1. Millennialsdrivingrestaurantspending
By LaurenKramer
Millennialsare hungryandthey’re eatingoutmore thanthey’re eatingin.InMarch the CensusBureau
reportedthatfor the firsttime since suchrecordswere tabulatedin1992, Americansare spendingmore
moneyinrestaurantsandbars than theyare in grocerystores.InMarch Americansspent$52.3 billionat
restaurantsandbars and $49.7 billioningrocerystores,accordingtothe U.S.Departmentof Commerce.
The trend isbeingdrivenbymillennials,the generationbornfromthe early1980s to the early2000s,
and the reason,accordingto the National RestaurantAssociation,isthatthisgenerationviewsdining
out as a social event.The NRA reportsthatmillennialspreferfastfood,delifoodandpizzarestaurants,
theysupportrewardand loyaltyprograms andtheirallegiancescanbe flexible.Sohow doseafood
restaurateursattractmillennialstotheirtables?
Firstyou have to understandwhatmillennialsare lookingforandthe psychologybehindtheirfood
choices,saidMenuEngineerGreggRapp,basedin PalmSprings,Calif. One feature favoredbymillennial
dinersisthe abilitytocustomize theirmeals,he said.Thisparthas to be carefullyexecutedtoavoidthe
potential commodificationof the meal,he warned.“Icautionmyclientsagainstprovidinga listof
productsbecause whenyoudothat youlose the chef portionof the restaurant,i.e.the chef’s
professionaltouchandreasonforbeing.Instead,give asmuchinformationaspossible aboutthe items
on yourmenu,andmake recommendationsonwhat’s besttogether.Butbe careful aboutofferingtoo
manychoices.”
Too many choicesisanythingmore thansevenitemsinanycategory,be itseafood,poultryormeat.
Thisappliesnotjustto millennialsbuttoall diners.“If youoffermore thansevenonthe decisiontree,a
personwill shutdownandpickwhattheyhad lasttime,or whattheyknow is easier,”Rappsaid.
What distinguishesmillennialsfromotherdesiresistheirardentdesire to know aboutwhatthey’re
eatingandwhere itcomesfrom,saidRapp. “Theywant the storybehindthe story.Isthe seafood
sustainable?Where isitfrom?Howdiditget here andwhoare the people behindthe food?The better
the story the more it will attractthe millennial,andthe more youcandial downintothe farm or the 40
acres an itemcame from,the better.”
Rapp recentlyworkedonamenuina Maine restaurant,addinglobsterfloatsinspecificpatternsonthe
menu.“Each patternreflectedthe individual lobstermanthatownedthe particularfloats,andyoucould
lookout intothe bay fromthe restaurantand see those floats.Doingthismade thisrestaurant’slobsters
betterthanthose inthe restaurantnextdoor.”
Millennialsliketoknowthatthey’re makingthe worldabetterplace byorderingthe rightitems,he
added.“If,forexample,you’re orderingaseafooditemthat’sonthe redlistof MontereyBay
Aquarium’s SeafoodWatch,itcanpositionyouassomeone who’snota goodperson.”Recyclingis
anotherwaymillennialsfeeltheycanmake a difference inthe world, andit’softenthe firstthingthey
lookforin a restaurant.“If you’re servingglassbottleddrinksandyoudon’thave arecyclingbina
millennial won’tcome backto yourrestaurant,”saidRapp.“So it makessense torecycle at your
restaurantand to letpeople knowyou’redoingit,because itscoresyoupoints.”
Rapp said Duke’sChowderHouse,arestaurantgroupwithsix locationsinWashington State,isdoinga
great jobof puttingstoriesabouttheirseafoodontheirwebsite.There are YouTube videosof owner

2. Duke Moscrip inAlaska,where he sourcesseafood,andblogpostswhereinMoscripdescribesfishing
withhisfishermeninthe CopperRiverandmeetingwiththe scallopboatcaptainsandtreatingthemto
lunchat one of hisrestaurants.Duke’scommunicatesitsfoodsourcingstandardsonitsmenus,and its
signage indicates thatmostof itsseafood isderived fromAlaska.“We have whatwe’ve termedthe
“Duke Worthy Standardsforprocessingourfishandfor our foodsourcing,”saidBettinaCarey,
marketingdirector.“It’salittle stampwe’ve created,thatappearsinourmenusandisdefinedinthe
menustoo.We alsohave a loyaltyprogram, Duke’sVIPclub,throughwhichwe communicate our
message.”
Duke’soffersdiscountsandpromotionstoitsclubmembersonce everyfour-to-six weeks,andwhile
membershipisnottrackedbydemographic,rewardslike thisare agood hookformillennials,Careysaid.
“Millennialsliketowin,soto speak,andtheyprefertogeta breakhere andthere.”Salesgrowth at
Duke’shasbeentremendous,”she adds.“We’re experiencing14 percentincreasesinsalesayear,and
everyyearitkeepsgettingbetter.”