Gen Z + restaurants: life after COVID
We wanted to know if COVID caused a permanent shift in our preferences towards convenience over experience in the restaurant industry. Here's what we learned:
1. Social Listening
The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point in Gen Z's life and redefined our outlook on experiences.
Here's a quick recap on the Gen Z COVID experience
Over the past year, Gen Z tried our hardest to make the most out of our experience, but the truth is, FOMO (fear of missing out) was at an all-time high. We missed out on once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as prom, graduation, internships, and other major events. People tried to stay connected through social media platforms and video chatting, but that did not replace the want for human connection. Below the surface what made us frustrated and upset was not getting to say goodbye to childhood friends, losing opportunities we worked hard to get, and facing struggles with mental health. Studies on isolation have shown that a lack of social relationships negatively impacts the development of the brain's structure and can cause feelings of depression and anxiety.
We built a community on social media to share how we felt and share our struggles. People would post Tik Toks showing how much they missed human interaction with video highlights of friends. The comment sections became flooded with Gen Zers relating to how much they miss these kinds of interactions. In addition, #quarantine2020 became super popular to show off what people's quarantine activities were.
Many times, these social experiences were facilitated by food. Prom dinners, intern lunches, you name it. In COVID, convenience was king. We ordered on UberEats, picked up food, and ate at home, or, for some of us, we just cooked. We got comfortable with the idea of convenience, ordering takeout or delivery when we could because it was easy. But now that COVID is (hopefully) coming to an end, how will our behaviors change? Or will they? We asked the Loop their thoughts.
2. Research from The Loop
87% said going to restaurants/eating out and 13% said getting takeout/delivery.
Out of our 1409 responses, 1225 said they preferred going to restaurants/eating out post-covid. This response took the majority with 87% of Gen. Z's feeling this way.
We polled the 1409 respondents through The Loop, our community of Gen Zers spread across the nation of different backgrounds, ages, genders, and ethnicities.
3. The question is, why is this Gen Z's response?
Our generation is done with Zoom classes, virtual dinners, and our quarantine social life. We are craving human interaction and making up for the experiences missed in the last year. We’re experience-deprived.
Gen Z is in a stage of life where relationships are constantly evolving. A large portion of our relationships stem through school, work, or extracurricular with people we see often. During quarantine, the ability to maintain frequent interactions became tricky. Factors such as mental health, family, and stress added to the weight of social isolation. While we did get creative with facetime and zoom, it was not sustainable. Now, something as simple as going out to grab lunch with a friend or coworker can improve mental and emotional wellbeing. As shown through data collected by The Loop, we are prioritizing the experience of going out over staying in.
We are ready to jump back in! The concept of sharing a meal together, in the same space, provides us as Gen Z’ers a direct and easy opportunity to re-engage with others, while a post-covid world is slowly reopening.