CONSUMERS MORE LIKELY TO ORDER COCKTAILS WHEN OUT

Consumers are apparently twice as likely to order beer or mixed drinks then wine when drinking away from home. A recent consumer survey by foodservice consultants Technomic found that most people dining- and/or drinking-out consumed cocktails or beer. Here are the figures: spirits/mixed drinks (48%), beer (46%), and wine (18%).

[Ed. note: Because a quarter of all occasions involve more than one type of alcohol, relative shares add up to more than 100%, said Technomic]

So why is wine so far behind? Perhaps most consumers feel that wine is not always appropriate – or plentiful – at your local sports bar or casual-dining restaurant. And although wine consumption is notably rising in the US, there are still many people that are not comfortable with often perceived “snooty” beverage. Further evidence helps back our theory. Technomic found that wine consumptions jumps to 37% when the occasion is a business meal. Romantic meals and other special occasion dinner are also much more likely to include wine.

The type of alcoholic beverage adults consume varies by venue, consumer demographic and the people you are eating and/or drinking with. For example, the survey found that a quarter of all on-premise adult beverage occasions are informal family meals, which represents the largest share of all on-premise occasions. When most people think of casual dining, they think of beer or a margarita.

“This finding is particularly interesting for casual dining operators, many of which have struggled to build alcohol sales and have concentrated instead on facilitating their off-premise business through take-out sales,” said Technomic in a statement.