The crazy story of Gen Z...at the restaurant

Z as in Zigzag: The Generation That Makes Restaurateurs Lose Their Way

We’ve just returned from the Snack Show, the major Parisian event for the sector held on April 2nd and 3rd. It was an opportunity for us, in partnership with RX, to present our study "Speak Snacking", fully available for download on our website for the brave ones.

Between soaring inflation, falling purchasing power, and consumers increasingly skipping dinners out, the sector is navigating troubled waters. Yet, amidst this economic slump, fast food and especially bakery-pastry shops continue to grow, riding successive crisis waves with an agility that would make an Olympic contortionist jealous.

But if there’s one lesson that stands out this year — even more than in the last five editions — it’s the huge influence Generation Z now exerts on our market. These young adults born after 1997 are today’s consumers and, whether we like it or not, those of tomorrow.

And what a puzzling generation! Imagine a creature capable of posting a fiery manifesto against junk food and its harmful effects on Instagram at 2 p.m., then rushing to McDonald’s at 6 p.m., smartphone in hand, to immortalize their Big Mac order. The same one who explains the crucial importance of protecting their online privacy… before meticulously documenting every second of their life on TikTok.

Understanding this generation of walking paradoxes has become the key to anticipating market evolutions. Because contradictory as it may be, Gen Z remains deeply invested in out-of-home consumption and particularly concerned with all aspects of snacking. Our study provides some keys to decoding these consumers who seem to have made behavioral zigzagging an art of living…

Broke but Big Spenders: The Financial Paradox of Generation Z

You think Generation Z, these supposedly broke young adults who constantly complain about sky-high rents and runaway inflation, are champions of food frugality ? Think again ! Our Gen Z friends spend on average more than €40 a week eating out, smashing the national average of €36.90 per person.

How to explain this economic miracle worthy of multiplying loaves ? First, their lifestyle is radically different. While millennials and boomers labor over Sunday batch cooking, our Z’s much prefer the “why cook when you can order ?” option. Many still enjoy the comfort of the family nest (the famous “gourmet Tanguy syndrome”), drastically cutting their fixed expenses and freeing a significant budget to satisfy their gastronomic whims.

Add to that the hypnotic influence of social media, true catalysts of culinary FOMO (“Fear Of Missing Out”). These platforms generate mind-blowing mass phenomena, like die-hard fans camping out in front of the Krispy Kreme flagship in Châtelet the night before its opening — a scene once thought reserved for U2 concerts or Apple sales. Or the municipality of Lorient forced to close its downtown to cars for the perfectly orchestrated inauguration of a Black & White Burger.

And notice well: in these endless queues, no seniors… unless they accompany their grandchildren, like taking their offspring to a Taylor Swift concert — with that same half-exasperated, half-worried look.

This generation has also perfected the art of food compensation, joyfully alternating between periods of nutritional asceticism and gargantuan feasts. It’s simple : Monday, green salad and still water ; Tuesday, triple-layer burger and XXL milkshake. According to them, balance is calculated over the week !

Despite the gloomy economic context, these young consumers are more inclined than other generations to “premiumize” their food experiences. When asked about the maximum price they would pay for various snacking options, their answers consistently push the average up. They know trendy concepts, popular products by heart, and can even create tomorrow’s trend with a well-placed Instagram post.

Although they clearly prefer fast food over traditional cuisine, early signs show a growing interest in “grandma’s cooking,” as detailed in our analysis of culinary traditions. An evolution that could give seated dining a new lease on life.

Ultimately, a Gen Z wallet seems designed to open generously for street food and fast food. This foreshadows a gradual construction of culinary maturity in these consumers who, in the next decade, will see their purchasing power and out-of-home consumption habits evolve. For savvy restaurateurs, this sketches out promising prospects...

Food Explorers: The World Map on Their Plates

Let’s dive into Generation Z’s diet, these culinary adventurers silently reshaping our gastronomic landscape. When asked about their consumption habits, one fact emerges: they eat everything, and in larger quantities than their elders.

Pizza, already the undisputed star of French tables with 46% national adoption, climbs to 51% among Z’s. Nothing surprising so far. But it’s when we explore the rest of their menu that we truly grasp their influence.

Products still in their infancy in national habits are firmly rooted in the daily lives of these trendsetting youngsters. Fried chicken, far from a passing fad, already attracts two Z consumers out of ten. As for the French tacos — that Franco-French invention making our Mexican neighbors howl in indignation — it’s won over one in four Z’s. A proportion that would make many traditional restaurateurs envious !

The list grows with a myriad of ethnic offerings adopted by Generation Z as if they’d always been part of French culinary heritage: Japanese ramen, Vietnamese bobun, Mexican burrito, Indian naan... Where their parents still hesitated to pronounce these exotic names correctly, they order them with the confidence of seasoned connoisseurs.

