Sustain module 1

This programme has been funded with
support from the European Commission
A Time of Great Change
Food Service & the
Customer
Module 1

INNOVATION FOR THE FOOD SERVICE SECTOR
Welcome to SUSTAIN, a new learning resource,
specifically designed to drive Innovation in the
Food Service Sector
This SUSTAIN course has been designed to equip training organisations and food
service businesses to develop healthy innovative products and digitalised business
processes to ensure that food service SMEs in Europe are inspired and upskilled to
dynamically respond to obesity challenges, changes in technology and lifestyles. Of
course, our course also responds to the devasting changes that have challenged the
food service sector since March 2020 and Covid-19.
This course has emerged through our identification of training gaps and the very
specific needs in the food service business. The course is developed for delivery via
tutor led classroom training. Across 6 modules, it takes an innovative approach to
increasing users’ knowledge and skills across the entire food service sector. Written by
food service and training experts, get to know our partners

Module One
Food Service & the
Customer
With COVID-19 turning food
service and hospitality industries
upside down overnight, business
owners are faced with adapting
their business models to survive.
Module One is divided into 3 parts
& focuses on the consumer and
how their attitudes and behaviour
along with brand positioning can
affect product choice within the
food service sector.
CHANGING CONSUMER ATTITUDES TO
FOOD, IMPLICATIONS FOR FOOD SERVICE
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR/PERCEPTION
REGARDING PRODUCT CHOICE
(Sensory/Physical)
THE POWER OF BRAND POSITIONING

Part 1: Changing Consumer
Attitudes to Food
MODULE 1

A time of great change…
In this first learning section, we put the spotlight on the
consumer. Their changing behaviour needs to be at the core
of business planning so that food service operators can both
recover and future proof their businesses.
LET’S LOOK AT SOME INSIGHTFUL RESEARCH
A survey of 5,000 consumers in 10 European countries
showed lockdown measures may have caused lasting
behavioural changes in relation to food consumption.
EIT Food flags how there is an opportunity for the food
industry to build on rising health and sustainability trends.
https://www.in.gr/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/COVID-19_Study_-_European_Food_Behaviours_-_Report.pdf
Click on image to access report
LEARNING ACTION: Immerse yourself in this fascinating
report!

The Irish Food Board (Bord Bia) in its Market Insight report predicts 6
key trends need to be considered, to allow for a sustainable future of the
Food Service Industry. These trends apply right across Europe.
6 CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE
FUTURE
Changing
Landscape
Off-Premise
Acceleration
New Restaurant
Layouts
Reinvention of the
Business Model
Safety & Sanitation
Will Be Front and
Centre
Supply Chain
“Bumpiness”

1. Changing Unit Economics Will Change the
Landscape…
A number of key issues will have a long-term impact on the revenue and
profitability of the food service operator:
• Consumer orientation toward price suggests that price increases and a
premium positioning may encounter resistance from customers in the
short/medium term. Returning to normal spending levels may take several
years.
• Labour is a key concern. Operators have had to make key employees
redundant, and training and retention challenges are expected to continue.
• Off-premise fee costs have been a challenge as operators have shifted to
delivery models. Passing these higher costs onto the consumer may prove
difficult.

1. Changing Unit Economics Will Change the
Landscape continued…
• As demand shifts to the suburbs, operators may find it
hard to maintain a significant presence on the high street.
• Interior spacing has been reconfigured and with
associated capacity limits, revenue capacity is reduced.
• Exterior seating/spacing has been a welcome addition in
places where it has been possible (even in countries with
little history of outdoor dining (UK and Ireland). Going
forward, there may be more interest from operators in
using outdoor space as a part of the business model.

2. New Restaurant Layouts Will Emerge to
Create Flexibility…
Front-of-House
• Flexible seating options, with fewer built-in booths, and
a greater ability to move tables and create dining options.
• More planned outdoor space—operators will want to
have patios, garden seating or even work with local
councils to have pavement/street dining to mitigate dine-
in restrictions.
• Separate pickup areas will likely be incorporated into
front-of-house locations to help facilitate takeaway.
• At the same time, to entice guests to return, operators
will need to deliver an enhanced dine-in experience. This
may involve more tableside preparation, dine-in specials,
limited-time offerings (LTOs) will create a differentiated
experience for the consumer.
Back-of-House
• New locations will likely focus on smaller, more
modular kitchens that can be reconfigured easier.
• Multifunctional equipment will be necessary.
• Separate off-premise production kitchens will
grow in importance.

