Technomic: Consumers increasingly vary their sandwich orders at restaurants

Chicago / IL. (tni) Consumers eat an average of 3.7 sandwiches per week, which has remained stable over the past few years. However, consumers are now eating a wider variety of sandwiches and sourcing them from a greater variety of locations as they look for new, unique foods, according to the 2016 Sandwich Consumer Trend Report. While burgers are still consumed most often of all sandwich varieties measured, other varieties – including deli salad, breakfast, flatbread and ethnic sandwiches – are gaining on burgers.

«Sandwiches provide an ideal platform for consumers to experiment with new flavors», explains Kelly Weikel, director of consumer insights at Technomic. «To gain share, operators and suppliers must meet growing demand for innovative, better-for-you options». Key takeaways from the report include:

• The rise of all-day breakfast is creating new opportunities for breakfast sandwiches; 27 percent of consumers say they are buying breakfast sandwiches outside of typical breakfast hours more often now than they were a year ago.
• Consumers increasingly demand mini sandwiches that they can eat as a snack (37 percent, up from 31 percent in 2012).
• Chain restaurants may benefit from differentiating sandwich offerings; 36 percent of consumers overall and 47 percent of millennials think that chain restaurants all offer very similar sandwiches.