Curious Consumers Want Their Food to Work Harder for Them

Consumers are making food decisions through several decision filters at once: how they want to feel, how much they want to spend, how much time they have, and whether they trust what they are ordering, according to The 2026 Consumer Curiosity Report™ by Curious Plot.

In response, operators should make menus easier to navigate and more flexible, offer satisfying portion choices, protein-forward and produce-forward options, transparent ingredient information, and a clear reason an item is worth its price, explained Katya Murray, Vice President and leader of Curious Plot’s Food accounts. 

“The goal is to make every guest feel that they can choose an experience that fits their occasion. They want the feeling of discovery and are willing to pay for this experience, but they need to understand why an item is worth the spend.”

Consumers Are Selective 

Report highlights include:

• 94 percent say food inflation has changed how they shop

• 91 percent are actively trying to eat healthier

• 74 percent are using AI for food-related decisions, up from 55 percent just one year ago, the largest single-year shift the report has ever recorded.

Consumers are selective, rather than simply trading down, the data suggested. Restaurants can offer accessible anchors alongside unique and premium experiences, allowing guests to choose their spend, Murray said. A limited-time item earns its price when the guest can see the proof: exceptional flavor, generous portion, a sourcing story, an experience, or a tangible functional benefit.

“The strongest format is an approachable familiar item with one interesting element, such as a seasonal ingredient, new sauce, regional flavor, fermentation, chef technique, or sourced product with a clear story.”

Perceived Value Remains Important

Perceived value can be interpreted in a lot of ways, but most often, it means making sure the restaurant can connect with the value that its core customers prioritize most, which can vary widely, Murray noted, adding that when the value proposition is credible and easy to understand, they remain willing to spend.

“But no matter what that is, the guest should quickly understand the benefit: ‘This feeds two,’ ‘This is a complete lunch,’ ‘This gives me more protein,’ ‘This is smaller because that is what I want,’ or ‘This uses a local ingredient I care about.’

A few examples of restaurants that are making menu changes around “value,” Murray said, include:

• Chili’s 3 for Me bundles an entrée, appetizer, and beverage at a single starting price.

• Olive Garden has rolled out lighter portions of selected entrées at lower prices.

• Chipotle introduced protein snack cups and smaller-format, protein-led choices, including an Adobo Chicken taco reported at about $3.50 with 15 grams of protein.

• Popeyes added snack-sized chicken wraps to its core menu (making them an accessible “snack” format) 

• For “affordable sharing” KFC’s $10 bucket deal provides a shareable, family-oriented meal format.

The report detailed Five Convergence Stories that are shaping guest’s dining decisions.

• The Depleted Consumer: Food and cooking increasingly offer comfort, control, and a sense of relief. Restaurants can deliver that through craveable comfort and flavors, welcoming hospitality, and friction-free ordering.

• The GLP-1 Watershed Moment: Smaller appetites and more intentional choices are spreading beyond people using GLP-1s. Restaurants can make nutrient density, protein, customization, and smaller-format choices easy to find.

• The Credibility Vacuum: Consumers are researching food via YouTube, social media, and AI, where confusion can spread quickly. Operators have an opportunity to explain ingredients and preparation clearly.

• The Informed Appetite: Guests want functional benefits, but they need credible, understandable language. Familiar cues such as protein, fiber, produce, whole grains, and fermented foods can be useful when relevant to the menu items being offered.

• The Inflation Paradox: Guests remain willing to spend, but they demand a concrete reason. Value needs to be visible in portion sizes, quality, sourcing, convenience, flavor, or experience.

What Diners Want

Because consumers ranked foods with cognitive health benefits as their top nutrition curiosity, restaurant operators can capitalize on the opportunity to meet the underlying need for steady energy, focus, and nourishment without overstating health benefits, Murray said. Operators can use familiar, credible menu components—protein, fiber, vegetables, whole grains, omega-3-rich seafood, nuts, seeds, and fermented ingredients where appropriate—and describe dishes in practical terms such as “protein-forward,” “fiber-rich,” “balanced,” or “built for a satisfying lunch,” she added. 

“Daypart design also matters. Breakfast and lunch can highlight sustained-energy choices; snack and beverage menus can feature balanced options; dinner offerings can provide satisfaction without feeling overly heavy. The point is to help guests make choices easily, rather than turning the menu into a set of medical promises.”

GLP-1 awareness reached 93 percent of early adopters, while 56 percent have used or are considering these medications, the data revealed, but Murray believes the larger story is the spillover: 31 percent of people who have never used a GLP-1 say the discussion has changed how they eat, even if they aren’t using the drugs themselves. 

“These consumers report they are adjusting their diets to focus more on protein, nourishment and functional benefits, intentional choices, and reducing ultra-processed foods.The experience still matters and smaller portions must feel complete, flavorful, and worth the visit. Operators should avoid unsupported ‘GLP-1-friendly’ claims and instead focus on transparency and, ultimately, guest choice.”

Instead of an instant overhaul, operators should consider a broader cultural shift toward “less volume, more value per bite,” she suggested. That can mean half portions, smaller plates, shareables, protein additions, vegetable-forward sides, flexible substitutions, and clearly described nutrition-oriented choices. 

Generational Nuances

The report uncovers distinct generational nuances that drive each one when prioritizing  food selection, Murray pointed out.

• Gen Z: Seeking mental energy and novelty; highly interested in functional food, but with lower ingredient literacy. This group responds to accessible discovery, straightforward education, visual appeal, and transparent pricing.

• Millennials: Seeking mental energy and memory support; highly interested in baking and motivated by function, though susceptible to misinformation. Convenience, customization, protein cues, and credible education are important.

• Gen X: More skeptical of claims and focused on memory support and dementia prevention. Proof, ingredient transparency, and restrained benefit language are valuable.

• Baby Boomers: More trust-driven, with greater reliance on friends, family, dietitians, and nutritionists. Hospitality, reliability, familiar ingredients, and clarity matter most.

The report is Curious Plot's fourth annual examination of early food adopter behavior, which is defined as consumers who are interested in food experiences including cooking, restaurants, health foods and food events; interact with food content online at least once per week; and consider trying new things important. The data covers more than 50 food topics across culinary, nutrition, purchasing behavior, GLP-1 impact, AI usage and food transparency.