3. Safety and Sanitation Will Be Front and
Centre…
Safety and sanitation will continue to be a critical part of the Food Service emphasis
during and post-COVID-19. Ensuring that consumers feel safe and that your facility has
been properly sanitized is a most important customer service and brand positioning
action.
• Going forward, being able to “sell” safety and sanitation by telling the story of how
thorough the cleaning process is and the steps that are being taken, will take a much
more important role in marketing.
• Tech-based automation will be a key enabler for this expanded emphasis. Such as:
o No-contact food handoff
o Frictionless ordering and payment for on- and off-premise
o Re-emergence of QR codes – who thought they were dead and gone, be honest?!

4. Off-Premise Acceleration and Focus Across
All Sectors…
A key trend to emerge and accelerate from this pandemic will the shift to off-premise
strategies, particularly in segments where this had not previously been a focus.
• Sit-down restaurants, pubs, and even institutional operations have invested during the
pandemic in click-n-collect technologies, and this capability will continue to grow and
thrive post-pandemic.
• Delivery is an area that many are exploring to mitigate risk. Expectations are that delivery
(whether through aggregators or even self-delivery) will accelerate.
• With a more concerted focus on off-premise, there remain significant operational and
cost concerns, particularly for those new to this area. Packaging costs, making food “travel
-ready,” setting up front-of-house space for takeaway/delivery & factoring in additional
costs & technology are challenges that some food service businesses will struggle with.

5. Reinvention of the Business Model
• New formats/hybrids of food service business models are appearing, including an
integration of retail products into a restaurant setting. Meal kits, which have been a
successful way for operators to bring the restaurant experience to the at-home
consumer, will likely continue.
• Next-phase delivery kitchens are already being explored. Some SMEs have decided (or
will) that they don’t need as much dine-in space—or any at all. Delivery-only kitchens
may gain prominence not only in urban areas, but in suburban & rural areas where a
traditional restaurant may not make economic sense.
• It is likely that many food service businesses will re-evaluate their location. City
centres may not be as attractive longer-term for certain operators, like those that cater
to business lunches, etc. (especially with continued working at home) & operators will
assess whether there are more opportunities in suburban locations.

6. Supply Chain ‘Bumpiness’ Will Be An Issue
for Foreseeable Future…
The supply chain challenges that commenced with the pandemic in 2020
and Brexit in 2021 are likely to continue.
There were issues—often significant—with out-of-stocks & operators often
found themselves with substitute products or without the ability to serve a
particular menu item.
Similarly, operators were often left with extensive stock when government
lockdowns were introduced. It’s clear that supply chain forecasting and the
ability to accurately assess supply and demand has been largely one of
guesswork throughout most of 2020 -2021. It is unlikely that this will
change in the short to midterm.
Until the industry is on an established growth trajectory with little concern
for additional lockdowns, there will be challenges in maintaining stock and
supply levels.

Let’s recap on the commercial actions that
impact your food
service business
01
Shift to off-premise—Given dine-in closures, operators
that were able to pivot to takeaway or delivery saw some
success with these as a “bridge” to survival.
02
Menu Rationalisation—Menu complexity was reduced in
favour of a focus on the items that drove revenue and
profit.
03
Exploration of new service areas— Restaurants often found
themselves with new business models, including selling
grocery items/opening food halls & delicatessens in their
restaurants or increasingly building online retail portals.
Given the significant disruption
experienced by commercial
operators, the 8 ‘Takeaways’
listed here are mostly concerning
food service business survival.
As we have learnt, the following actions
were common responses arising in the
sector:

Let’s look at the commercial actions that
impact your business
04
Increased usage of single-use packaging, Given the central
role off-premise played in keeping many operators afloat,
most reportedly saw huge spikes in packaging, although this
is expected to reduce post pandemic
05
Reliance on suppliers and distributors - Operators have been
more reliant on suppliers for flexibility in payments and in
returns and found it difficult to maintain stock based on
significant fluctuations in demand.
06
Increased sales/focus in suburban areas—Footfall has been
virtually nonexistent in city centres. Many operators with
locations in suburbs and outlying areas report better trading
conditions outside of urban areas.
Given the significant disruption
experienced by commercial
operators, the 8 “takeaways”
noted are mostly concerning
food service business survival.

