CHICAGO — Findings from Technomic Inc.'s "Foodservice Prepared Sandwich Category" study show that sandwiches, burgers and other handheld items account for nearly one out of every four dollars spent in the foodservice channel in 2016, totaling just over $205 billion in sales. Out of those items, burgers continue to lead the category with 44% of total US handheld sales, while deli and submarine sandwiches follow at 13% and 11% of consumer spend, respectively. Rising consumer favorites include formats such as tacos, burritos, breakfast sandwiches and wraps.
"Burgers and other traditional sandwiches remain the prominent choice for consumers who eat handhelds away from home today," says Dave Henkes, senior principal of Technomic's Advisory Group. "However, with Millennial and Gen-Z consumers growing in spending power and cultural influence, ethnic flavors and non-conventional formats are redefining what Americans typically identify as a standard sandwich. These unique formats and flavors will only grow as these younger populations continue to mature."
While proteins and carriers are top of mind for sandwich consumers, other components such as toppings and sauces are convenient pathways by which operators can explore novel flavor profiles, such as spicy, sweet and Asian. Trending flavors include Sriracha and ghost pepper-spiked sauces, ginger, wasabi and chipotle.
Additional key takeaways from the report include:
- While more than half (53%) of all handheld sales occur during the lunch or mid-afternoon daypart, consumers are expanding their sandwich consumption to the morning and other snacking occasions.
- Proteins and carriers are ranked as the two most important sandwich components by both operators and consumers, with cheeses, toppings and sauces getting much less attention. It follows that focusing on the quality and variety of meats and breads is critical for operators to stay relevant in the sandwich category.
- Although sandwiches have a natural affinity for on-the-go consumption, operators and consumers note numerous pain points around packaging and delivery, such as cost challenges, temperature control and green packaging to solidify off-premise quality.
The complete quantitative study is available for purchase by contacting one of the individuals below. Act now to understand the size and growth of major sandwich and handheld categories, and leverage opportunities to drive incremental growth in this high-value foodservice category. Insights were collected from more than 800 foodservice operators and more than 1,000 consumers through comprehensive surveys, in-depth interviews and interactive discussion boards, with supplemental findings from Technomic's exclusive Digital Resource Library and MenuMonitor tools.
Only Technomic, a Winsight company, delivers a 360-degree view of the food industry. We impact growth and profitability for our clients by providing consumer-grounded vision and channel-relevant strategic insights. Our services range from major research studies and management consulting solutions to online databases and simple fact-finding assignments. Our clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants and retailers, other foodservice organizations, and various institutions aligned with the food industry. Visit us at www.technomic.com.
Winsight, LLC is a business-to-business media and information services company specializing in the convenience-retailing, restaurant and noncommercial foodservice industries. Winsight has an extensive media portfolio including four publications, CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director and Convenience Store Products, a suite of digital products including websites, e-newsletters (Restaurant Business Daily and CSP Daily News) and webinars, plus video products, mobile and tablet apps and custom marketing solutions. The Winsight Events group produces six exclusive, large-scale executive-level conferences—Restaurant Leadership Conference, FARE Conference, Outlook Leadership, Convenience Retailing University, FSTEC and MenuDirections—in addition to more than 12 major EduNetworking conferences and advisory meetings. Winsight recently acquired Technomic Inc., a food industry provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services. Winsight is a recognized leader in the markets it serves.
For more information on Winsight and its brands, go to http://www.winsightmedia.com/.
Source: Technomic