Millennials have the fever for flavor adventures—and as the largest U.S. age demographic,¹ they just may take the cake as tastemakers whose preferences influence snack selections found on grocery stores and menus around the country.

As a recent article in The Washington Post reports, millennials love to snack, and their tendency to bypass traditional meals in favor of grazing drives demand for an ever-expanding array of snack options.¹ In particular, healthy options such as roasted chickpeas, chia seed pudding and popped sorghum have emerged from obscurity to take a star turn as better-for-you fare.¹

'Tis the season when foodservice operators can enjoy the gift of high sales—and it’s summertime. Seasonality is a sales catalyst, and summer is no exception when it comes to seasonally inspired flavor profiles and culinary concepts. When temperatures rise, sales can rise too, provided your product mix leverages the summer’s hottest foodservice trends.

According to the foodservice research firm Technomic, seasonal ingredients fuse freshness and uniqueness, and younger consumers are especially receptive to seasonal and limited-time offers.¹ Technomic data traces the upward arc of the trend: 47% of millennials surveyed in 2017 agree their preferences change with the seasons, compared to 39% in 2015.¹

Peanut butter is one of those perennial favorites that brings back fond childhood memories yet stays forever fresh and contemporary, lending itself to an endless array of flavorful pairings. With so many applications, from cookies to confections, donuts to delicacies, chicken to burgers and beyond, it’s no wonder consumers keep going nuts for peanut butter and find new ways to enjoy it.

Pumpkin spice sure is nice, signaling the start of the holiday season and boosting business for foodservice operators across America, where the love affair with the perennial fall flavor seems to pile up sales like so much foliage. 

Leaves aren’t the only thing changing this fall season. Snacking trends are changing too as snack-hungry consumers (in particular, millennials) drive consumption to new heights. According to Technomic’s latest Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report, snack attacks are increasing in frequency, with 83% of consumers in 2016 snacking on a daily basis, versus 76% in 2014.¹ As their lifestyles become more fast-paced, consumers look for quick food fixes in the form of snacks. And, as healthy snacks grow in popularity, many people are becoming more flexible in how they define snacks and when they consume them.

When you need answers, you gotta go right to the source. In the culinary world that means the innovators, the educators, the trend drivers … oh wait, that’s often the same person: the chef.