Let’s look at the commercial actions that
impact your business
07
Investment in technology to facilitate ordering and collection.
Many operators accelerated or initiated plans to build online
capabilities, including apps, websites, online stores and more
loyalty programmes to capture customer data.
08
Reconfiguration of stores/dining facilities—Socially distanced
tables and one-way queues that minimised interaction
between guests and with staff were requirements to operate.

REFLECTION Exercise:
In our Learner Workbook / Classroom exercise…Consider these 4
Questions:
1. How many of these trends / actions impacted your business in the last 18
months?
2. Think ahead to post-survival mode, assess the profitability of continuing each
new service introduction
3. In hindsight, what would you have done differently to adapt your business
model?
4. What new approaches make sense and profit to bring forward into the future?

Baked in Brick, Birmingham is an excellent example of how a food service business innovated &
adapted to deal with the pandemic.
Owner and qualified chef Lee showed his ability to completely change his business model to suit the
circumstances.
• By adapting his menu, he supported the local and vulnerable communities in providing nutritious
cost-effective meals.
• The introduction of Fruit & Veg boxes meant he ensured healthy eating options were readily
available.
• By trading in more than one way, Lee made his business more sustainable and likely to ride out
the crisis.
CASE STUDY - BE INSPIRED

Use of technology was key. An
App investment is now a strong
sales channel for the business.
VISIT Baked in Brick - wood fired
BBQ - street food - events -
parties – catering
READ THE FULL STORY
102-Baked-In-Brick.pdf
(foodinnovation.how)
CASE STUDY .. BE INSPIRED

Spotlight on Changes in Consumer
Attitudes as a result of Covid-19
In the previous section we look at the trends and changes that
unfolded at industry level as a result of Covid-19. We now look at
changes at individual consumer level. Understanding consumer
changes is fundamental to food service businesses responding in
an innovative way.

5 Food & Beverage Consumer Trends in Europe During
COVID-19
Trend 1: A focus on 'self-protection’
From immunity-boosting products to comfort food,
consumers are looking for ways to protect their bodies
and minds during this time.
A 2019 survey by Kerry ConsumerFirst found that
some 30% of European consumers claimed to change
their diets in order to help their immune system. So,
this trend has been at play since before COVID-19.
However, this has accelerated - according to Google
Trends, internet searches for 'food' and 'immune
system' rose 670% globally in the first 2 weeks of
March 2020.

An example of a food service business focusing on Health and Immunity is
My Goodness one of our project case studies. The essence of this business is
health and sustainability in an eco-friendly ethical way. Their tag line is “food
to make you feel good”
My Goodness, pride themselves in transforming Ireland's least favorite
resources (rain and cabbages) into delicious, fermented goods. They create
food, which is good for the gut, good for the brain, (and good for the
environment) & thus are inline with current trends of functional and
immune-system supporting food delivery.
VISIT MyGoodness (mygoodnessfood.com)
READ THE FULL STORY 41-My-Goodness.pdf (foodinnovation.how)

5 Food and Beverage Consumer Trends in Europe During
COVID-19
Trend 2: A new relationship with cooking and drinking.
Of huge significance to food service outlets, over 50% of European
consumers are now cooking more at home and attempting new
cuisines and recipes, according to Kerry ConsumerFirst data.
How did food service sector respond? Meal kits supply pre-
measured ingredients and full recipe instructions, which aim to help
make the process of cooking at home simple. Back as far as 2016,
big players like UK’s Gousto, and Germany's Hello Fresh, were in this
space, educating consumers and getting them comfortable with the
idea of ordering measured ingredients that they cook themselves.
Now this business model has been used by thousands of restaurants
to stay solvent during Covid-19 .

