CHICAGO — According to a newly-released report by foodservice consultantancy Technomic, 57 percent of roughly 3,500 survey respondents had never been to a bakery cafe restaurant. The top reason was no bakery cafe establishment existed in 48 percent of the respondents' regional areas. An additional 28 percent of non-customers do not visit bakery cafes because they are not familiar with what food items the concept offers, according to a Technomic news release.
"We believe this spells significant, untapped opportunity for the already-successful bakery cafe segment," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic Information Services. "With less than a quarter of non-users citing ‘negative' factors, such as price or preference, it appears that bakery cafe operators' greatest challenge is simply providing additional access and awareness."
Among the consumers who have been to a bakery cafe restaurant, 54 percent said they visited Panera Bread on their most recent occasion. The remaining 46 percent had been to a combination of smaller national or regional bakery cafe chains.
The research also revealed:
- Both women and younger consumers use bakery cafes as a place to eat and as a place to socialize with friends.
- Males and consumers with an annual household income of $100,000 or more find Wi-Fi access to be very appealing.
- Asian and Hispanic consumers generally place greater emphasis on family dining, which may be one reason why communal tables at bakery cafes were more appealing to these ethnic groups.
- Communal tables were more appealing to consumers with an income of $25,000 or less per year, and may suggest that some use bakery cafes for special occasions to dine with a group of friends or family members at a lower price point.
The research also found that bakery cafes are gaining in popularity as a breakfast destination, with nearly 18 percent of survey respondents indicating that they most recently visited a bakery cafe for breakfast.
These and other findings are presented and interpreted in the new Technomic "Bakery Cafe Consumer Trend Report."
