Eating out: where, when and why

August 2024

In the two countries – Italy and Denmark – involved in the 100 Healthy Days Survey, the people surveyed consider healthy eating as the practice par excellence of leading a healthy lifestyle, regardless of the target group organised by age group.

In general, over the 100 days of the survey, the consumers observed declare that healthy eating is an integral part of their daily habits and has been for quite some time.

This data leads to an analysis of the different consumption occasions, at home and away from home, revealing different behaviour per country, per consumption occasion, per age.

To understand consumption habits, places and frequency, it is first necessary to frame the eating out scenario.

The people interviewed in Italy and Denmark state that when they decide to eat out, they devote the right amount of time to this activity, actively and carefully choose the menu, and seek out flavours. Therefore, in future observations and trends for eating out, the time factor is understood as a valuable variable in a person's life, as is the search for information on food, which must be clear, and for flavours, which are synonymous with quality.

In Italy, for 28% of those interviewed eating out, at least once a week, is an established habit. People aged 18-39 years (more than 32%) are the main respondents, followed by Contemporary and Silver (40-over 56 years), who confirm this frequency for about 25%.

In Denmark, 28% of respondents say they eat out at least once a month, i.e. less frequently than Italians. The Super Teen, i.e. people between 18 and 29 years of age, are most likely to recognise this statement.

Analysing the answers of the panel from the two countries on the occasion of eating out, for 73% of the respondents it is dinner, while lunch stands at 48%.

Comparing the answers collected in Italy and Denmark, the differences that emerge are an expression of different cultures, linked to social habits and climatic conditions.

In Italy, there are moments of consumption outside the home that distinguish a person's lifestyle and are part of tradition. The aperitif, for example, for 27% of respondents represents the third most important occasion for consumption outside the home, while breakfast is worth 22%. Percentages that in Denmark drop to 4% and 7% respectively.

Looking at the data referring to the place of consumption, for about 67% of the respondents in both countries and of the different target groups, the restaurant is the main choice where to consume healthy food outside the home.

In Italy, the trattoria (34%) and the agriturismo (26%) are interesting choices for respondents, expressing a typically Italian lifestyle. Looking at the bar channel, while in Denmark it represents the second place for eating out for 35% of respondents, in Italy it is only chosen by 18%.

The data from the 100 Healthy Days Survey also reveal the reasons why respondents choose to eat out. In the interval of the first 100 days of the survey, about 60% of the total panel in Italy and Denmark declares that they choose to eat out mainly on the basis of value for money, and about 53% opt for a specific place because they already know it, thus based on previous experiences.

And it is precisely the importance of previous experiences as a driver of choice that is linked to an interesting and curious dynamic between the two countries: in Denmark it is 57%, while in Italy it stops at 49%, underlining the different lifestyle profiles.

Surely there is a ‘truth’ in these data related to the motivations that drive people to eat out, given that the respondents in both countries who most frequently eat out are the younger ones, i.e. the target with lower income and who share their experiences globally. 

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