Greenbox are a prime example adapting to Covid-19 and adopting an
off-premise approach to reaching their customers:
To deal with the lockdown restrictions they pivoted their business
and created boxed meal options of British classics, Vegan style.
Therefore, their innovative and plant-based offerings could still be
enjoyed, just at home. An eco-friendly approach, good nutrition and
sustainability remain at the core of their business.
VISIT Vegan Restaurant | Greenbox | London (greenboxfoodco.com)
READ THE FULL STORY 72-Greenbox-Food-Co.pdf (foodinnovation.how)

“We've been lucky enough to specialise in experimental plant-based pop-ups. This allowed us the
freedom to be creative with innovative menus, locations & collaborations. We started Greenbox to
showcase how a vegetarian diet can be exciting and relatable, our journey kept taking us further into
the world of sustainability and has become the keystone of what we aim to provide: Making the
next decade as delicious and sustainable as possible.“
INNOVATION - Plant-based pubs
To serve up London's Best Vegan Roast
they teamed up with an iconic British
pub in Shoreditch, developing an iconic
pub menu entirely made of plants.
INNOVATION – Cocktail Bar
Another collaboration, in 2018 they brought
their flair for plants to a cocktail bar
collaboration in the iconic Hoxton Seven in
East London.

Trend 3: Snackification is on the rise.
Consumers turn to snacks for comfort, but the nature of snacking has
shifted from a quick fix on-the-go to an at-home occasion. Prior to
COVID-19, shared snacking fuelled a number of markets. A survey by
Mondelez found that 71% of adults say snacking gives them time to
connect with themselves and 53% look forward to snacks more than
meals – this is very significant for hospitality and food service
businesses.
Due to the current environment, consumers are looking for snack
products that are functional, from an immunity perspective, and even
those that provide relaxation and mental benefits. For those who are
looking for a treat, snacks that prompt a sense of nostalgia seem to be
delighting consumers. Is there an opportunity for food service
businesses to respond?
5 Food and Beverage Consumer Trends in Europe
During COVID-19
Click on Image
for further
trend info…

Trend 4: Importance of e-commerce.
Digital technology has been embraced by all
sectors of society, from staying in touch with
loved ones to ordering food online. This trend is
set to grow and strengthen, with foodservice
outlets pivoting to online delivery and engaging
with consumers via mediums such as Instagram
and carrying out cook-a-longs on Facebook Live
and Zoom.
Module 6 of this course is fully dedicated to
learning about the role technology plays when
innovating your food service business.
5 Food and Beverage Trends in Europe During COVID-19
Click on image to access post

Royal Nature is a healthy catering company that will helps one live a balanced life. Their mission is to inspire
and show their customers, that a healthy lifestyle can be easy and tasty. They target those with busy
lifestyles, whose health is being impacted by not making the time to nourish their bodies with good food.
This business is predominately operated via the company website and their Facebook page, where their
customers receive information and can order their choices to be delivered to their selected location within
the city of Sofia. They also use the delivery platform FoodPanda to extend their reach. About • foodpanda
delivery service | We deliver, you enjoy!
VISIT Royal Nature
READ THE FULL STORY 104-Royal-Nature.pdf (foodinnovation.how).

Trend 5: “Less but better” diet mantras.
According to Mintel, under the “less but better” philosophy, people
will consume dairy, meat, poultry and other animal products less
often, but will trade-up when they consume them. These buyers often
choose animal products that are better-tasting, more nutritious or
have ethical or environmental claims (or a combination of these
factors).
More mindful consumption of animal products is a step toward
sustainable, or planet-friendly, diets. The UN FAO defines sustainable
diets as having “low environmental impacts that contribute to food &
nutrition security and to a healthy life for present and future
generations.”
Mintel tell us more people will follow these diets through to 2030.
5 Food and Beverage Consumer Trends in Europe During COVID-19

Kodila Gourmet Ham are an excellent example of the “less but better” ethos. Kodila is a third
generation, family business, which combines butchery, curing and smoking, delicatessen and a highly
esteemed Restaurant. Janez-Janko and his wife are carrying on family and cultural traditions
throughout the business. Their motto is “when you know what you’re eating”
Their main focus is pig-meat. All pigs are of local origin. To ensure quality, they avoid all artificial
methods of curing and smoking and their experienced team use local Slovenian salt and traditional
non-chemically enhanced smoking agents in large chambers.
VISIT Kodila - Ko veš, kaj ješ!
READ THE FULL STORY2.-Kodila.pdf (foodinnovation.how)
CASE STUDY - BE INSPIRED

