Leger presents its series “There is a little bit of Leger in…” a collection of exceptional client case studies revealing the hidden side of market research.
À Domicile is the latest creation of La Cage – Brasserie Sportive, which wanted to offer a new “at-home” dining and entertaining experience.
To test and adjust their new culinary concept, La Cage worked in close collaboration with Leger to ensure that À Domicile meets the many expectations of the new generation. Leger looked to measure the needs and behaviours of customers around the decor, menu, layout and offer of this restaurant concept developed by the Sportscene Group.
Leger organized focus groups with 18-34 year old frequent bar and/or restaurant visitors to help À Domicile put the finishing touches on its offer. The observations and outcomes of the groups allowed La Cage to align its offering with the needs of this market. With the help of Leger, La Cage was able to maximize its chances for success for the January 31, 2019 launch of this modern canteen, À Domicile, in the city of Laval.
“Different from Bars with Blaring Music”
“I like the restaurant’s feel: a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, different from bars where the music is always too loud.” This is how one participant described how much he liked the new La Cage concept. This sentiment was shared by most focus group participants regardless of age or cultural origin.
A friendly ambiance and modern decor certainly have something to do with this positive feedback. The restaurant is divided into several levels that allow you to “eat, play and relax” at the same time. The wooden walls, bright neon lights, ping-pong tables, gaming areas, and self-serve transactions provide a different atmosphere than what is traditionally known about La Cage; and for which there is no real equivalent in Quebec.
One focus group participant summarized what many millennials are currently looking for: “What I like most is having a beer and playing ping-pong at the same time. This concept doesn’t exist yet in Laval.” We quickly understood that À Domicile had to allow customers to experience something completely different from the traditional order, eat and pay.
Young People – Those Foodies
Another concern expressed during the focus group was around culinary options at À Domicile.
According to Leger’s Youth Study, which surveyed 3,000 Canadians aged 13-34 years, 61% of young people describe themselves as foodies; a new trend among millennials. For this generation, food is sacred!
Indeed, for young Quebeckers to adopt the concept, the restaurant had to come up with a menu that was simple, quick, vegetarian, healthy, with a diverse choice of cocktails and microbrewery beers. Millennials want the speed of fast-food restaurants, the ambiance of microbreweries, the healthiness of vegetarian cuisine and the taste of an expensive dish; all at the same time and place.
À Domicile therefore needed a menu that was both simple and varied, even if this seemed somewhat difficult. A respondent summed up the overall expectations saying: “What I imagine are cocktails served in mason jars. Like a Bloody Caesar served with a mini burger.” According to millennials, a 100% vegetarian burger with a microbrewery beer is better than all-you can-eat steak and popcorn.
The Cheap Generation
As Leger has frequently measured, the 18-34 year-old generation is looking for relatively low prices and above all, substantial discounts on most of their purchases. In fact, 66% of millennials admit that they lower their recurring expenses to maximize experiential purchases. This is why mid-market companies struggled in the Youth Study ranking.
Focus group members were no exception to these findings. One participant wondered why there was no $5 restaurant like the Entrepôt in Laval, well aware that modest prices and well-presented dishes are keys to success among young people. To keep millennials knocking at the door, the new concept should therefore offer good food at a modest price. This is one of the challenges that À Domicile was able to meet so far.
Leger is very proud to have been able to partner with La Cage, help them understand millennials and provide strategic advice to fine-tune and roll out the À Domicile concept. With its gaming space, relaxed atmosphere and diversified food offering, À Domicile is aimed to be a great success with millennials.
