April 9, 2025 – Globally, consumers seek dinner foods and occasions that align with their evolving lifestyles, balancing convenience, social connection, and dietary preferences. Innova’s 360 research highlights key trends in dinner occasions. It also examines consumer drivers for in- and out-of-home meal choices, developments in the retail market to deal with increased family and social dining in the home. It also explores the challenges and opportunities in the foodservice arena.
Rise in Home Dining
The pandemic and subsequent financial pressures have prompted more stay-at-home lifestyles, supported by increased socializing in the home and a desire
for more cost-effective entertainment and meals. 1 in 3 people spend more time at home, compared to just 18% who are going out more. This is accelerated by the pandemic and cost-of-living pressures to maintain this lifestyle.
Stay-at-home lifestyles are growing fastest in Indonesia, the Americas, and Europe, while India and China show a mix of increased out-of-home activity and home dining. China is particularly likely to see more out-of-home activity. Across generations, older consumers are most likely to spend more time at home. Innova’s consumer research shows that 46% of consumers eat at home more often. Dinner (or the evening meal) is the most important stay-at-home occasion, with two-thirds of those eating in more often naming this as a specific meal they are more frequently making in their kitchens.
When choosing food for home meals, value for money is the top consideration for consumers ahead of health benefits, quality, and indulgence. For out-of-home meals, value for money remains key, but consumers also seek quality, indulgence, and variety.
Cooking from Scratch Trends
Beyond price and convenience, consumers prioritize family time and the quality of homemade food when choosing to eat at home. More than 2 in 3 prepare home-cooked meals weekly or daily, while 1 in 3 consumes convenience food at least once a week.
Despite the rise of convenience, 65% of consumers still prefer cooking from scratch. However, many seek a middle ground, 28% like to customize convenience food to add their own personal touch, e.g., with an added sauce or interesting sides. Meanwhile, 24% regularly just heat up a ready meal or convenience food. This demand for semi-homemade meals has fueled innovation in main dishes that require added ingredients and cooking sauces as a simple way to enhance scratch ingredients. Over the past five years, main dish launches have experienced growth of 10% CAGR, reflecting consumers’ evolving approach to home cooking.
Home Cooks Inspiration Trends
Word-of-mouth remains the top source of inspiration for dinner ideas, with 40% of consumers seeking advice from friends and family, while 38% turn to social media. Younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, rely more on digital platforms, where video content like YouTube ranks above traditional recipe books.
Consumers enjoy experimenting with meals, with two-thirds trying new recipes at least a few times a month. Restaurants, international cuisines, and street foods are important inspirations for experimentation. New product activity in ready meals, sides, and cooking sauces reflects this, with more launches inspired by street and restaurant food. Over the past five years, product launches inspired by street food or food truck concepts display 16% CAGR growth.
While most consumers prefer cooking within their local cuisines, global influences vary by region. However, Asian cuisine is also significant in North America and Europe, while Brazilian and Asian consumers often look to European flavors for inspiration and ideas.
Social Dining at Home Trends
Consumers are prioritizing home as a key space for socializing, with 42% considering it more important for gatherings over the past year. Family homes and friends’ places follow closely, highlighting the growing role of shared meals in fostering connections. More than 1 in 3 consumers consider enjoying food together as a primary source of social connection.
Spending on social dining is increasing, with 23% prioritizing gatherings with family and friends and 19% willing to spend more on premium food and drinks for at-home enjoyment. 1 in 4 consumers invite family or friends for home-cooked meals at least once a week. Young consumers are most likely to cook for each other at home, with around 1 in 3 Generation Z and Millennials doing this every week.
Fresh ingredients, rich flavors, and homemade dishes remain key drivers of enjoyment, highlighting the opportunity for retailers to introduce convenient, high-quality sharing packs for main dishes and sides. In the party food category, brands are focusing on fresher, more premium offerings to elevate at-home gatherings.
Foodservice Dinner Trends
Eating out is a more common practice than food delivery, with 78% of consumers dining out at least once a month, compared to 66% opting for delivery. However, financial concerns are impacting both behaviors, with 46% cutting back on dining out and 43% reducing delivery spending. Cost is a key factor, especially in Western markets, while foodservice remains strong in China and India.
Older consumers are most likely to be cutting back on the use of foodservice outlets, while Gen Z and Millennials show a slight increase. Quality is the top priority when dining out, followed by socializing and new experiences, while convenience drives food delivery choices. Lower price outlets, such as cafés, fast food restaurants, and street food vendors, show the most frequent visits. Similarly, fast food remains the frequent choice for delivery, often facilitated by third-party apps. Overall, two-thirds of consumers believe that the quality of delivered food is as good as or better than that served in-house.
Among core trends, healthy, seasonal and local foods are in most demand from restaurants and food delivery. Although health is not a core focus for restaurants, some are making moves to offer healthier choices. Meanwhile, seasonality is already established as a menu strategy to keep things fresh.
What’s Next in Global Dinner Foods Trends?
Cost-of-living pressures, stay-at-home lifestyles adopted during the pandemic, and renewed interest in home cooking continue to boost at-home dinner occasions. After cost and convenience, quality is one of the most important aspects of at-home dining for consumers. Brands can enhance ingredients or the variety of recipes in their offerings.
More than 1 in 4 consumers are cutting back on dining out or food delivery. Foodservice can diversify menus to deliver more affordable options in areas such as healthy meals and recipes based on local cuisines and seasonal ingredients. Sustainability messaging can also be tied to this for further value.
The rise in air fryer usage is adding convenience to home cooking, with brands increasingly promoting air fryer-friendly meal solutions. Meanwhile, AI-driven meal inspiration is gaining attention, particularly among younger consumers, though interest extends to Boomers and Generation X as well. Fusion and mash-up recipes are adding excitement into convenience food, offering consumers fresh and novel dining experiences. AI’s role in personalized meal planning and smart cooking assistance is likely to grow, making at-home dining even more intuitive and engaging.
This article is based on Innova’s Dinner Foods & Occasions – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