It’s not all about Covid-19, health consciousness is
a key industry challenge and opportunity
So, we know that consumers are more ‘health-conscious’
these days. Through media headlines, we read about the
obesity epidemic, the war on sugar and sugary drinks and
find a plethora of diets on offer: keto, paleo, sugar-bust,
calorie controlled slimming clubs etc. etc…
As food service and hospitality businesses, we are faced
with key questions:
• Do healthier foods cost more to produce than less
healthy options?
• Will the consumer happily pay for a differential ? A
study in the US reveals the daily price difference of
eating healthier is $1.50 per day translating to $550
higher annual food costs per person.

A CHANGE IN POSITIONING…
We are seeing market positioning and messaging move from ‘food as pleasure’ to ‘food
as functional fuel’ for a healthy lifestyle. It’s also fair to say that healthy food
consumption is a core policy objective in national and international agendas.
Understanding healthier consumer food choice and acceptance is critical for any food
service business. There is a whole world of study on food development methods and
acceptance criteria, this module focus now moves to two key areas:
• Perception as a basis of food acceptance and consumption
• Senso-emotional optimisation of food and brand
Before we move on, our next slide invites you to get scientific and watch a video on
What’s Happening in our brain when we eat?

What’s Happening in our brain when we eat?
WATCH
Camilla Arndal Andersen
a Danish Neuroscientist
speaks about hidden
biases and how
responses to food can be
measured.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7vnspDNx7g&t=10s

Part 2. Perception as a basis of food
acceptance and consumption
We are very conscious that many working in the food service sector may
not have a professional training qualification in food. Others may have
trained many years ago. Therefore, our content is based at an accessible
entry and refresher level and is grounded in the consumer and market
trends as the food service sector is reinvented post Covid-19.
MODULE 1

SENSES
The way we perceive food, from a sensory point of
view, is determined by the five human senses:
sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. The success
of food greatly depends on the extent to which
their sensory quality appeals to the target
population.
Other benefits such as the health aspects may
enhance the perceived value of the food but can
be largely useless if the sensory qualities are
unattractive.
…”You can tell me its good for me but that’s no
good if it looks, tastes & feels like cardboard!”

EATING RESEARCH
Before you innovate your food
service offering, it is useful to
dive into the power of ‘eating
research’, which can be divided
into 3 types of Variables.
Current food research is
concentrating on how each
category of eating variable
interacts with each other for
example: Matching people’s
expectations of food differs
across environments.
FOOD VARIABLES
PERSON VARIABLES
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES

1. FOOD VARIABLES

1. Food Variables
“Our senses are designed to work together, so when they are combined, the brain
pays more attention and encodes the memory more robustly.”
Medina 2014
All variables & senses intertwine when assessing food (multi-modalities). Sensory
analysis (or sensory evaluation) is a scientific discipline that applies principles of
experimental design and statistical analysis to the use of human senses (sight, smell,
taste, touch and hearing) for the purposes of evaluating consumer foods. They are
generally ‘packaged’ and assessed as the following:
PALATABILITY APPEARANCE FLAVOUR

Food Variables : PALATABILITY
Palatable is defined as: ‘agreeable or pleasant, especially to the sense of taste’.
In an interesting study, chefs in the Netherlands were interviewed about their most
successful dishes to search for ‘common denominators’. In total 18 chefs were interviewed
and 63 dishes were analysed. Six product characteristics were found that were present in at
least 80% of the described dishes and it was hypothesized that palatability is determined by
the presence of each of these culinary success factors (CSFs).
(i) name and presentation fit the expectation;
(ii) appetizing smell that fits the food;
(iii) good balance of flavour components in relation to the food;
(iv) presence of umami, also called the fifth basic taste;
(v) in mouthfeel a mix of hard and soft textures; and
(vi) high flavour richness.
The formulation and evaluation of culinary success factors (CSFs) that determine
the palatability of food - Klosse - 2004 - Food Service Technology - Wiley Online
Library

Food Variables : PALATABILITY
As you craft and design your menu, assessing palatability can be divided into two broad
classes:
1. Affective methods
Bringing together a panel of your target consumer
to answer questions such as:
• Which dish/product do you prefer?
• Which dish/product do you like?
• How well do you like this dish/product?
• How often would you buy/use this product?
Affective methods require a much larger panel size
than do analytical methods, to give greater
confidence in the interpretation of the results.

