News Briefs

• Nearly half (47%) of survey respondents who receive tips said they feel positively about the current tipping culture in the restaurant industry, and only 8% felt that tipping culture is negative and harming the industry. 
• Despite reports of tipflation and tip creep, industry workers who receive tips have not seen major changes in tipping in the past year. 36% report that their tips have stayed consistent, and 35% actually reported a decrease.
• Tipped restaurant workers are not worried that more businesses outside the industry asking for tips will negatively impact their own tips — 64% say it has had no impact, while 8% say it’s even helping. 
• When it comes to the minimum percentage they expect based on service, a majority (52%) of tipped workers expect between 15% and 19%.
• When they choose to dine out at restaurants, however, industry workers are big spenders, with nearly half doling out 20% tips or higher. While they believe they are better tippers from working in the industry, they expect less from their customers. 
• 68% of respondents work at restaurants that do not currently charge a service fee, showing that the additional charge is less widely used than it may seem.
• If their restaurant does add an automatic gratuity, 46% of tipped workers do not expect customers to leave an additional tip. 

The Coca-Cola Company announces the launch of Coca-Cola Lens, an insights platform focused on growth, and designed to empower operators in the foodservice and retail industries to make data-driven decisions. As retailers and operators across the country navigate ongoing economic challenges, Coca-Cola Lens makes actionable insights more accessible, magnifying relevant trends to anticipate consumer preferences. Coca-Cola’s business spans more than 250,000 retail outlets and 500,000 foodservice outlets in North America making it uniquely positioned to provide valuable, real-time insights to businesses that need them. 

“Coca-Cola has always been dedicated to driving growth with our partners. With the launch of Coca-Cola Lens, we're taking that commitment to the next level,” said Dagmar Boggs, Head of Foodservice at Coca-Cola North America. “Now, customers will be able to self-serve the actionable insights they need, precisely when they need them, empowering our partners to navigate the evolving landscape with confidence and agility." 

Coca-Cola Lens utilizes proprietary tools and data, plus insights from secondary and third-party sources, to bring insights into focus via a digestible, user-friendly website. Accessible to all at Coca-ColaLens.com, the platform dives deep into the nuances of consumer behavior, and then zooms out to show the trends and context that make up the bigger picture, all with a forward-thinking outlook.  

At launch, there will be 16 unique thought leadership stories covering topics as broad as macroeconomic trends and as tailored as premium water trends, with new content every quarter.  

“We are launching Coca-Cola Lens to deliver on the promise to create value beyond beverages to our customers, while serving as thought partners and consultants. Together, we will navigate this dynamic landscape, leveraging data and tools to drive our business strategies forward and accelerate growth,” said Pamela Stewart, Chief Customer Officer – Retail, Coca-Cola North America. 

Restaurant Show Debut

The platform will be introduced at the 2024 National Restaurant Association Show Booth 4402, and attendees can hear more information during Monday’s education session, Data and Dining: Feeding Growth with Actionable Insights.  

For more information about Coca-Cola Lens and to explore the latest insights, visit Coca-ColaLens.com. 

Almost all -- 97%  of restaurant operators surveyed expect their revenue from catering to grow in 2024 compared to 2023, and 74% anticipate over 20% growth, according to ezCater's  second annual “Feeding the Workplace” report.

Grounded in ezCater order data and survey insights from over 2,800 different food for work stakeholders, the report looks at the state of food in the workplace and how restaurant operators can capitalize on this growing opportunity.

ezCater revealed findings during its Catering Growth Forum at the 2024 Food On Demand Conference. 

• With office orders in mind, bartaco revamps catering 

Today, food for work is expanding beyond traditional business catering, and more companies are using restaurants as a cafeteria alternative. In fact, the number of survey respondents reporting they order for daily and weekly recurring meals has increased 32% year-over-year. They also reported interest in additional workplace offerings such as restaurant pop-ups, food trucks, grab-and-go, and special events.

"The food for work opportunity is much bigger than just business catering. While organizations continue to feed their meetings and celebrations, they are also increasingly using restaurant food to feed their people on a regular basis,” said David Meiselman, Chief Marketing Officer, ezCater. "With ezCater, restaurants can tap into the expanding food for work category and benefit from large, incremental orders from all types of workplaces nationwide."