The same phenomenon repeats on the sweet side, where American pastries literally soar when isolating young generations’ data. From giant cookies to brownies and cinnamon rolls, these overseas treats find enthusiastic audiences among our Z’s.

These eating habits outline several future trends. First, the emergence of an increasing variety of concepts meeting their expectations, often leaning towards the regressive, that “guilty pleasure” so prized by a generation constantly oscillating between cult of the healthy body and immediate satiation.

Then, an inevitable diversification of seated dining menus that, to stay competitive, will have to offer options beyond the beaten paths of traditional cuisine. Burgers won’t suffice anymore — innovation beyond is necessary.

Paradoxically, this openness also leaves room for revisited traditional offerings — like flan pâtissier or panini — provided they tell a story and offer that much sought-after “Instagrammable moment.” The success of brands like Paris & Co perfectly illustrates this: classic recipes but visually spectacular, social media gold.

What emerges is the gradual development of a universal palate, probably more sensitive to aesthetics than to the singularity of flavors, favoring satiation over subtlety. And, supreme irony, more attached to the appearance of transparency than transparency itself. What matters is not so much what’s on the plate but the story told about it…

Coffee is Has-Bean : The Hot Drink Revolution

Impossible to close this panorama of Generation Z without mentioning the silent revolution brewing in our cups. Hot drinks, that discreet but essential pillar of our gastronomy, are becoming a driver of transformation for the entire out-of-home sector.

First surprising fact : only 60% of hot drink consumers have them outside their home. A colossal development potential that savvy entrepreneurs have not missed, whether large chains like Columbus Café conquering France or passionate self-taught artisans opening their neighborhood shops.

This trend offers the opportunity to diversify activities, rejuvenate establishments by rethinking their offers, or simply launch fully dedicated concepts. Hot drinks thus become the perfect Trojan horse to conquer new consumption moments and expand expertise.

Approaches multiply : from the local barista betting on top-notch equipment to the hipster roaster telling you the story of his hand-picked Colombian coffee, transported by solar-powered sailboats (yes, it exists, I assure you).

But the most fascinating in this evolution is the upheaval of hierarchies. Our study reveals a progressive decline in the dominance of traditional cafés-bars-restaurants, in favor of bakeries, fast food, and of course, specialized coffee shops.

And as always, Generation Z is at the forefront of this shift. They already frequent massively these new temples of hot drinks, far from the zinc counters where their grandparents swallowed their espresso.

The most spectacular change ? For the first time in our consumption habits’ history, cappuccino (42%) and even hot chocolate (38%) dethrone espresso (30%) in the hearts of Z’s, whereas nationally, the “petit noir” remains the French favorite.

It’s the dawn of a new era raising many questions: will we see the end of the traditional lunch espresso ? Will classic cafés give way to more elaborate and photogenic creations ? The stakes are considerable and surely deserve a strategic thinking workshop… which we just happen to offer our clients at Strateg’eat ! (There, after so many articles, we finally managed to slip in a reference to our strategy consulting job !)

This brief exploration of Generation Z’s restaurant habits is only the tip of the iceberg. We could have tackled many other aspects: their relationship with delivery, their expectations on sustainability, their brand sensitivity… So many fascinating topics we invite you to explore with us.

Meanwhile, if you ever spot a young adult absorbed in capturing the perfect shot of their matcha latte, before rolling your eyes, remember they’re shaping the future of our restaurants. As a Z influencer’s dad would say: “Go figure, Charles !”

Generation Z at the Restaurant: This is Just the Beginning of the Menu…

Our dive into Generation Z’s restaurant habits comes to an end, but let’s admit it : we’ve only scratched the surface of this fascinating topic. Like a tasting menu where we’ve only savored the amuse-bouches, there’s so much more to discover about these consumers reinventing our food codes.

We could have gone deeper into their complex relationship with delivery — these same youths who order Uber Eats three times a day while campaigning against delivery workers’ precarity, as we noted in our 2024 study. Or explored their selective sensitivity to sustainability — demanding biodegradable packaging for their triple-meat burger.

What about their relationship with brands, oscillating between unconditional loyalty and chronic infidelity depending on the moment’s trends ? Their quest for extreme personalization pushing brands to multiply options ? Their sensitivity to the values displayed by the restaurants they frequent ?

The Speak Snacking study is full of other particularities that we haven't had a chance to address : their use of technology in restaurants, their criteria for choosing a restaurant, and their ability to influence other generations.

This paradoxical generation, often caricatured, deserves a closer look, as it is already shaping - and will shape even more tomorrow - the landscape of our restaurant industry. Their apparent contradictions may just be a reflection of a rapidly changing world, where yesterday's certainties no longer hold up to tomorrow's challenges.

If this overview has made your mouth water, you should know that at Strateg'eat, we explore these trends in depth to help professionals navigate this new consumer landscape. Because understanding Generation Z is already anticipating tomorrow's foodservice.

And as one Z would say: “It's just too crazy, really !”