Millennials killed a lot of things last year. Almost daily, it seemed, a headline would appear with news of an industry or institution falling victim to Gen Y disruption.This trend has become so pervasive that the very phrase “millennials are killing” will now live on forever as a meme. So is this annoying trend likely to continue this year? Young people have hastened the demise of marriage, doorbells, napkins and even breakfast cereal – is there anything even left for them to kill?We asked experts in research and marketing to predict what millennial-driven hype and hyperbole to expect in 2018. They identified some headlines that will no doubt be deliciously clickable (though of questionable accuracy) and looked beyond the hysteria to see what’s really driving these consumer trends.The headline: Millennials are killing restaurantsWhat’s really happening: We already know that some chain restaurants are struggling to keep pace with the times, but that doesn’t mean the industry is dying. Chains with strong brands that heed youth-driven trends aren’t to worry, says Jeff Fromm, president of US-based consulting firm Futurecast. “I don’t see millennials putting
Starbucks out of business.”“The rate of change has been accelerated by mobile technology and the size of the generation,” says Jason Dorsey, president and lead researcher of millennials at the Center for Generational Kinetics. “Many of these legacy industries have hid behind boomers, and they can’t hide anymore.”Still, some restaurants will fail to adapt to changing consumer tastes – and where they falter, others will flourish. For example, Dorsey predicts an uptick in “groceraunts”, grocery stores that offer healthy prepared or easy-to-prepare meals to be consumed at home. We can also expect to witness the rise of the “ghost restaurant”, a delivery-only restaurant that essentially doesn’t exist beyond its online presence. “It’s delivery only, through a mobile app,” Dorsey explains, “with three to five restaurant concepts sharing one commercial kitchen.”