Food Variables: PALATABILITY
Discrimination tests can be used to
determine if dishes/ products are different
from each other
• If a given characteristic (crunchiness,
softness, melt point etc.) is different
among samples, or
• If one product has more of a selected
characteristic than another.
Descriptive methods are used to
provide more-comprehensive profiles of a
product by asking panellists to identify:
• different characteristics within the
product and
• quantify characteristics.
Better results are forthcoming from
trained taste panellists.
2. Analytical methods
Analytical methods of sensory evaluation are most commonly discrimination and/or
descriptive methods.

Food Variables: APPEARANCE
Digestion starts from the eyes. Food appearance helps
prepare the mouth for the incoming food (the mouth-
watering effect). The technical description…..
Food appearance determined mostly by surface colour is the
first sensation that the consumer perceives and uses as a
tool to either accept or reject food (Leon et al., 2006)
Appearance tests consider the visual perception of food
which includes colour, size, shape, transparency, dullness
and gloss.
Appearance and colour are easily explained through fruit. As
a fruit ripens, the colour becomes enriched or alternatively
as a food spoils or stales, a loss of colour occurs.

VISUAL &
OLFACTORY
WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Visual perception or olfactory signals (smell) are
usually the first senses to provide information or a
perception on the quality of food.

Food Variables: FLAVOUR
Flavour usually consists of 3 components:
• SCENT: contributes to the pleasure of
eating: e.g. the aroma of fresh baked
bread
• MOUTHFEEL: is the physical sensation a
food or drink creates in the mouth,
sometimes it is interlinked with texture
• TASTE: plays a vital role in recognising,
accepting and appreciating food: sweet,
salt, sour, bitter, umami

How Our Senses Interact
Leatherhead Food Research published an
excellent research paper to help us
understand how the senses operate together.
Over 7 pages, it shares fascinating
investigations such as the physical
(tactile/taste) interactions. It is a powerful
tool for food product developers and
marketing professionals.
READ: White-Paper-How-Our-Senses-Interact.pdf (leatherheadfood.com)

TASTING
AND
TESTING
WORD BANK
When carrying out Food Analysis it is
useful to have a bank of adjectives
to assist you in describing your food
service product. These are the main
words used & they often overlap.
APPEARANCE
Appetising, Attractive, Brittle,
Burnt, Clear, Cloudy, Colourful,
Colourless, Creamy, Dark, Dry,
Foamy, Fresh, Greasy, Moist ,
Mottled, Opague, Pale,Powdery,
Shiny, Smooth, Soggy, Thick,
Watery.
FLAVOUR
FLAVOUR
Acidic, Bitter, Bland, Burnt,
Buttery, Creamy, Fatty,
Herby, Musty, Salty, Sharp,
Smokey, Sour, Spicy, Stale,
Sweet, Tangy, Tart, Tasteless,
Watery
SMELL
Aromatic, Astringent,
Burnt, Coffee, Fermented,
Floral, Fresh, Fruity,
Musty, Pungent, Rancid,
Roasted, Smokey, Sour,
Spicy, Stale.
SOUND
Bubbling, Crackly, Crunchy,
Grating, Fizzy, Percolating,
Sizzling, Snapping.
TEXTURE
Adhesive, Airy, Brittle, Bubbly,
Chewy, Coarse, Cohesive, Cold, Crisp,
Crumbly, Crunchy, Crystalline, Dry,
Effervescent, Elastic, Fibrous, Fine,
Firm, Fizzy, Flaky, Flat, Foamy, Grainy,
Greasy, Gritty, Lumpy, Moist, Mushy,
Powdery, Rubbery, Slimy, Smooth,
Soft, Spongy, Sticky, Tender, Tough.

