Food consumption behavior of youth at branded fast food outlets in Chandigarh

Abstract

The fast food industry is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors in the food service industry. However, over the last two decades, with a growth in the number of nuclear families, economic growth and increasing per capita income as well as globalization, the fast food culture has gained prominence in India. Chandigarh, which is the capital city of Punjab and Haryana, is a hub for the majority of fast food chains. This is fundamentally due to the relatively rapid increase in discretionary income amongst mainly the youth. This study, which was carried out in order to try understand youth consumption behavior at branded fast food outlets in Chandigarh, revealed that the majority of the respondents prefer pizza, combo meals and burgers, followed by milkshakes and juices as beverages of choice. Furthermore, they prefer to go to fast food outlets with their friends and family at standalone outlets, and outlets inside malls and multiplexes which are next-in-line preferences. Cash is used as the major mode of payment followed by debit and credit card for settling of bills. Finally, when analyzing choices for fast food outlets, price is considered to be the major factor, followed by brand name, variety, home delivery and sales promotion techniques which lure people to the respective outlets.

Keywords

• fast food outlets
• food consumption behavior
• Chandigarh