Boomers overwhelmingly prioritize quality over price when defining value, while Gen Z consumers are nearly twice as likely to seek out the cheapest possible option, according to Datassential’s Demographic Dive report. When asked to define value, 72% of Boomers said they want a good deal, but not at the expense of quality, compared with 63% of Gen Z, 60% of Millennials and 63% of Gen X. Gen Z posted the highest share prioritizing

Salad LTOs had their biggest half-year on record, with chains prioritizing pricier, entrée-style dishes over side salads that have long been a mainstay of the category. Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform captured 103 salad LTOs in the first six months of the year, up from 71 a year earlier and topping the previous high of 84 set in the first half of 2022. The second quarter alone accounted for 66 of those launches, itself a quarterly record. The salads behind that gro

Menu introductions at top fast casual chains jumped in 2026 by 50% compared to the first half of 2025, outpacing every other restaurant segment tracked on Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform. The segment produced 692 new, returning and limited-time offers during the six-month stretch, up from 461 a year earlier. That pushed its share to 21.5% from 19.2% of all LTOs captured by Launches & Ratings during the period, up 19.2% compared to the same period a year earlier. Q

Creamy ranch and turkey gravy rank among the fastest-growing flavors among new item introductions on U.S. restaurant menus, rising alongside trending Asian flavors, according to Datassential’s Midyear Trends Event webinar. Creamy ranch saw especially strong growth, up +1,288% among new item introductions. It was followed by nuoc cham and chili crisp (+1,201% each) and turkey gravy (+1,028%). The pairing reflects a broader tension that Datassential flagged during the webinar.

Coffee beverage LTOs in the first half of this year shattered the previous record, driven in large part by the cold and frozen formats that now make up the bulk of consumers’ away-from-home consumption. Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform captured 261 non-alcoholic coffee drinks in the first six months of 2026, nearly double the prior record of 136 set over the same period in 2025. The second quarter alone accounted for 107 of those launches. Much of that activity wa

Amid shrinking traffic and footprints, some traditional pizza chains are reverting to old-school playbooks in an effort to lure consumers in. Both Papa Johns and Pizza Hut in recent days announced that they are reviving some of their classes menu items, with the former bringing back its Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pizza after a three-year hiatus and the latter rolling out an entire Throwback Value Menu that lets customers build a retro buffet with items such as Stuffed Crus

Several health-based trends are continuing to progress in the foodservice space — though small indulgences are rising right along with them. Little Treat Culture is among eight macro trends that have advanced from the Adoption to Proliferation stage in Datassential’s Macro Trends Menu Adoption Cycle. The progression comes in tandem with a number of wellness-focused macro trends, including GLP-1 Medications, Clean Labels and Proteinization. The simultaneous moves underscore t

Comfort food is being redefined, as globally-inspired comfort foods merge with those typically associated with American comfort, participants heard during Datassential’s recent Midyear Trends Event Simply Smarter Webinar. Chinese cuisine is just one of the key global cuisines at the center of this shift. Thirty-nine percent of U.S. consumers say they’ve had Chinese fusion in the past year, according to Datassential’s New Chinese report. Chinese cuisine has surpassed Italian a

Burnt honey, or caramelized honey, is accelerating on menus, emerging as the next big honey trend in the footsteps of hot honey. Datassential recently highlighted burnt honey as one of 13 trends to know during its recent Midyear Trends Event Simply Smarter Webinar. “We’re moving beyond hot honey into the burnt honey stage,” Jaclyn Marks, a Datassential Trendologist & Senior Publications Manager, said during the webinar. Over the past 12 months, burnt honey is up 160% on menu

Unclear pricing is the top-cited friction point consumers face when deciding what to order, according to Datassential’s Choice vs. Decision Fatigue report. Overall, 42% of consumers say prices that are not clearly shown make ordering harder for them, followed by disorganized layouts (36%) and small or hard-to-read text (34%). Menus that do not show what is included in a dish and menus that feel cluttered are tied close behind, at 33% each. “Across all demographics, consumers

