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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Millennials Prove Influential With Menus

As young adults push for more healthful, fresher, and tastier food, many San Diego County restaurants are responding by updating their menus and being more transparent about the source of their food.

Millennials — people who were born between the mid-1980s and early 2000s — are having a big influence on dining out, said Stephen Zolezzi, president and CEO of the Food & Beverage Association of San Diego. Many restaurants are welcoming the trend, since health-conscious people generally are willing to pay more for the foods they prefer.

“All the indicators we have are they are willing to pay the price for something that is fresh and locally grown, and we are going for it,” Zolezzi said.

According to a recent study by Brand Keys, a New York-based brand and customer loyalty consulting firm, nearly 90 percent of millennials are looking for fast-casual food that is tastier and more healthful

Partnering With Producers

Zolezzi noted his association is working closely with the San Diego Farm Bureau, which has a program called San Diego Grown 365. The idea is to help restaurants that sell locally produced food market themselves by displaying the San Diego Grown trademark.

Any San Diego County grower may sign an agreement to use the label at no cost to identify their products as locally grown.

Zolezzi also noted that a private company called Trace and Trust in July began offering a service to local restaurants that gives them the ability to trace the food back to producers, such as farmers and fishermen.

This enables health-conscious restaurant patrons to determine exactly where the food they ordered came from, Zolezzi said. “You can actually follow through with telling people the name of the farm, the name of the fishermen.”

In some cases, restaurants may be able to display photographs of farmers and fishermen who are supplying the food the restaurants use in various entrées, he said. Chefs can use the Trace and Trust network to select products and suppliers. Restaurant staffs can be trained to tell the stories behind the meals they offer customers 

Michael Clayton, CEO of Trace and Trust, said his Davis-based company rolled out its product in New England in 2011. It has partnered locally with Catalina Offshore Products, one of the largest seafood import and export companies in the state.

Connecting With the Millennials

Trace and Trust uses technology to make a direct connection between consumers and food producers. Clayton said consumers can connect to restaurants using iPhone and Android smartphone applications. They can see what seafood that has been delivered to local restaurants before selecting a dining location.

“The goal is to create a platform that is diverse enough to respond to the needs of the millennials,” Clayton said. “It creates a customized experience.”

The quest for fresher, more healthful food isn’t confined to casual dining establishments. Restaurants that are more formal also are looking for ways to tap into the healthy-food market. Meredith Manee, the chef for 1500 OCEAN at the Hotel del Coronado, said fresh and healthy foods are a big part of her focus. Attracting millennials to high-end restaurants is important to businesses that want to build a customer base for the future, she said.

“We want a long-term clientele,” Manee said. “Getting them at a younger age and having them become regulars is very important.”

She noted that her restaurant has its own herb garden on the grounds of the hotel.

“It is literally footsteps out of my restaurant,” she said. “We have a ton of rosemary, a great herb that is hearty, and garlic, chives, basil, thyme, mints. The San Diego weather and climate are amazing for growth.”

Different Direction

Steve Robbins, director of hospitality at Stone Brewing Co., oversees bistros in Escondido and at Liberty Station.

“We like to make sure we are on the forefront, staying proactive,” he said. “We’ve set the bar on having a menu that is a little bit different. I do a lot of surveying and case studies with all of our guests, the 20- to 30-year-olds, the 30- to 40-year-olds, the 70- to 80-year-olds.

“Everyone’s eating habits are changing, particularly in the San Diego market,” he said. “People are beginning to understand how the body machine works.”

The millennials are on the forefront of the change because they use the Internet to educate themselves about health issues, he said.

“They know where the information is,” Robbins said. “They want local, they want fresh, they want organic. We operate Stone Farms, an organic farm.”

Much of the produce the Stone Brewing Co. uses comes from its farm, he said. “It’s not an easy thing for a restaurant to do, but people appreciate it.”

If all goes as planned, preparing and marketing healthful foods will make San Diego County restaurants more profitable, said Zolezzi. Local food suppliers, and restaurants can work together to make consumers aware of their healthful products, he said.

“That is really what it is all about,” he said. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”

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