"As Millennials begin to shift into new life stages, it is vital for restaurant chains to stay on top of their changing needs and preferences, particularly in the areas of health and wellness, quality and value," said Sara Monnette, director of Consumer Research at Technomic. "Millennials are a critical consumer group to the foodservice industry and finding ways to market to them can be difficult because they have high and varied expectations. Earning their dollars goes deeper than the quality of food."

To help operators and suppliers understand each generation's usage and attitudes toward foodservice, Technomic has developed "The Generational Consumer Trend Report." Some findings include:

Although Millennials earn a lower income than older consumers, a greater percentage of Millennials (42%) than Gen Xers (33%) and Boomers (24%) report visiting upscale casual dining restaurants at least once a month.

Of all generations, Millennials are most influenced by coupons and discounts when choosing a restaurant: 43% agree that coupons and discounts influence where they purchase food.

A substantial percentage of Millennials (32%) and Gen Xers (26%) say they are overwhelmed by their daily responsibilities and indicate that they do not have time to cook at home as often as they would like. However, just 13% of Boomers are in agreement.

Some 31% of Millennials chose either "often" or "very often" when asked "How often do you choose restaurants based on the healthfulness of their menu?" Only 21% of Gen Xers and 18% of Boomers made that choice, aligning with data showing that more Millennials say it is important to eat healthy.

Technomic's report is based on survey results from 1,500 respondents.