Social media 'listening' reveals current trends

A project that revolved around 'listening' to more than 7,000 conversations across social media has delivered some key areas for pub and bar operators to consider when shaping their food offer.

The recent findings indicated that emerging flavours, experiential dining and veg-first plant-based eating are the lead areas of opportunity for foodservice establishments.  

The insights, revealed by Bull’s-Eye, Kraft Heinz’s barbecue brand, are a result of extensive social listening research, tracking and analysing conversations related to dining out and barbecue. The aim was to understand consumer preferences and trends.

Delving into detail

While the popularity of more established cuisines such as British (22.1%), Chinese (18.2%) and Thai (12.5%) continue to dominate online conversation, it’s the emerging flavours that provide a glimpse into what consumers are looking for next.

Nigerian, Filipino, Caribbean, Korean and Sri Lankan cuisines made up 15.3% of the conversation. While one in four people in the UK have eaten African food in the past few months, almost half of people (47%) have not tried it but are interested in doing so. Moreover, 45% of consumers eating out-of-home are eager to try Sri Lankan, but 58% say that it is difficult to find. 

While meat options dominated the social listening share of voice (82%), a quarter of brits now believe that eating meat every day is no longer acceptable. The research discovered that people are looking for more vegetable-based options rather than meat-alternatives, with tofu (46.8%) and mushrooms (43.7%) coming out on top for diners.  

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