Improved Food Service Marketing Strategies Reflecting Changing Consumer Values by Harry F. Krueckeberg, Ph.D. Professor of Marketing College of Business Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Introduction the

Improved

Food

Service

Marketing

Strategies

Reflecting

Changing

Consumer

Values

by

Harry

F.

Krueckeberg,

Ph.D.

Professor

of

Marketing

College

of

Business

Colorado

State

University

Fort

Collins,

Colorado

Introduction

The

USDA

in

its

recent

report

Food

Mur-

keting

Review,

reported

that

food

sales

in

the

United

States

reached

approximately

one-half

trillion

dollars

in

1985,

a

3.5

percent

increase.

Some

of

the

additional

highlights

were:

-

The

proportion

of

take-home

pay

spent

for

food

in

1985

was

15

percent--down

from

17

percent--

and

a

loss

mainly

by

grocery

retailers.

-

58

percent

of

food

expenditures

were

for

food

items

eaten

at

home--down

from

73

percent

in

1960.

42

percent

away

from

home,

up

from

27

percent

in

1960.

-

The

market

for

food

away

from

home

will

continue

to

grow

through

the

1980s

but

at

a

slower

pace.

-

Continued

experimentation

with

new

retail

and

food

service

formats

will

likely

occur.

Issues

Reflecting

Consumer

Values

These

statistics

reflect

changes

motivated

by

consumers

and

implemented

by

the

food

service

industry.

These

statistics

reflect

changing

issues

facing

the

industry

as

a

result

of

changing

consumer

values.

Some

of

the

issues

facing

the

food

service

industry

that

reflect

changing

consumer

values

are:

The

desire

for

greater

convenience

and

leisure

Age

difference

influences;

significant

“age”

market

segments

Time

constraints

as

a

result

of

working

spouses

Grazing

Nutritional

awareness

Quality

needs

Diversity

of

tastes

and

preferences

Home

entert&ment

growth

The

changing

economic

situation

presents

opportunities

also

The

economy

is

in

a

slow

growth

or

re-

cession

period.

There

are

opportunities

for

a

more

ef-

fective

reallocation

of

resources

to

meet

convenience

and

entertainment...