Satiety : the missing link in value-for-money catering

Value for money has never been under more scrutiny than it is today.Since late 2023, the economic crisis and inflation have pushed consumers to apply increased vigilance to their out-of-home dining habits. A profound shift is taking place: it’s no longer just the average ticket that’s affected, it’s the frequency of visits. Faced with widespread inflation, consumers are reassessing how often they eat out. This trend, first observed in retail, has gradually extended to the restaurant sector, disrupting traditional purchasing behaviors.

In response, consumers are developing fascinating compensation strategies. They juggle between restraint and pleasure : sticking to an €8 fast-food burger most of the time, but occasionally allowing themselves a premium set menu at €15.

This indulgence comes with an unspoken trade-off: fewer restaurant visits overall. This compensation behavior reveals a new kind of maturity—rather than giving up on the pleasure of dining out, consumers are choosing to optimize their outings and spending.

Foot traffic data clearly supports this trend : Fewer visits, but a stable or slightly higher average ticket during those dining occasions.

Quality has become the new baseline in foodservice, ranging from “acceptable” to “excellent.”At Strateg’eat, we refer to this as “the 50% on the plate”, a core concept encompassing transparency, origin, originality, culinary journey, and signature elements of the dish.

This demand for quality has become mainstream, driven by several forces : the rise of culinary media, increasing food literacy among consumers, and the explosion of social media, which has turned every diner into a potential food critic.

Today’s restaurateurs must navigate a landscape of informed, demanding customers who expect not only great taste, but also a story, transparency, and coherence in the culinary offer.

Price, meanwhile, has become a subtle balance, a “fair price” that each consumer evaluates through their own personal lens. This perception varies widely depending on the market segment and time of day. In quick service or bakery formats, the democratization of offers allows for freedom of choice, regardless of purchasing power.

Two main levers help adjust this perception : Promotions (set menus, discounts, loyalty programs), and above all, Satiety. Restaurateurs use these tools to remain attractive while preserving margins, in a context where raw material and labor costs continue to rise.

Satiety has become a decisive factor in how value for money is perceived. It’s not just about quantity, it’s about a feeling of generosity and satisfaction.

Examples abound: the 50-layer burger from Dangerous Burger or the oversized croque-monsieur at Carton bakery in Paris’s 10th arrondissement perfectly illustrate this trend.

This pursuit of satiety answers a deep psychological need: the feeling of getting your money’s worth. This phenomenon is especially noticeable among male consumers, but is increasingly spreading across all customer segments, regardless of gender.

Restaurateurs are responding to this new reality with creativity : add-ons (savory bread rolls in bakeries, popcorn chicken, etc.), deliberately generous portions, even with higher prices. These adaptive strategies reveal a sharp understanding of customer expectations.

The American influence, with its oversized portions and default use of doggy bags, is steadily gaining ground in dining habits.This "Americanization" of portion sizes goes hand-in-hand with evolving practices—most notably the normalization of doggy bags, once a cultural taboo in France.The most successful restaurateurs are those who manage to turn this generosity into a commercial advantage, while maintaining tight control over costs.

This shift also has a strategic impact on menu design. The trend is toward full transparency on portion sizes, with clear visual cues : displayed weights (in grams), realistic photos, labels like “XL” or “Generous Portion”. Some establishments go even further, offering flexible menus that allow the customer to choose the portion size themselves.

This approach, inspired by the “Small-Medium-Large” model from Anglo-Saxon countries, allows restaurants to accommodate different levels of appetite while maintaining optimal profitability. The boldest even develop “challenges” around oversized portions, turning satiety into a full-blown marketing event.

Team training is also evolving to include this dimension of satiety. The goal is to turn fullness into a positive selling point, rather than a source of frustration. The most successful restaurateurs are those who manage to craft a coherent narrative around their value proposition, where generosity becomes part of their brand identity.

This conversation is far from over. In an upcoming article, we’ll take a deeper look at the compensation phenomenon, which is reshaping consumer behavior in foodservice.

This detailed analysis will help better understand how consumers navigate trade-offs and adapt their habits in response to current economic pressures.

---

To go further, these themes can be explored in greater depth during our market presentations, sales conventions, franchisee meetings, or during our FoodLearning Tours, where we share our expertise and field insights with industry professionals.

Contact us