Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
offer food in petrol or gas stations, cafés along the way and accommodation
providers providing breakfast who are not part of the primary destination.
However, it is our experience that it is these providers who can so often pro-
vide negative experiences for the traveller.
Providing the best local food and best experience should be a major pri-
ority for all who engage with tourists on their journey.
Restaurants
The restaurant sector is a sector that is changing rapidly. It is also one of the fastest
movers; businesses come and go, plus, food fashions are constantly changing.
What is trendy in one part of the world may not be trendy in another region.
The 'true' food tourist is interested in restaurants that focus on local
foods and local traditions. Conventional restaurants would not fit into the
food tourism category.
A 'true' food tourist restaurant includes restaurants such as Sat Bains in
Nottingham in the UK (
www.restaurantsatbains.com
). Sat Bains is a Michelin chef
who will only source food that is grown or raised within the local postal code.
Food trends
The latest information on eating habit trends was produced in September
2013 by 'Growth Delivered' (
http://acgrowthdelivered.com)
, an American
consultancy company. Their report indicated that the trend in 2013 was NOT
to eat around the table and snacks were blurring with meals, e.g. soups are
now looked on as a snack.
In the USA, 47% of the food spend was in restaurants, although 21% of
the population called themselves opportunist eaters, or having a snack on
the run when they could and if it was available.
Restaurant categories
Restaurants fall into a number of different categories as far as consumers are
concerned:
•
Exotic restaurants. This is where consumers want to experience food
from a culture other than their own;
•
Bar-style restaurants where casual dining is the norm;
•
Quick low-budget eating establishments. These are family dining restaur-
ants such as the many fast food restaurants scattered around the world;
•
Fine dining restaurants. These are restaurants where the finest local food
is served and guests normally book a table for the evening;
•
Generation Y restaurants, such as Jamie Oliver's restaurants where young
consumers tend to browse eat several times a day.
