Dayparts

What’s a Snack?

Most consumers (77.1%) say they rarely or never stop at a restaurant for a between-meals snack. But among those who do snack at restaurants, afternoon is the preferred snacking time, and these are the most-purchased between-meals foods or beverages.

Appetizers 36.9%

Fries/chips/salty snacks 34.6

Soft drink 33.5

Wrap sandwich 28.4

Sweet baked goods 27.8

Pizza 27.8

Hot dog 25.5

Ice cream/yogurt 25.4

Nachos 23.2

Other sandwich 23.0

Where’s Dinner?

More than half (52.5%) of consumers say they sometimes purchase dinner from a quick- or full-service restaurant on weekdays; 14% say they often do, and 2.8% say they always buy dinner away from home. The percentages below are of consumers who say they always or often eat their dinners away from home in the following manners.

Takeout dinner eaten in the car 14%

Takeout dinner eaten at home 20.9

Dinner delivered by a restaurant and eaten at home 12.2

Dinner eaten in a restaurant with friends or family 36.2

Dinner eaten in a restaurant for business purposes 8.9

Young Metabolisms

Younger consumers tend to be the heaviest between-meals snackers, and men are more likely than women to grab a snack. Numbers below represent the average number of snacks each week that various demographic groups say they purchase away from home.

Women 2.5

Men 3.2

Gen Y 4.1

Gen X 3.3

Baby boomers 2.5

Matures 1.4

The Car as Diner

Consumers who eat meals away from home still are most likely to enjoy those meals in a restaurant, but eating meals in the car while driving is common, too, especially at breakfast. Percentages below are of consumers who say they always or often pick up a meal at a drive-thru window to eat in their car.