How operators can maximize sales by leveraging dinner trends and the growing snacking culture
April 2025
Snack and Dinner Strategies: Elevate the Experience, Capture the Craving
While the boundaries between lunch and breakfast may be blurring, dinner is still the one meal that people consider special and worthy of a bigger expense. Dinner is where restaurants really shine—it's the heart of the business, drawing in $386 billion a year in sales. However, the way consumers think about it is changing. Going out for dinner is now, for many people, a social experience or a way to satisfy a specific food craving. The days of the formal dinner restaurant are numbered.
Meanwhile, snacking culture is booming, representing a $36 billion slice of the food market. Here, too, things are shifting toward higher-end indulgent snacks and better-for-you options. Operators who successfully balance experiential dining, shareable menu items and innovative snacking solutions will have a competitive edge in the years to come.
Key Consumer Trends for Dinner
If you're an operator in 2025, there are two things you should know. First, people see dinner as a social experience, not just a meal. Second, their dinner choices are now increasingly cravings-driven.
What does it mean that dinner is now a social event? Since going out for dinner is now generally seen as expensive, most people want to combine great food with an enjoyable atmosphere. That’s the opposite of formal, but more elevated than a traditional fast-food experience. The emergent trend is toward fast-casual dinner occasions.
In terms of what people prefer to eat, diners are now pickier than they used to be. Almost half of dinner visits are now motivated by cravings—if someone craves Korean BBQ, they'll go looking for it. People are choosing to eat earlier in the day, too, with almost a quarter of diners now eating earlier than in previous years.
Operators can make the most of current trends by building socializing into the dinner experience. Second, stay on trend by bringing your menus in line with popular cravings. Shareable dishes, for example, make dinnertime more sociable, while offering enough variety to satisfy all kinds of preferences.
It’s also a good idea to adjust hours and menu offerings to accommodate early diners. Dinner at 3? These days, it's just right for many.
The Growing Demand for Snacking
Quick bites are big business: Snack runs now account for over a third of visits to Dairy Queen and Sheetz. But, that's not all. Snacking is very different now from what it used to be. On the one hand, more of us than ever want our snacks to be guilt-free, made from quality ingredients that are healthier for us. On the other hand, modern snack preferences are definitely geared toward indulgence: bold, satisfying, and trendy flavors. Think Turkey Bento Boxes, Tangy Asian BBQ Wraps and Turkey Summer Rolls.
A Delicious Opportunity
Dinner and snacking represent huge growth opportunities for operators willing to lean into the trends for craveability and shareability. Partners like Butterball Foodservice provide just the right products and resources to support these evolving consumer habits.
How are you innovating your snack options and dinner menu? Share with us on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Source:
Daypart Dynamics–Technomic, 2025
