Have you ever found yourself trying a new restaurant or just being overwhelmed by the many dining options?
Well, it turns out that 3 in 10 Americans have something called “menu anxiety” when they are ordering food from a restaurant. According to the source, “The survey of 2,000 adults found younger generations were far more likely to have anxiety while ordering — 41% of Gen Z and millennials (aged 18–43), compared with only 15% of Gen X and baby boomers (aged 44–77).”
The study also found that younger people were even more likely to let others order first just to see what they were getting.
The survey found that many people habitually checked the menu online ahead of time and that many of them ALWAYS did this before going out to eat at a new restaurant.
A study by Avocado Green Mattress also looked beyond menu anxiety and asked the people who responded to the survey what factors were most important to them while ordering food.
Taste followed very closely behind cost were two of the most important factors in what people ordered, followed by the time needed to prepare the dish, how messy it would be to eat, and the environmental impact of the food.
“Our individual choices matter,” said Jessica Hann, Avocado Green’s Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing and Sustainability. “From how we eat to sleep, our collective decisions are inextricably linked to the health of our communities.”
The survey also asked respondents how they would feel seeing words like vegan and vegetarian on the menu and if it affected how they might order. According to the survey, younger generations were likelier to order vegan and vegetarian diets!
The article states: “For example, if “vegan” is used as a label on the menu, 39% of younger generations would be more likely to order the food, compared with 15% of older generations.
Similar stats were revealed if food were labeled as “vegetarian”; 34% of Gen Z and millennials would be more likely to order the item, compared to 17% of Gen X and baby boomers.”
This survey also revealed that the younger generations were more interested in restaurants being more transparent about the environmental impact of different food items than older generations.
“Understanding our environmental impacts shouldn’t just be a younger generation thing,” said Hann. “We should all be pro clean air, pro clean water and pro healthy climate. We’re all responsible for the planet we leave behind for our kids and grandkids.”
While it can be very easy to look at this study and see that younger generations appear to be more open-minded regarding plant-based eating, the results show that this menu anxiety has much more to do with being mindful than deciding what to eat.
One of the reasons younger generations looked up menus ahead of time might be to avoid anxiety while ordering. Still, many could be doing research about plant-based options, looking up where their food is sourced from, and taking into account other factors that may or may not be present when ordering in person.
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