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HomeINDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
Wake-Up Call for School Foodservice Providers
This year’s incoming college students are adjusting to campus life, which includes seeking out places to eat. On-site foodservice establishments have their work cut out for them as young consumers with sophisticated and discerning taste buds expect more from their college cafeterias. NPD data shows today’s college students are much more restaurant-savvy, have high expectations, and are barely satisfied with their overall dining experiences at campus cafeterias. And while restaurants at schools and universities perform well, huge opportunity exists for on-campus dining services to improve their customer satisfaction.
“Restaurants are really shaping teens’ expectations of what should be available to them when they are at school,” said Kyle Olund, product manager, The NPD Group. She added, “Campus foodservice providers have to cater to their expectations.”
Teens have become savvy about dining out, mostly because they are doing it more now than ever before. NPD research paints a picture of them as tough customers. While quick-service restaurants have been working to improve operations and add higher-quality food and beverage items, overall satisfaction among teens grew a modest one percentage point from 2002. By comparison, the overall satisfaction with quick-service restaurants for slightly older consumers grew nearly four percentage points since 2002.
Teens and young adults are even less satisfied with school and college cafeterias. NPD data shows on-campus eateries far under-perform commercial restaurants in overall satisfaction, while full-service restaurants rate highest in overall satisfaction.
Olund said, “Those aren’t numbers to ignore. It is going to be even more challenging for campus dining services to obtain levels of satisfaction with their consumer base.”
Some ways college food providers can increase customer satisfaction include focusing on front-of-the-house customer service that reflects an appreciation for the customer, combining speedy operations with “grab-and-go” selections to support the hectic lifestyles of college students, and offering a popular variety of high-quality foods and beverages to satisfy their pickier palates.
To find out more about what NPD’s foodservice information and insight can do for your business, contact Charlie Camaroto at 866-444-1411 (contactnpd@npd.com), or visit www.npd.com.