Sensory Food Perceptions
Bringing Flavour to Light
Bringing Flavour to Light | Jozef Youssef | TEDxLSE - YouTube
Here Jozef
Youssef
discusses how
flavour is a
construct of the
mind as well as
that of the
physical senses.
WATCH

An Overview of Sensory Analysis:
WATCH
Carol Griffin
from Sensory
Services in
Teagasc, Ireland
explains the
role of sensory
analysis in food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW5oZI2Mry4

2. PERSON VARIABLES

CONSUMER
LIFESYTLES
Our consumers come
from many perspectives
and lifestyle variables.
EXPERIENCE
The TOTAL PRODUCT EXPERIENCE
is the combination of events,
memories & sensations that
occur before during and after
the sensation proper
EMOTIONAL
Featuring emotional
characteristics in brand &
promotion can cue emotions
that are fundamental to the
way consumers perceive and
interpret brands.
The considerations in Person Variables are threefold:-

1. Lifestyles and how they affect food choices:
EU research has identified the key food related lifestyles or consumer segments :
• The uninvolved food consumer; where food quality is limited to convenience –
traditionally thought of young and urban but now much more health -conscious
• The careless food consumer- like the uninvolved consumer but interested in quality
– young and urban
• The conservative food consumer: traditional meal patterns, taste and health – rural,
older
• The rational food consumer: looks at product information & origin, meal plans,
interested in food quality – rural
• The adventurous food consumer, quality – younger, high education and urban

Lifestyle: Responses to Food
Exercise, food, and the brain's response
There is a wealth
of research on
brain responses
to food stimuli,
this video is a
very good
explainer.
WATCH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRAxpSHJScQ

2. Total Product Experience (TPE):
More than meets the tongue!
Total Product Experience is the combination of events, memories and sensations
that occur before, during and after the sensation proper.
The Total Product Experience approach is built on the following four principles:
1. Multisensory perception: products are perceived by humans using all their
sensory systems
2. Top-down effects: ideas, expectations, information, emotions, in addition to
direct sensory perception affect the perception, and liking, of products
3. Consumer-product interactions: the interaction of consumers with a food product
ranges much wider than just oral ingestion
4. Unconscious influences: there is much information about food products and their
sensory perception than is consciously and volitionally available to a consumer

3. Emotions
Emotions/feelings are an extremely strong trigger
for food choices. From a young age food becomes
connected to a variety of emotions and social
interactions. Whether sad, happy, celebrating,
commemorating, lonely, angry etc food is often
used to support or cope with these emotions and
circumstances.
A fascinating article by Steve Grant explores this
emotional connection and why it influences
behaviour as well as bringing awareness to the
social role that food plays.
READ THE FULL STORY Why We Eat: Food, Emotions &
Connection (stevegranthealth.com)

Emotional branding is the process of
forming a relationship between a consumer
and a food product or brand by provoking
their emotions.
Emotions connects with your target
consumers in a human or personal way.
With consumers increasingly making buying
decisions driven by feelings rather than
logic, emotional marketing creates
meaningful relationships that result in
brand fans, replacing the loyalty marketing
approach of years past.
Emotions cannot be underestimated in the
food service sector, used in menu design
but also in your branding

Example of Emotional marketing…
“Its about the community”
Irish Restaurant
Owner Jess
Murphy speaks
about what
motivates her in
her Galway
based eatery
and the message
she wants to
portray.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok2eelX_5vQ
WATCH

Generally, there are five approaches to emotional marketing that can turn casual
consumers into brand fans: Inspirational, Aspirational, Love, Milestones and Local.
The proliferation of new media channels, platforms and devices means consumers
have greater access to brand stories, and food business owners have more ways to
convey their brand’s identity and vision.
Done right, emotional marketing helps food service businesses differentiate and
compete in this changing environment, and conveys your brand’s values, interests and
passion.
Part 3 of this training module goes into more detail.
Emotional marketing

3. ENVIRONMENT
VARIABLES

3.ENVIRONMENT
Environmental factors such as
weather, time of day, the
immediate setting, who you are
dining with, advertisements, what
you can afford also influence
food service choices.
Restaurants and food service
outlets often take advantage of
this.
PHYSICAL
SOCIAL
ECONOMIC

Environmental Factors that affect Food Choice
There is growing interest in the role of the environment in promoting or
hindering healthy eating. It has been suggested that individual change is
more likely to be facilitated and sustained if the environment within which
choices are made supports healthful food options.
The main factors having an influence on food choices are:
1) social environments, such as family, peers, and social networks;
2) physical environments, including schools, child-care, worksites, retail food
stores, and restaurants
3) macro-environments, such as socioeconomic status, cultural norms and
values, food marketing, and food and agricultural policy.

