Consumer Trends

To nobody's surprise, Chick-fil-A remains teens' favorite restaurant

The chicken chain topped Piper Sandler’s semi-annual survey of teen spending in the U.S., followed by Starbucks and Chipotle.
Chick-Fil-A
According to the survey, male teens spend more on food than females. / Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Teens love Chick-fil-A.

That is, at least, according to Piper Sandler’s Taking Stock with Teens survey. The semi-annual survey has again labeled Chick-fil-A teens' favorite restaurant, a rank it's held for the last few years running. This year, the chicken chain led teen food spending by making up 13% of their share of wallet.  

Starbucks came closely behind with a 12% share, and Chipotle followed with 7%.

Investment bank Piper Sandler, which surveyed 5,690 teens on their discretionary spending trends and brand preferences, also revealed that male teens spend more on food than their female counterparts. Food was the No. 1 spending priority for males at 24% share of wallet, while clothing was the top priority for females. Self-reported spending was up 2% year over year.

Per the survey, it also appears teens' willingness to try plant-based meat is on the decline. Piper Sandler found that 42% of teens consume or are willing to try plant-based meat, down from 49% in spring 2021. Of the teens surveyed, 40% either consume plant-based dairy or are willing to.

And when it comes to social media, TikTok is still young people’s favorite platform, taking 37% share, but it has decreased by 100 basis points compared to fall 2022. Snapchat came in at No. 2, followed by Instagram.

As far as social issues are concerned, teens care about the Earth. The survey revealed that the environment is teens' top social issue, with 19% of mind share.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Why population trends may help, and hurt, restaurants

The Bottom Line: Darden CEO Rick Cardenas told investors this week that demographic trends are shifting in restaurants’ favor. But some demographic trends will be a headwind.

Financing

TGI Friday's closures continue the bar & grill sector's long decline

The Bottom Line: The chain has been struggling in the U.S. for years as domestic consumers shift spending away from traditional bar & grill chains.

Financing

How many Boston Market locations are left? That's a good question

The fast-casual chain appears to have closed at least one-third of its restaurants in 2023, and likely many more as years of decline become a freefall. But how many it has remains a mystery.

Trending

More from our partners