Sweet & Social: Make It Social-Media Worthy
It’s impossible to overstate the central role social media plays in the lives of Gen Z consumers. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are their go-to communication tools where they learn, contribute and discuss. According to Datassential, 81 percent of Gen Z have either used or uploaded content to TikTok; indeed, more than half of this generation is credited with contributing content to the platform, rather than passively consuming it.
When seeking new drink ideas for Tous les Jours, the French-Asian bakery chain that hails from South Korea, R&D beverage specialist—and 2022 U.S. Coffee Championship winner—Alex Hager turned to the Purple Sweet Potato Loaf, a current baked goods menu item enjoying social media success. “Like many, I was struck by its beautiful purple color,” Hager says of the inspiration for the chain’s Ube Latte. In addition to its vibrant hue, ube gives the drink a balanced sweetness, she notes. The menu description goes further, characterizing the flavor profile as “mellow, nutty and vanilla-like—a cross between white chocolate, vanilla and pistachio, with a hint of coconut.” The drink provides the chain with a non-caffeinated option that offers plenty of buzz. “It looks great in pictures, which certainly helped it take off in popularity as soon as the first promotional images were posted on social media,” says Hager.
Ube is up 128% on menus in the past 4 years.
SOURCE: DATASSENTIAL, 2023
Mike Kostyo is the VP of Menu Matters, a private consultancy that works with foodservice professionals to analyze, understand and leverage food and beverage, industry and consumer trends. Kostyo has been a recurring guest on Fusion TV’s “The A.V. Club” show; has been featured on NBC News, CBS Radio and Gimlet Media’s “Why We Eat What We Eat” podcast; is regularly featured in newspapers and magazines; speaks at numerous conferences across the country; and was a judge on Food Network’s “Eating America.” For over a decade, he was the resident Trendologist and an Associate Director at Datassential, one of the food industry's leading insights companies. Kostyo has a master’s in Gastronomy from Boston University, plus certificates in the culinary arts, baking arts, wine and artisan cheese production. He is a regular contributor to Flavor & The Menu and can be reached at ISSUE
