Healthy menus? Consumers say many chain restaurants fall short, finds Technomic

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Sep 22, 2014, 11:10 ET

CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers say that many chains are missing the mark when offering healthy options on their menus, as revealed in a recent white paper using data from Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics (CBM) program.

The white paper, titled Better-for-You Chains: Consumer Ratings of Restaurants' Healthy Offerings, shows that a majority of consumers say it's important for restaurants—even quick-service concepts—to ensure that healthy options are offered. However, on average, less than half of consumers rate leading restaurant brands as very good on the availability of healthy options, based on their most recent visit.

"Consumers may not select healthy options on every occasion," says Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic. "But increasingly, operators must understand the importance of health to their customers, and many will need to refresh their menu offerings to deliver what their customers demand."

The white paper highlights several restaurants that consumers say already excel at providing healthy choices:

Limited-service restaurants: More than three-fifths of consumers rate the availability of healthy options at Jamba Juice, Jason's Deli and McAlister's Deli as very good. Jamba Juice enjoys broad awareness of its better-for-you brand positioning, and is ranked as the top chain on this attribute by Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers.
Full-service restaurants: More than half of visitors to The Cheesecake Factory, Bonefish Grill and Bahama Breeze Island Grille say these chains are very good when it comes to providing healthy options. While Millennials' top choice on this attribute is Bonefish Grill, Baby Boomers award the highest ratings to The Cheesecake Factory.
Most improved chains: Consumers increasingly rate Whataburger and Bonefish Grill as very good on the availability of healthy options year over year. For Whataburger, improved ratings may result from the 550 Calorie Menu it introduced in 2012, while Bonefish Grill's increase may be driven by consumers increasingly associating its fresh seafood offerings with health.

These findings are derived from Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics (CBM) program, which offers insights based on ongoing tracking of consumers' perceptions of their recent experiences at 128 leading U.S. restaurants. Clients can analyze results across 62 experience attributes by time period, demographic group, occasion dynamics or designated market area. Data is updated quarterly and available online.

Technomic provides numerous online services to the foodservice industry. To learn more, please visit Technomic.com or contact one of the individuals listed below. For Technomic updates, please follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and our blog.

Contacts
Press inquiries: Darren Tristano (312) 506-3850 or [email protected]

White paper inquiries: Colleen Rothman (312) 506-3841 or [email protected]

Consumer Brand Metrics demonstrations: Patrick Noone (312) 506-3852 or [email protected]

About Technomic

Technomic provides comprehensive global information, analysis and insights to food industry executives through high quality fact-based consulting, market research, online databases, tracking services and industry events. Our programs and services are designed to target the specific needs of leadership, sales, management, marketing and product development professionals. At Technomic, we're always innovating to keep pace with emerging global markets and trends. For over 45 years we've been supporting clients' strategic decisions. Our breadth of research enables us to keep a pulse on the food industry, by providing insights into local markets with a global scope. Visit us at technomic.com

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SOURCE Technomic Inc.