Gen Z is the Foodie Generation

Current Backyard survey reveals Gen Z spends nearly $20K annually on restaurants, takeout and delivery – but wants to cook at home more

/EIN News/ -- COLUMBUS, Ga., May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Current Backyard, the world’s first electric outdoor brand, today released findings from its survey exploring cooking and eating preferences and habits among over 6,500 respondents in America’s 25 most populous metropolitan areas. Survey results suggest that Gen Z is the Foodie Generation – they eat out more often, cook and eat a wider variety of food, and spend more on food than any other generation on cuisine, averaging $19,890 annually.

Gen Z loves to eat. They spend more on each meal, they cook adventurously, and they cook more for friends – at least three times more often than Gen X and four times more often than Boomers. They cook spicier food, more seafood, more plant-based proteins and more meals outdoors than any other generation.

And they’d prefer to do even more cooking – 80% of those surveyed said they don’t cook as often as they’d like to, compared to 40% of respondents from other generations. Gen Z Americans were also more than twice as likely as older respondents to say cooking knowledge was the key factor holding them back.

In a separate Current Backyard survey of 1,000 Americans conducted on May 1, 2025, 83% of respondents said they think the cost of dining out and ordering food this summer will rise due to tariffs. Still, food will remain a clear priority for Gen Z – when asked how their summer budgets in various categories will be affected by economic conditions and the current cost of living, Gen Z respondents indicated they plan to reduce food budgets the least of any group. But they were also most likely to say they would be looking for coupons and discounts, learning to cook more this summer, doing more weekly meal prep on the weekends, and bringing lunch to work more often.

• Gen Z dines at restaurants the most.
  • Gen Z: 14.3 times per month
  • Millennials: 13.2 times per month
  • Gen X: 8.5 times per month
  • Boomer: 6.1 times per month

• Gen Z orders takeout and delivery the most.
  • Gen Z: 12.8 times per month
  • Millennials: 11.5 times per month
  • Gen X: 7.1 times per month
  • Boomers: 4.3 times per month

• Gen Z cooks for friends the most.
  
  • Gen Z: 8.1 times per month
  • Millennials: 5.5 times per month
  • Gen X: 2.5 times per month
  • Boomers: 2 times per month

• Gen Z cooks outdoors the most.
  
  • Gen Z: 7.1 times per month
  • Millennials: 6.0 times per month
  • Gen X: 3.9 times per month
  • Boomers: 3.2 times per month

• Gen Z eats the most seafood.
  
  • Gen Z: 10.2 meals per month
  • Millennials: 7.9 meals per month
  • Gen X: 5.1 meals per month
  • Boomers: 4.9 meals per month

• Gen Z eats the most spicy food.
  
  • Gen Z: 14.3 meals per month
  • Millennials: 11.6 meals per month
  • Gen X: 7.2 meals per month
  • Boomers: 5.6 meals per month
    

• Gen Z eats the most plant-based proteins.
  
  • Gen Z: 10.8 meals per month
  • Millennials: 8.4 meals per month
  • Gen X: 5.3 meals per month
  • Boomers: 4.0 meals per month
    

“Great food is clearly important to Gen Z – they are diverse eaters with sophisticated palates. They want to cook at home more often and they want to get better at it,” said Anna Grant, General Manager of Current Backyard. “That’s a key reason why we’ve designed our products with connected, smart apps and guided, precision cooking technology. Each successive generation has made cooking outdoors a bigger part of their lives, and we want to break down culinary barriers to help Gen Z become the best cooks yet.”

Survey Methodology: Current Backyard’s insights arise from Pollfish surveys conducted in February 2025 and May 2025, comprising responses from over 7,500 adults aged who regularly make decisions about cooking, dining out, and food takeout and delivery.

About Current Backyard
Established in 2023 and backed by W. C. Bradley Co., Current Backyard is reinventing traditional outdoor cooking through innovative electric technology. Current Backyard believes that the joy of outdoor cooking shouldn’t be limited. Its award-winning products deliver the same performance and outcomes as traditional open flame cooking, without limitations. Current makes outdoor cooking more accessible and sustainable for everyone, whether they live in a high-rise apartment, a wildfire-prone area, a community with strict HOA rules, or simply want to cook with clean, safe, renewable energy. Its smart features, precise temperatures and app-based expert guidance, make it easier and more enjoyable than ever to achieve best-in-class results, no matter the skill level. Welcome to Current Backyard, where outdoor living is possible for every lifestyle.

Media Contact:
Brianna Bruinsma
Firebrand Communications
currentbackyard@firebrand.marketing
415 848 9175

SOURCE: Current Backyard
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