The FoodService Instituut in the Netherlands has looked at out-of-home consumption by the Millennials Generation and by Generation Z. Generation Z includes those born between 2000 and 2015, and thus the successor generation to the Millennials, whose birthdays are from 1980 to 1999. (The dividing line between the generations varies considerably depending on the market observers.) In the Netherlands, the two generations combined include around 4.7 million adults and young adults respectively.

Today, the Millennials Generation in the Netherlands already spends more on out-of-home eating than all the older generations added together. Collectively, according to the FoodService Instituut, in ten years’ time the Millennials Generation and the Generation Z are expected to account for 65% of spending on out-of-home eating. Generation Z is the first real out-of-home generation. Accordingly, they eat outside their own four walls more often than the Millennials. The main factor in this respect is enjoyment, and meeting together for a meal with friends is in second place. In a survey, 84% of the Millennials questioned said they had eaten out-of-home in the past month, and this proportion was significantly higher among the representatives of Generation Z: 92%. However, the amount of money available among Generation Z is still scarce, which is one reason why they play safe when choosing places to eat, and prefer known formats, discount concepts and all-you-can-eat offers. Although Generation Z is health-conscious and interested in sustainability, it definitely allows itself small escapes into the fast-food world. Among the so-called Digital Natives, young women in particular browse the Net beforehand to see what the choice, prices and discounts look like in the restaurant they have in mind.

Generation Z no longer think in terms of big weekly shopping trips for their household. They buy for the next few hours at most. The shopping destination is chosen depending on whether a shopping trip there is enjoyable and convenient. Consuming large amounts of meat is regarded as old-fashioned, but only 5% of Generation Z see themselves as vegetarians, while 20% say they are flexitarians. Generation Z expects mainly the state and food suppliers to take care to ensure healthy, sustainable food and its production. In Generation Z, as in all the generations, it is the women who consider a healthy diet to be important