Cultural Exchange: Asian American Dining Habits

Desires to merge with the mainstream and honor their heritage influence Asian Americans�f dining patterns.

By Scott Hume, Editor-in-Chief -- Restaurants & Institutions, 9/15/2007

With three generations often living under one roof, Asian-American households average 2.93 persons, compared with the 2.57 U.S. average.

Sharmila Fowler recalls that for her wedding reception in Rochester, N.Y., in 1990, finding a hotel or caterer that could prepare Indian food proved impossible.

Now executive director for business development and strategic services in the Chicago office of Phoenix Multicultural, which provides research and marketing services, Fowler says that foodservice has become more aware both of the variety of global cuisines and of what is needed to appeal to Asians and other ethnic minorities. "There is so much opportunity to get to know these communities and to serve them," she says. "But that requires truly getting to know them."

Understanding Asian Americans begins with the realization that the term encompasses a wide variety of countries of origin, each with its own culinary traditions and languages. "There are some key foods such as rice that are important to all Asian cultures, but beyond that, the cuisines vary a great deal, from Japanese, which doesn’t tend to be spicy but where presentation is very important, to Indian, which can be very spicy but [where] the arrangement of food on a plate isn’t very artistic," she says.

Cultural nuances—such as that red and gold represent good luck in China or that the number 4 represents death in Korean culture—are so numerous that marketers may hesitate to target Asian-American consumers for fear of inadvertent offense. Fowler suggests that marketers instead consider six values that many Asian cultures share as entry points for understanding Asian Americans:

• Savings: A sense of obligation to save for children’s education and for parents’ care. "Marketers, including restaurateurs, are wise to emphasize value because Asians are savers and value resonates with them," Fowler says. However, value means quality, not always low price, for Asian Americans. R&I’s 2007 New American Diner (NAD) Study asked consumers what one change would make them dine out more often. Asian Americans ranked improved food quality as the most important change, while lower prices and friendlier service ranked first or second in importance for all other ethnic groups.
• Family: Multiple generations living under one roof. "Anything [in foodservice] geared to large groups is important to Asians," Fowler says, because multigenerational dining is common. R&I’s 2007 NAD Study found that 72.9% of Asian Americans agreed with the statement, "For special family events, I often choose to celebrate at a restaurant." Among all respondents, 61.3% say that statement is true.
• Education: An intense pressure to succeed academically. This results in well-educated, sophisticated consumers who look for and read nutrition and ingredient information about packaged foods and menu items.
• Group orientation: The "we" rather than the "me." Decisions, including those about dining, are likely to be made by the family or the household. R&I’s NAD Study finds that among Asian-American respondents with children living at home, 37.3% say their kids frequently influence restaurant choices—significantly higher than the 22.5% who say the same among all survey respondents.
• Community: Especially with less-acculturated or immigrant Asians, community is a source of pride. Fowler says that foodservice operators who show support for Asian-community activities can build trust and brand loyalty.
• Respect for elders: Older family members are valued as wise and experienced. This extends to brands, Fowler says, with "tried and true" products earning respect. Restaurants that have been in business for many years should make this known to Asian-American consumers, she says.

Apart from these cultural characteristics, knowing key facts such as that as many as 90% of Asian Americans are lactose-intolerant can help foodservice operators better serve this market.

Insights from R&I’s NAD Study

What follows are some of the findings from R&I’s 2007 New American Diner Study about Asian-American dining patterns that foodservice operators can use in menu and concept development.

�œ Vegetarian options. Asked what type of entrée they would be most likely to order, 6.6% of Asian Americans said they would choose a vegetarian option; only 2% of respondents in the total sample replied the same. Four in 10 Indian households are strictly vegetarian, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Pizza is a popular choice for many Asian Americans because meatless versions commonly are available.
�œ Trading down. Among Asian-American consumers who say rising gasoline prices have influenced their dining habits, 41.2% say they have eaten at less-expensive restaurants as a result (compared with 25% of the total sample who say they are trading down).
It also is worth noting that according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Asian-American households spend $978 annually on public transportation, more than double the $448 average for all U.S. households. That suggests that Asian-American households’ away-from-home dining habits may be less influenced by high gas prices than other groups’.
�œ Health-conscious but not dieting. Only 19.4% of Asian-American consumers say they have followed a formal weight-loss diet in the previous 12 months, compared with 29.2% of all respondents. But the 20.1% of Asian Americans who say they make a sustained effort to eat healthfully is in line with the response from other ethnic groups.
�œ Credit-card use. More than four in 10 (44.8%) Asian-American consumers say credit cards are their preferred payment method when dining out, compared with 35.1% of Caucasians, 30.5% of Hispanics and 25% of African Americans.
�œ Something completely different. Compared with members of other ethnic groups, Asian-American consumers are least likely to say they have a favorite dish that they usually order at restaurants and are most likely to say (21.5% versus 12.2% of the total sample) that they “usually try to order something I’ve never tried before.”