How planet, personal health driving restaurant choices in 2024

January takes its name from the Roman god of beginnings and endings, Janus. With two faces, one looking backward and the other looking ahead, Janus seems to do what we all tend to do at this time of year: review and plan. Which of our expectations did 2023 meet? What can we expect in 2024?

According to proprietary consumer research conducted by my team at Elohi Strategic Advisors, two trends affecting fast casual operations in 2023 that will continue into 2024 are personal and planet health.

Personal health drives dining decisions

Fast casual restaurants already have a reputation for having better-for-you or cleaner-label foods, and operators should lean into this messaging in 2024 as consumers seek healthier items with terms like fewer chemicals, less sugar, and less sodium. Among the findings in ESA's Diet Drivers reports: 50% of consumers wanted to limit their sugar intake, and nearly 40% wanted to limit salt. These concerns have remained consistent in research throughout 2023, and don't seem likely to fade in 2024.

The insight this data provides should prompt operators to make menu changes and to share nutritional information with patrons across platforms. New dishes might appear on the menu, favorite recipes might get tweaked and new designations or menu sections might call out healthier items. More diners are choosing places to eat based on information from restaurant websites, including nutritional information, and more of us are ordering from restaurant delivery services, where sodium and sugar content information can also influence decision-making. Providing that information — not just on physical menus but digitally and across ordering platforms — can distinguish your operation from others.

Planet health is also top of mind

Another of the findings in ESA's Diet Driver report: a whopping 71% of consumers voice concern about food waste. Foodservice operations can address this concern not only in ways that reduce costs – portion sizes, upcycled ingredients — but in ways that build ties to the community, like sourcing ingredients locally or donating leftovers to food banks. Whether it's simmering vegetable scraps into broth or offering used coffee grounds for patrons' gardens, acknowledging food waste concerns can increase consumer traffic and loyalty, or even be the tipping point in deciding where to go.

Consistent messaging about your operation's waste-reduction practices can influence patron's decisions, but only if you speak up about them. Spreading the word in the community, on social media, and across your physical space can keep diners aware of your commitments and how you're addressing food waste — something that matters to many of them.

Data only becomes useful with insightful application, and during this time of year, as you look back and review your operation's 2023, and look forward and plan for a successful 2024, resolve to speak to the forces underlying and driving patron decisions. Communicate with consumers about the ways you address the issues that matter most to them — their health and the health of the planet. They'll reward you for it.