But in an age where there are almost more restaurant types than available diners, basing your cuisine and general restaurant theme on a specific niche is more important than ever to find a loyal market and customers who can identify with you.
A recent food service study by Technomic's Consumer4Sight created 7 Eater Archetype segments to help break down typical eating habits into definable consumer groups. Compiled over many years of consumer research, these groups can help you to better target diners with the right menu and marketing.
See where you fit in and market accordingly.
Functional Eaters
Not the fanciest eaters in the world, this male-dominated group treats food more as fuel than a culinary experience. They tend to eat at the same restaurants and eat cheap. If a low cost burger or sandwich bar is your niche, this is your market. Promote low cost food and lots of it.
Foodservice Hobbyists
For this value-conscious group made up largely of mums with kids, dining out is a hobby not at all like stamp collecting. If you want to become a hobby haunt for such people, make your menu and restaurant affordable and child-friendly.
Busy Balancers
On the go and usually on the phone, laptop and iPad at the same time, this multi-tasking group of middle- and upper-income females view food service as a way to make life easier. Serve them fast food that isn't fast food.
Affluent Socialisers
For these high income baby boomers, dining is entertainment. If this is your crowd, sell them on quality and atmosphere, not price.
Bargain Hunters
From one extreme to the other, this group of low and middle income baby boomers is your proverbial McDonalds and KFC crowd. Don't try to attract them with healthy products, they don't care. Specials and deals are the way to their stomachs.
Health Enthusiasts
Back to the other extreme again, this is a tossed salad of male and female, low and fixed income baby boomers and older people. They live simply and prefer cooking healthy meals at home. As a result they're not a major dining out market, but you know what they want if you care to try.
Habitual Matures
Not the most adventurous diners in the world, the primary motivators for these male baby boomers and seniors with low or fixed incomes are convenience and price. They eat the same things and dine in the same restaurants, so if you've got them already, they're yours. If you haven't, they'll be hard to convince.
