration to say that today’s eating styles would be unrecognizable to people a generation earlier. Whereas in the past, consumers ate three square meals per day (typically at home), now consumers are snacking, eating on the go, and looking for meals at all hours of the day and night. Today, consumers can, and do, source food almost anywhere, and the needstates being addressed by foodservice are different than they were 10 or 15 years ago.

Expectations are rising, driving the need to upgrade. With all of the available food options open to consumers, operators are pressured to develop innovative solutions to address changing dynamics. Adding new dayparts is one strategy. (Think of the fourth mealpart—late night— and how much that has grown). Operators also need to offset menu boredom. As a result, offerings are increasingly diverse, with more options than ever before.

Health and wellness awareness is escalating. In any research we’ve done, consumers admit they eat better at home than when they dine out. But consumers must be more mindful that dining out can’t always be a “treat.” As foodservice captures incrementally more dining occasions, there is greater need to balance the indulgent occasion with the better-for-you option. As a result, consumers will continue to ask for fresh, healthy, nutritional offerings.

Trans fat is a major concern. We’ve been tracking dietary concerns for several years now, and total fat, trans fat, and saturated fat always round out the top three, ranking ahead of calories, cholesterol, sugars, and sodium. However, there’s still a lot of confusion among consumers about what trans fats are and why they’re so bad. Media coverage seems to be driving awareness, but the dangers are still not clearly understood.

Government regulation is welcome. Nearly half (47 percent) of consumers favor more government regulation for food served in restaurants, with the strongest support for regulating foods high in fat and those prepared with deepfat frying. While most consumers do not blame the foodservice industry for the choices available, many believe it hasn’t done enough to promote better-for-you options and to offer fresh foods, thus seeing government regulation as necessary.

The concept of fresh retains a unique identity. In a world where consumers are slowly moving toward better-for-you alternatives, they still associate healthy foods with “doesn’t taste very good.” The concept of “fresh,” on the other hand, is short-hand for something that is perceived to be healthier, prepared to order, customized, and, as a result, in demand by consumers.

For the lodging industry, the foodservice challenges are the same as those faced by casual dining restaurants dealing with these issues. Operators must contemporize offerings to avoid drowning in the “sea of sameness.” Differentiating a concept by acknowledging these consumer trends and then addressing them is the key to long-term success.