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NRN coverage of the annual National Restaurant Association Show

Why everyone should be chasing Gen ZWhy everyone should be chasing Gen Z

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

June 2, 2023

 

There’s a reason nearly every brand is trying to figure out Gen Z consumers’ sweet spot right now. The demographic makes up nearly 70 million Americans, or about 20% of the U.S. population, and has amassed $360 billion in disposable income.

This perhaps explains why the session “The Gen Z Effect: Redefining Dining Choices and New Experiences for a New Generation” at the National Restaurant Association Show attracted a standing-room-only crowd. The session was presented by Lindsay Lyons, group director of customer strategic insights at The Coca-Cola Company, and Robert Byrne, director of consumer and industry insights at Technomic. Their lede? A simple reminder that the generation is far from homogenous, which is a detail that often gets lost in the chase.

 

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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