As operators struggle to maintain positive bottom lines, it will become imperative to cater to influential users and consumer segments. Millennials and kids have emerged separately as major consumer targets over the past few years. Now Millennials are coming of age and having kids of their own, and Millennial parents are a new demographic that operators must pay attention to, according to “2017 U.S. Millennial Parents Insights Report,” produced by Technomic, Chicago.

A whopping 90% of Millennial parents order food from a restaurant at least once a week, as opposed to 77% of Millennials without kids (and 73% of the overall population). Further, 46% of Millennial parents' away-from-home dining occasions include children under age 18, while 43% of Millennial parents allow their children to decide where to eat.

Millennial parent dining occasions are not wholly unpredictable, however, as this group tends to value the same elements that most consumers do. Understanding how to differentiate while emphasizing the specific visit drivers Millennial parents are looking for is the key to winning over this cohort.