Just 20% of Gen Z consumers order from restaurant menus as listed — but the same generation leading the customization shift also wants clearer guardrails, according to Datassential’s Choice vs. Decision Fatigue report. Overall, around seven in ten consumers modify their restaurant order in some way, and 69% say the ability to customize is very important to them. Younger consumers lead the trend, particularly on drinks — “a shift driven by the deeply personalized drink culture

Bad service damages value perceptions more than tip pressure or kiosk frustration, according to Datassential’s Vibe-cession & Value report — and the gap between what operators prioritize and what consumers experience may be widening. In the past six months, 38% of consumers flagged slow or inattentive service as a value detractor, 34% cited rude or unfriendly service, and 30% pointed to service mistakes. Those figures outrank other concerns such as tip suggestions being too

Financial stress is closely tied to menu decision fatigue, according to Datassential’s Choice vs. Decision Fatigue report. Nearly six in ten consumers say they feel more pressure to make the “right” ordering choice when money is tight. Just under half say they sometimes order less than what they actually want out of fear of wasting money on something they might not enjoy. The anxiety hits Gen Z hardest. Fifty-eight percent say they sometimes hold back on ordering because of

Low-income consumers who have stopped drinking alcohol are far less likely to reconsider than their high-income counterparts, according to Datassential’s recent Drinker Habits reports. Sixty-seven percent of low-income non-drinkers say they’ll never drink again, compared with 41% of high-income non-drinkers, according to the High-Income and Low-Income Drinker Habits reports. The gap holds on the other end of the spectrum, too, with just 5% of low-income non-drinkers saying th

Consumers are showing strong interest in new Chinese foods, flavors, and concepts, even as American-Chinese restaurants’ U.S. footprint has shrunk, according to Datassential’s New Chinese report. While American-Chinese cuisine like orange chicken and crab rangoon still leads consumer interest at 65%, the format’s restaurant base has been on the decline, with units down by a net 12.4% since late 2019, according to data from Datassential’s latest Restaurant Landscape report. “

U.S. consumers are using snacks as a replacement for traditional meals amid growing financial pressures, according to Datassential’s Table Stakes Tracker report. Seventy-five percent of consumers said they snacked in place of a standard breakfast, lunch, or dinner occasion at least once in December. Snacking outside of traditional mealtimes is even more widespread, with 87% of consumers reporting doing so in December. Many consumers also are periodically straying away from t

Convenience stores are leaning harder into menu uniqueness as the channel’s definition of value evolves beyond price, according to Datassential’s Convenience Store Review report. Uniqueness ratings at c-stores rose to 45% in 2025, marking the second consecutive year of gains. Desserts and pizza stand out as the most distinctive categories on c-store menus, posting uniqueness scores of 53% and 48%, respectively — well ahead of staples like sandwiches and non-alcoholic beverage

Convenience stores are recalibrating their LTO strategies, pulling back on non-alcoholic beverages while doubling down on sandwiches as their primary play against restaurants, according to Datassential’s Convenience Store Review. Non-alcoholic beverages fell from 128 introductions in 2024 to 81 in 2025 — a 37% drop and the steepest absolute decline of any item type. Still, the category remains the most prolific at c-stores by volume. Overall, c-store LTOs fell 21% annually,

Non-alcoholic beverages are dominating May’s LTO performance on both viability and value ratings, according to Datassential’s Launches & Ratings platform. Eleven of 23 Superstar LTOs were non-alcoholic beverages, with the category’s strongest performers making the case that value perception isn’t just a price story. According to Datassential’s The Value Equation report, consumers define value beyond price, encompassing taste, quality ingredients, experience, and convenience.

Dessert prices jumped at quick-service restaurants over the past year while retreating at fast casual, according to Datassential’s Menu Price Tracker report. At quick-service restaurants, dessert prices rose 7.7% “as volume shifted toward shakes and higher-priced cake desserts, which also coincided with price increases,” said Datassential Economist Keenan Marchesi, Ph.D. At fast casual, dessert prices fell 1.3%, as “the fast casual mix moved away from premium Danish Pastry,