Monday 3 June 2013

F&B Consumer Survey: Cloth Beats Paper

Posted by at 2:03 PM

 
F&B Consumer Survey: Cloth Beats Paper

A third-party research company contracted by Milliken & Co. recently surveyed 308 U.S. consumers about their dining habits, and particularly whether they prefer cloth or paper napkins.
 
The findings confirmed what textile services operators already knew: Cloth beats paper hands down, even if the cost of the restaurant tab is higher as a result.
 
The study findings released May 23 were based on a survey taken in late 2012, according to a news release. The survey found that a majority of respondents prefer cloth napkins to paper. What’s more, 64% who preferred cloth napkins reported paying more for their entrees than those who preferred paper. When dining at a table set with cloth napkins, 50% of the respondents also said they expect to pay more for the service.
 
“Finding out that consumers would be more likely to go to your restaurant just because of cloth napkins shows the importance of listening and responding to customer preferences,” said John Entsuah, general manager of napery at Milliken. “Cloth napkins also appear to allow restaurants to charge more for their food and increase the associated quality of the food and service.”
 
In addition, the study showed that 77% of consumers notice the way a table is set when they go to a restaurant. U.S. consumers also associate various aspects of dining with tables that are set with cloth napkins. For example:
 
82% associate it with a better restaurant appearance and ambience
75% associate it with better food quality
88% associate it with better service
84% associate it with being environmentally friendly
 
Regarding environmental concerns in general, 54% of consumers said cloth napkins were more environmentally friendly than paper napkins. Only 14% felt that paper napkins were more environmentally friendly than cloth napkins.
 
“We found this part of the study to confirm the energy-saving technologies we have in place to enhance the general reuse benefit of cloth napkins, since they are industrially laundered and used multiple times vs. a one-use paper napkin,” said Entsuah. “The study also found that consumers use an average of three paper napkins per meal. This is waste that could be easily avoided by the use of cloth napkins.”
 
The survey has a margin of error of 5.6% and a confidence level of 95% for total U.S. consumers, the release said.