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There is no denying that COVID-19 has changed the landscape of cooking, eating out and simply being able to enjoy the food you crave, when you crave it.
For anyone who lived in New York during the first few weeks of quarantine, finding food sources that felt safe and normal was like winning the lottery. People even went as far as to create “bots” to land them Whole Foods delivery spots. Many people who never cooked before had to rely on making their own meals and sourcing their own food, particularly millennials who build eating out into their weekly schedules.
A pre-pandemic study by USDA cited that “millennials consume food in a restaurant or bar around 30 percent more often” and eat “2.8 more meals away from home” than other generations. Millennials also spent almost “1 hour less in food presentation, preparation and cleaning” of all generations.
For the first time millennials were faced with the dilemma of finding alternative food sources other than their local restaurants and bars. Yet now that cities and restaurants are beginning to open back up – a sense of normalcy is starting to creep back into cities and homes across the United States. But what exactly does a new normal look like for the millennials who relied heavily on eating out as a source of food and socializing?
“Cook-at-home-kits” could be the very answer.
From ramen to tacos and everything in between restaurants are evolving to fit the new landscape of take away dining, and these kits are their first step. These at-home kits allow customers to recreate their favorite dishes in the comfort of their own home, allowing for almost the perfect blending of enjoying a restaurant meal with the safety precautions of a COVID-19 world.
A step up from meal subscriptions services, these kits have the edge and sophistication that often draw people into restaurants. Arguably nothing that is mailed to you could rival the comforts of your favorite Thai takeout or the smell of your go-to truffle mac and cheese.
Could this be the perfect meeting in the middle of dining out for millennials? Will these kits be able to fill the void of millennials desire to eat out, while changing their opinions on cooking at home? Only time post-COVID will tell, but in the meantime, I’m loving this innovative way to have my favorite restaurants’ food, without the crowds.