How Gen Z Is Eating and Drinking

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Welcome to Morning Consult’s From A to Gen Z newsletter. We put the headlines you’re reading about Gen Alpha, Gen Z and millennials into context with our high frequency survey data to help you better understand exactly how and why they’re spending their time — and their dollars. 

Last week, Morning Consult released our latest report on Gen Z, which explores how the generation is eating and drinking, both at home and while out and about. While we’re diving deep into this data today, keep this key takeaway in mind: Zoomers think of food and beverages as a conduit to socialize, but also a way to explore and treat themselves. 

🍔🍕The next generation of foodies is here🍔🍕

Millennials may have popularized the idea of being a “foodie,” but Gen Zers aren’t casting it off as an outdated label. When asked whether they identify with a number of food-related descriptors, 43% of Gen Zers said they would in fact call themselves a “foodie.”

This identity is underscored by many Gen Z dining behaviors, including their penchant for trying out new restaurants. Over 70% said they had tried at least one new restaurant in the last month, and nearly 1 in 5 said they had tried at least five.

The most frequent area of exploration, though, is bars: almost one-quarter of Gen Zers said they tried five or more new bars in the last month. This suggests that, despite signals Gen Zers are drinking less than their generational counterparts, they are still frequently socializing at bars and pubs. 

Like many other things, social media recommendations are one of the primary ways Gen Zers find out about new dining and drinking destinations. 

▶️ Download the full Gen Z report here.  

🌎🥡 Gen Zers have global palettes 🌎🥡

Whether dining in or ordering delivery, Mexican food is almost as popular with Gen Zers as American food. That said, the young cohort also has a clear affinity for Asian flavors: The majority of their most sought-after cuisines come from Asian countries.

Middle Eastern and Pan-African food, meanwhile, fell just outside of the top ten, and open-ended responses also showed a taste for everything from Ecuadorian to Mongolian cuisines.

Gen Zers’ global preferences are reflected in several other ways, too. When asked to name a food or beverage that they associate with their generation, boba/bubble tea and Mexican snack Takis were among the most-mentioned items. 

▶️ To learn more about the data that powers this research, reach out to your Morning Consult contact or email [email protected]. 

🔥😎 Gen Zers want to feel good and look good🔥😎

Gen Zers were raised in an uber-health-conscious age (think athleisure and water bottles as status symbols). As a result, 68% said they “always” or “often” eat healthy.  

Their reasons for doing so vary, but the most common is that they want to feel healthy and in shape, slightly outperforming the desire to look healthy and in shape. Even a small difference here represents a sea change from the pre-body-positivity millennial generation’s health mindset.

That said, the pendulum may be swinging back in the other direction with the renewed focus on weight loss, particularly given the rise in popularity of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic. This hits women particularly hard — Gen Z women are 9 points more likely than men to say they eat healthy to lose weight. Another recent Morning Consult report found that Gen Z women are much more likely than their male counterparts to report discontent with their appearance. 

▶️ To check out more Gen Z trends, head here.

What Else We’re Reading

• The Growth of Low-Cost Retailers Like Temu and Shein (Morning Consult) 
• Younger Consumers Are Choosing Creator Content Over Premium TV and Movies (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Wellness is king on TikTok Shop (Glossy)
• Influencer trips are out. Customer trips are in (Marketing Brew)  

Upcoming

April 7 — Memo: Gen Alpha’s Buying Power. This analysis explores how the youngest consumers are already flexing spending power with influence over many of their family’s purchasing decisions. Once live, it will live on our Gen Alpha page.