Marketing

Consumers splurging on catered meals this holiday season

December 21, 2020

The 2020 holiday season may not offer the same gatherings, parties and hoopla of years' past, but diners are making sure it is still filled with amazing food, according to a survey by Oracle Food and Beverage. It revealed that 60% of respondents said they were staying home during the holidays but 42% were considering ordering their holiday meals from a local restaurant.

Nearly half (48%) of respondents also said they would probably buy gift cards from a local independent restaurant.

"This is a challenging time for both consumers and businesses. People are looking to make their holidays special, and plan to do that with takeout and meal kits from a favorite local restaurant," Simon de Montfort Walker, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Food and Beverage, said in a company press release. "It's encouraging to see consumers continue to rally and support local businesses, with many planning to purchase merchandise, specialty items and gift cards as holiday gifts."

The survey, conducted by Untold Insights on behalf of Oracle Food and Beverage, polled 502 consumers in the United States in November 2020 about their dining and gifting plans for the holiday season.

Hassle-free holiday meals

Nearly half (48%) of consumers were looking to pre-made/catered dinners, meal kits and takeout for their holiday meals. Consumers said they were looking toward pre-made/catered meals (15%), take-out (18%) and meal kits (15%) in place of meal prep for one of their holiday or New Year's meals. Of those consumers considering alternatives to cooking, households with families were the most likely to favor a pre-made/catered meal (32%), meal-kit (38%) or eating out at a restaurant (32%).

When it came to ordering take-out, Gen Z led with 28%, and meal kits were a popular choice with Gen Xers (25%) and millennials (24%).

"With holiday traditions disrupted and people dining in smaller groups, they are looking to for inspiration and want to try something new," de Montfort Walker said. "Consumers are showing an increased appetite for skipping big meal prep to order in or experiment with meal kits."

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Oracle

Oracle helps ambitious food and beverage providers transact in new ways, prioritize guests, and deliver great experiences. With Simphony Cloud, an open and extensible digital transaction platform, NetSuite for business management, and CrowdTwist for loyalty, thousands of operators worldwide automate operations and elevate personalized guest experiences with Oracle.

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