New study shows that one-third of Americans would try meal preparation kitchens
9 October 2006
CHICAGO — Home cooked meals not actually cooked in the home may be what's for dinner, according to a new survey by global market research firm Synovate. Twenty-nine percent of Americans recently surveyed said that they would be interested in visiting and trying out a "meal preparation store".
Meal preparation stores, also called meal prep studios, are locations that offer family-friendly monthly menu selections and a place to cook meals with others who have reserved the space at the same time. The stores prepare the ingredients required for the customer's chosen menu, label the ingredients with the cooking instructions, provide complementary storage containers for cooked dinners which they also label with defrosting and heating-up instructions for home, and then clean up after the consumer's dinners are ready to take home. They save consumers the time normally spent shopping for grocery items as well as all the preparing, chopping and cleaning up that goes along with meal preparation.
Thirty-three percent of respondents have heard of this type of store but only 2 percent have actually visited one. But many seem interested in the concept. More women than men indicated that they'd like to try one of these stores (32 percent versus 25 percent), and 36 percent of those with children in the household demonstrated interest.
"Even though most families are constantly on the go, they still want to prepare well-balanced and nutritious meals," said David Kozurek, Senior Vice President of Synovate's Consumer & Business Insights Group. "Many of those interested in trying a meal preparation store said that they believe the experience would be fun because it is a good opportunity to socialize and would allow them to cook without being interrupted."
Due to increasingly busy daily schedules, dinner preparation time each day is getting shorter and shorter. In addition, it is difficult to have the right ingredients on hand when preparing meals at home and making sure ingredients that are in the fridge do not go to waste. And while these meals are perceived as a better tasting alternative to pre-packaged meals from the grocery store, they are not viewed as having the quite the taste of a homemade meal that is cooked from scratch.
Still, 63 percent of respondents believe that the food at the meal preparation stores tastes better than the pre-packaged meals available at grocery stores, making this the top reason to visit one of these stores. Well-balanced nutritious meals and uninterrupted meal preparation are tied as the next top reasons to visit, at 61 percent.
Most respondents surveyed (76 percent) don't believe that using meal prep stores would save them a lot of money but a majority of younger people (18-44 years), and those with kids, think this would be a good value for the money or would even save them money.
This study was conducted among 1,000 adults in the US using Synovate's online e-Nation panel.
Contact(s) for this press release
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Jennifer Chhatlani
Vice President, Marketing & Communications |
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222 South Riverside Plaza |
Tel: +1 312 526 4359 |
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,000 staff across 62 countries.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.