Summary:
THE 3 VARIABLES
and their
Characteristics
Characteristics or
Variables of the food:
• Taste
• Appearance
• Texture
• Cost
• Food Type
• Method of preparation
• Form
• Seasoning
• Food combinations
Characteristics of the
Individual or person:
• Age
• Sex
• Education
• Income
• Nutrition knowledge
• Cooking skills & creativity
• Attitudes to health & the
role of food to it
Characteristics of the
environment:
• Season
• Employment
• Mobility
• Degree of urbanization
• Size of household
• Stage of family
Food
Preferences
Food
Consumption
Figure a): Factors influencing food preferences (Randall and Sanjur, 1981)

Using this Information
By now understanding the 3 variables
in Food and Eating Research, where
perception and preferences form a
basis of food acceptance and
consumption, as food service
business owners or entrepreneurs
you can carry this information
forward for your own food and menu
innovation and branding.

Part 3. Brand Positioning
MODULE 1

Food Brand Positioning
The goal of food brand
positioning is to determine and
crystallize a business's single most
powerful point of differentiation in
the marketplace.
Then, the brand must use
that position as a foundation for all
marketing going forward.

Emotional Vs Rational Thinking…
From the earlier parts in this module, you saw that whilst a meal recipe or food/beverage
product has sensory/physical attributes, crucially, a brand has both Emotional and
Rational qualities that also contribute to a brand perception in the mindset of the target
consumer.
A Food Brand conveys much more than what the mere food /beverage product is, what it is
called, and how it performs physically. The physical differences between many food
products, in reality, are the differences created in the mind of the customer through the
brands perception.
So, the success of a food brand lies in the mindset of your target consumer and on both
the Rational and Emotional responses of consumers to your food brand.
Without the appropriate customer reaction, and perception, a brand is valueless!

Emotional Vs Rational Thinking…
How the
brand makes
me feel
How I would
describe the
product
Essenc
e
How the
brand
Makes me
look
What the
product
Does to me
Brand
personalit
y
symbols
facts
Emotional
Rational
Rational
BRAND POSITIONING
QUAD

How the Brand makes me
LOOK (Emotional Thinking)
When considering the Brand Positioning
Quad and how the consumer wants to
look, based on research and trends, we
know that consumers want to look
• On trend or trendy themselves
• Planet friendly
• Socially Ethical
• Healthy

How the Brand makes me
FEEL (Emotional Thinking)
During and after a dining experience on
or off-site, your consumers or diners
want to feel:
• Happy
• Healthy
• Socially conscious
• Satisfied
• Full
• Pleasure

What the Food/ Meal does
for me (Rational Thinking)
Then the more practical side of things
needs to be considered. The consumer’s
rational needs / wants
• Nourishment
• Fills them up
• Provides assurance of quality
• Provides ease (better what you know)

How I would describe the
Food/ Meal (Rational Thinking)
This section is all about communicating
facts:
• Colour
• Temperature
• Portion size
• Visual presentation
• Nutritious
• Ethically sourced
• Local Produce

To summarise, the key principles of building a
strong food brand:
• Insightful consumer understanding…EMPATHY
• Clearly defined Target audience…Know who your target customer is
• Clarity of communication…Keeping your customer informed with Relevant news
• Clearly defined Unique Selling Points / Benefits…How are you going to help them
• Clearly Defined market focus…What customer sector you want
• Creation of a clear and relevant ‘brand personality’…How you want to be perceived
• Consistency of brand positioning…No mixed messages
• Progressive brand evolution and New Product Development…Keeping up with
trends

ACTIVITY-Checklist:
• Is your business ready for the future /FOODTURE? ⃝
• Do you know what your customers want? ⃝
• Do you think your customers have the correct
perception of what you offer? ⃝
• Have you created a brand for your business? ⃝
• Are you willing to adapt or pivot as required? ⃝

This programme has been funded with
support from the European Commission

Sustain module 1

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (18)

Ähnlich wie Sustain module 1

Ähnlich wie Sustain module 1 (20)

Mehr von IanSayers7

Mehr von IanSayers7 (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Sustain module 1