Despite the French tendency to linger over a meal, consumption of fast food meals is on the rise in France. Trends like this are being monitored under the watchful eye of NPD's Foodservice Information Group in France. In the spring, NPD released an extension of its CREST service for foodservice manufacturers and operators in Europe. It's the first survey to provide a complete overview of the foodservice industry in France.

The survey combines the advantages of CRESTcommercial and CRESTatwork data by monitoring consumer purchases of meals, snacks and beverages in both the commercial segment (restaurants and take-away/delivery outlets) and the non-commercial segment of the market (workplaces, universities and vending machines).

What are the key drivers of French eating-out habits?
Survey results and NPD's European foodservice expertise have helped us draw an important conclusion: Even if French people do like to take their time to enjoy a meal, modern lifestyles definitely have had an impact on their overall dining out patterns.

When we consider the total away-from-home market, eating out is mainly driven by convenience, with 55% of total foodservice visits being linked to the workday routine. As a consequence, lunch, which accounts for over two thirds of the visits, proves to be the main source of business for commercial and non-commercial operators; thus, lunch is the most competitive arena in the European foodservice market.

However, at commercial restaurants, eating out remains a treat for the French, with leisure being the main motive of the visit. As a result, during the weekend period (Friday included), dinner increases in importance. Its share doubles in both the quick service (fast food restaurants, cafeterias, bakeries, etc.) and the full service (restaurants and brasseries) segments to 40% of the visits. The weekend also brings children into quick service restaurants, with family visits accounting for a third of total visits, according to our CREST data.

The content of French plates is quite consistent with these findings. The traditional meal has strongly resisted the fast-food appeal, with the typical away-from-home meal including a main dish served with a side dish and a beverage. Tradition also prevails in terms of beverages. Water, either bottled or from the tap, accounts for half of the total beverages consumed away from home in France. Wine also remains a favorite, claiming 15% of beverage orders. The choice of restaurant visited also represents the style à la française; boulangeries-sandwicheries, cafeterias and the traditional restaurants and brasseries are among the most popular.

Because of the variety of eateries available in the French market, consumers do not hesitate to switch from one type of restaurant to another, depending on the time and the context of their visit. As an example, a typical full service restaurant customer makes 55% of his or her visits at full service restaurants and, for the remainder, switches to quick service outlets.

NPD's CREST foodservice information shows pleasure, tradition and convenience prevail as key drivers of the French dining-out habits. Each visit situation is driven by the need to satisfy one or a combination of these motives.

For more information
Foodservice industry insights like those presented here are accessible to your company. CREST is now available in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, the United States and Japan and will be launched in Spain very soon.

CRESTatwork is available in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom and soon will debut in Spain.

For further information about CREST services, please contact:

Germany: jochen_pinsker@npd.com
UK: simone_barry@npd.com
France: christine_tartanson@npd.com
Spain: vicente_montesinos@npd.com
Canada: charles_schade@npd.com
US: bonnie_riggs@npd.com
Japan: emiko_watanabe@npd.com