Super Bowl Is All About the Food for Gen Z and Millennials
While 65% of U.S. consumers plan to watch the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs battle it out on Super Bowl Sunday, new research finds that older generations concentrate more on the actual game and younger generations are more focused on the food.
According to a Super Bowl LIX survey from Chicago-based data and tech company Numerator, Boomers+ are much more likely than younger generations to say that they're looking forward to watching the game (72% versus 49% of Gen Z and Millennials). Younger consumers are more interested in eating and drinking (56%) than any other activity, including the commercials (51%), the game (49%) and the halftime show (47%).
So what will these consumers be eating during the game-day gatherings? Easy-to-eat foods are preferable. Numerator found Super Bowl viewers are planning to purchase chips (47%), dips/salsa/guacamole (42%), wings (39%), pizza (31%) and nachos (26%).
[RELATED: The Versatility of Dips, Sauces and Spreads]
Better-for-you options are taking a back seat during the big game. According to an 84.51° In-Queries survey, despite growing trends in plant-based foods, only 4% of shoppers are planning to purchase plant-based cheeseburgers or hamburgers for the Super Bowl this year, indicating that traditional favorites indeed still hold sway in the snack aisle.
Meanwhile, soda is the most popular beverage for Super Bowl celebrations, with beer in second place. Numerator found that nearly half of Super Bowl watchers (48%) say they will purchase soda for the game, followed by beer (40%), spirits (23%), wine or champagne (15%), sparkling water (14%), hard seltzers (11%), ready-to-drink cocktails (11%), juice (10%), and THC- or CBD-infused beverages (2%).
According to Kroger-owned 84.51°, one of the most interesting trends emerging from this year’s Super Bowl shopping survey is the rising interest in nonalcoholic beers. Its survey found that 29% of shoppers plan to purchase nonalcoholic beers to celebrate the Super Bowl this year. This is particularly high among 35- to 44-year-olds.
Cincinnati-based Kroger serves more than 11 million customers daily through a digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names. Its health care division, Kroger Health, serves more than 17 million patients annually. The grocer employs nearly 420,000 associates and is No. 4 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named Kroger one of its Retailers of the Century.