Additional key takeaways from this year's report include:

• Food for work is a lucrative marketing channel: Nearly half (47%) of employees surveyed have ordered from or visited a restaurant after first trying it through an employer-provided meal. The average ezCater order serves 23 people and provides restaurants with valuable brand exposure.
• Delivery tracking and mobile ordering are a growing priority for orderers: 90% of orderers are more likely to order from a restaurant that offers delivery tracking updates. Compared to a year ago, 67% more orderers are using mobile devices to place orders.
• Choice is paramount for employees: 71% of employees surveyed prefer to select meals themselves when their employer provides food for work, and 64% prefer individually packaged meals.
• Sustainable packaging is a differentiator: 43% of orderers prefer sustainable food packaging. What’s more, 37% of workplaces have made sustainable packaging a company requirement. Similarly, 28% of companies have requirements around food waste reduction.

More broadly, catering is a strong revenue driver for restaurants. According to the operators surveyed, 97% expect their revenue from catering to grow in 2024 compared to 2023, and 74% anticipate over 20% growth. To learn more about the ezCater Catering Growth Platform, visit www.ezcater.com/grow.

Methodology

From January 22, 2024, to February 2, 2024, ezCater surveyed more than 2,800 restaurant operators, corporate catering orderers, and employees, on the state of food for work. Proprietary ezCater data was also gathered over 17 years from millions of transactions across more than 100,000 restaurants and caterers.

Consumers love restaurants—64% said they would dine at or order from restaurants every day if they could manage it—but a prolonged struggle with inflation is tempering their spend and gratuities for staff. 

On average, consumers today spend 30% of their individual or family food budgets on restaurants each month, down from 40% in May 2022. Nearly 2 in 5 (38%) say they are spending the same or more on restaurant meals compared to last year, but are tipping less. This is according to Popmenu's nationwide study of 1,000 U.S. consumers in April 2024.

Eating and drinking places generated $93.7 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in March 2024, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Following a decline in December and January, industry revenue grew in February and March—but is still trailing a $94.2 billion high in November.

"Although restaurant industry sales remain healthy, competition for guests has intensified over the last several months," said Brendan Sweeney, CEO and Co-founder of Popmenu. "Consumers are doing their homework: 80% research restaurant menus online as they assess dishes, cost, convenience, and other drivers of dining decisions. Restaurants who are winning and growing are 1) offering more budget-friendly menu options or discounts and 2) actively engaging consumers across digital channels to entice them to order online or in person."

What consumers want:

• More leftovers: Half (52%) of consumers say they prioritize restaurants that offer bigger portions, so they have leftovers for another meal.
• Bigger, better deals: 66% of consumers choose restaurants that provide more affordable menu items or special offers.
• Fewer fees: 67% of consumers prefer to order directly from a restaurant's website vs. a third party, primarily to avoid fees and take advantage of cheaper menus.
• More rewards: 45% frequent restaurants that offer a loyalty program.

Survey Methodology
Popmenu conducted an anonymous, nationwide study of 1,000 U.S. consumers, ages 18 and older, from April 16 to April 17, 2024.

Instacart and Uber Technologies, Inc. announced a strategic partnership to bring Uber Eats restaurant delivery to Instacart customers. In the coming weeks, Instacart customers nationwide will be able to use the Instacart app to order from hundreds of thousands of restaurants, powered by Uber Eats.

The experience will be featured through a new "Restaurants" tab in the Instacart app, providing a user-friendly interface that allows consumers to choose from a selection of nearby restaurants, browse menus, place orders, and track deliveries in real-time. Customers will be able to order groceries for the week from Instacart's more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners across more than 85,000 stores – all fulfilled by Instacart and its shopper community – as well as dinner for the night from hundreds of thousands of restaurants, which will be fulfilled by Uber Eats and the couriers on its platform. Instacart+ members will also get even more value from their membership at no additional cost, with $0 delivery on grocery and restaurant orders over $35.

"Our goal is to make it effortless for people to go anywhere and get anything," said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. "We're excited that this new strategic partnership with Instacart will bring the magic of Uber Eats to even more consumers, drive more business for restaurants, and create more earnings opportunities for couriers."

"Through this partnership, Instacart customers now have access to both the best online grocery selection in the U.S. and restaurant delivery, making it even easier for them to conveniently tackle all their food needs from a single app," said Fidji Simo, CEO and Chair of Instacart. "Whether it's ingredients for a beloved family recipe, a prepared meal from a nearby grocer or takeout from a favorite restaurant – customers can now get the food they want, from the retailers and restaurants they love, all within the Instacart app."

For Uber, powering restaurant delivery in the Instacart app is another way to help drive more orders to Uber Eats restaurant partners. This new channel also enables Uber to extend its leading restaurant selection to millions of customers across the U.S., including families in suburban markets that use Instacart.

This partnership also extends the efforts of both companies to create technologies and solutions that support brick-and-mortar businesses. Through this launch, Uber and Instacart are helping restaurants and retailers grow by increasing opportunities for them to reach new customers online and drive more sales through an even more engaging Instacart experience.