April 10, 2025 – The food service industry in North America influences the way people connect, consume, and celebrate food. It offers a platform for convenience, social interactions, and flavorful experiences, influencing consumers’ lives. Innova’s 360 research into food service analyzes the changing dining habits of consumers that are redefining the food service industry in North America.
Food Service Concerns
Inflation impacts food and beverage spending in North America. However, most consumers continue dining out primarily because they cannot or do not want to cook. Convenience, connection, and diverse menu drive traffic to restaurants, with family connections serving as a leading source.
Consumer Food Service Preferences
Consumers actively seek ways to reduce spending on food, without sacrificing quality. Concurrently, inflation and food quality are the top two aspects influencing consumer choices in dining or ordering food. However, food service trends reveal that more than 4 in 10 consumers in North America reduce delivery orders, citing personal finance concerns. Brands are responding in maintaining ordering routines includes giving rewards or offering unlimited zero cost delivery to prime members and lower service fees for eligible orders.
Daily snacking preferences change between healthy and indulgent choices, as consumers seek snacks that combine both qualities. Most snacking occurs at home in North America, with the majority indulging 2 to 3 times a day. Hunger, reward/treat, and energy serve as the primary motivators for snack consumption.
Top Brands and Companies
The top five restaurants in North America include McDonald’s, Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s. Brands collaborate to leverage food service trends. Wendy’s celebrated 25 years of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants by launching Krabby Patty Kollab menu items. Brands also introduce limited offerings that blend food between two regions such as combining Chicago classic food pizza and Italian beef in launching Italian beef deep dish pizza. These innovations of fresh flavor through collaborations or blending align with Innova’s “Authentic and Rooted” flavor trend of 2025. This flavor trend highlights consumers’ interest for authentic connection and comfort through culturally rooted experiences.
Limited-service restaurants like IHOP, KFC, McDonald, Starbuck, Tim, and Dunkin’ focus on value, offering value for money menus. Restaurants explore flavors beyond their typical cuisine zone experiment new spaces, and flavor combinations. This aligns with Innova’s flavor trend “Imaginative Taste Adventures,” which captures consumers pursuit of experiences with flavor adventures and unique flavor combinations.
Food Service Innovation Trends
Brands ramp up their menu by embracing inspired flavor innovations. Korean bulgogi, carrot, and herbs emerge as the fastest-growing flavors in ready meals, while honey, Mexican taco, and Bourbon whiskey lead growth in meats.
Packaged brands’ DIY kits provide consumers the trending authentic tastes on menus at home, offering a balance between cooking and delivery. Texture plays a vital role in enhancing flavors. Product launches like spicy chicken coated with flavors emphasize this trend.
Foodservices and brands familiar dining trails at home, such as KD KFC’s macaroni and cheese packaged with their original recipe for home consumption. In new product launches, consumers value restaurant inspired products than merchandise.
What’s Next in the Food Service Trends?
Rise in food services makes consumers gravitate toward affordable and convenient options. Retailers can leverage on-premises assets like in-store bakeries or ready-to-eat (RTE) meal offerings, catering to those trading down from dining out. Showing price empathy through loyalty incentives can help brands maintain trust while balancing operational challenges such as shrinkflation.
Brands can elevate fast food experiences by spotlighting the use of high-quality ingredients, particularly in proteins and vegetables. This can especially appeal to middle-aged diners seeking more value-driven yet elevated dining occasions. Frequent snackers, including younger generations and families, represent an untapped opportunity. Developing portable, flexible snacks tailored to these groups can help businesses capture new dayparts and increase engagement. Third-party delivery apps act as search engines for diners, but businesses can promote their own apps with personalized incentives. Simplified ordering and tech-driven efficiency improvements in the operational areas can further enhance diner loyalty.
Food services focusing on value, convenience, and technological innovation are likely to adapt and thrive in the evolving trend as consumer priorities continue to change.
This article is based on Innova’s The State of Foodservice in the US & Canada report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
