The Twilight Years of Soda are Upon Us. And That’s Not a Bad Thing.
It’s no surprise that global soda consumption is down – way down, in fact. It’s a trend that’s been going on for quite a few years now. But one drink segment that has managed to avoid this trend is that of premium beverages that are typically made in-house. We’re talking about drinks that include iced teas, bubble teas, cold-pressed juices, lemonades and smoothies.
These types of beverages have seen double-digit growth over the past year and have seen amazing growth (approaching 50%) in the past five years.
As QSR brands look for innovative ways to stand out in highly-competitive markets, which gets harder every year, the drink menu becomes a cool way to create menu items that are easy to implement. Brands that take the time to research and develop drinks that their customers may already be looking for are likely to gain some pull in their markets.
This can even be taken a step farther as chefs are also contributing to drink development – by looking at the food menu and really working on drinks that compliment the ingredients and flavors. It’s something that has really been limited to upscale dining – think wine pairings, etc.
Dining out means spending more – especially on beverages.
Because away-from-home dining tends to be more indulgent, people are more likely to order a specialty in-house beverage (we’re talking non-alcoholic here) to pair with their meal. Even with the health goals of today’s younger diners, people are still willing to purchase.
Think of it like this: If a younger person is at home eating – they know what’s in the fridge. It’s predictable. Easy. Just grab-and-go. In a restaurant setting, they are more likely to try something new for the experience – and spend a few dollars in the process.
High class beverage options without the high cost to restaurants
These classed-up beverages don’t need to come with a first-class price to restaurants, either. Many of the more popular beverages can be pre-made ahead of time, or at least some of the ingredients can be. And there’s a marketing advantage here to in that the ingredients for these kinds of drinks can be sourced locally, enhancing the marketing appeal and the likelihood that people will buy.
So whether you’re looking at smoothies, cold-pressed juice or something in-between, you can expect to see more of these drinks hit a menu near you. And, as a result, you can expect to see hewer people drinking soda as we make this global shift away from the traditional QSR drink and forge into new beverage territory on the menu.
