Beverages in restaurants, bars and pubs, grab-and-go, and takeout establishments continue to make the claim that the drinkable category isn't an afterthought to consumers. It shouldn't be an afterthought to your menu offerings, either. What are people drinking today? What are the beverage trends? Here's a visual showdown of how the big three categories compete.
Water Weighs
Facts are facts - people prefer water to any other category of beverage, and the bottled or ready-to-drink (RTD) water industry is going to continue to put up big numbers. Never has there been the kind of demand on good, old-fashioned hydration the country is seeing now. Consumers want options - still, sparkling, enhanced, you name it. You just better carry it in your beverage lineup!
Pop is Still Popular
When the craving hits for an ice-cold Pepsi or Dr Pepper, nothing but the soda itself will satisfy that urge. Soda is still king for that reason and plenty of consumers are still very loyal and brand specific to their favorite sodas despite not enjoying it every day, for example. And, the new sodas available appeal to consumers in a very different way using ingredients, origin stories, and the experience of savoring soda in a whole new way.
Beer is the Best
It's no secret that beer provides bars and restaurants with the biggest margin in any beverage category, and helps drive traffic to establishments by simply having a robust selection of tap and bottled beer to choose from. Focus on local, small-batch, and independent breweries is still big in 2017, and consumers still expect a large number of options when dining out. If there is a craft beer bubble in Minnesota ... it's yet to burst.
