Mexico Food Service Market Overview, 2028

Mexico's economic growth and rapid urbanization have significantly impacted the food service market. Urban areas are experiencing increased demand for dining out, leading to a rise in various types of restaurants, fast-food chains, cafes, and food delivery services. Consumer tastes and preferences have shifted towards convenience, healthier options, and diverse culinary experiences. This change has led to an increased demand for ready-to-eat meals, healthier menu items, and international cuisines, influencing the offerings and operations of food service establishments. Mexico is a popular tourist destination, with a rich culinary heritage. The influx of tourists has a direct impact on the food service sector, as it creates a demand for a wide range of dining options, including both traditional Mexican cuisine and international dishes. Technological advancements, particularly in online ordering and food delivery services, have transformed the food service landscape. The use of food delivery apps and online platforms has become increasingly popular, prompting many restaurants to adapt to these technologies to reach a wider customer base. Evolving lifestyles, work culture, and the demand for flexible eating options have led to the rise of grab-and-go meals, meal kits, and office catering services, reflecting the need for convenient and varied food solutions. The emergence of ghost kitchens (delivery-only kitchens) and cloud kitchens, which operate without a traditional dine-in setting, has been a notable trend. These models cater specifically to the growing demand for delivery and takeout options, optimizing operational costs and reaching a broader market.

According to the research report "Mexico Food Service Market Overview, 2028," published by Bonafide Research, the Mexico Food Service market is anticipated to grow at more than 8% CAGR from 2023 to 2028. The Central de Abasto in Mexico City is the world's largest wholesale market. It covers 3.27 km2 of land area and handles over 30,000 tonnes of merchandise each day. The most popular fast food chains in Mexico are McDonald's, KFC, and Burger King. Mexicans' preferred quick service restaurants are Burger King, McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway, KFC and Domino's Pizza. Due to plant-based meats work well in tacos and nachos with loads of flavours and spices, which make it difficult to tell plant-based meat from regular meat, quick service restaurant operators are starting to include them on their menus. At around 74,400 locations as of November 2021, the State of Mexico was home to the most restaurants. In the area, Middle Eastern food is expanding the quickest. With more than 500,000 members, Lebanese immigrants make up the largest group of foreigners to settle in Mexico. The menu has been updated to include Lebanese classics including hummus, pita, and falafel. Spices like za'atar, harissa, and cardamom are also probably on the menu. The most popular food delivery platforms in Mexico are Uber Eats, DiDi Food, Rappi. In 2021, Rappi was the most popular food delivery app in Mexico with nearly 8.5 million downloads. DiDi Food ranked second with approximately 8.2 million downloads, followed by Uber Eats with some 5.3 million downloads.

Non-commercial food service is prominent in corporate settings. Many companies offer onsite cafeterias or catering services to employees, focusing on nutritious meals and diverse culinary options. Non-commercial food service includes catering to healthcare facilities and hospitals. As the healthcare sector expands to accommodate a growing population and medical tourism, the demand for specialized food services in these institutions increases. With an aging population, there's an increased demand for food service providers catering to long-term care facilities and senior living communities. These settings require specialized meal plans to meet the dietary requirements of older individuals. Non-commercial food service emphasizes specialized dietary needs, offering healthier and tailored meal options. This includes options for specific diets, such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or low-sodium meals. Furthermore, Centralized foodservice systems benefit from economies of scale. They cater to multiple locations or a large number of customers from a centralized kitchen or production facility, enabling bulk purchasing of ingredients, reducing costs, and optimizing efficiency. These systems often offer standardized menus across multiple outlets or branches. This standardization simplifies operations and reduces the need for significant changes in menu offerings, ensuring a uniform dining experience for consumers. Centralized systems often cater to institutional clients such as schools, healthcare facilities, and corporate cafeterias. These large-scale operations depend on centralized production to efficiently supply meals to a substantial number of individuals.

Rapidly changing lifestyles and consumer habits in Mexico have led to a growing preference for convenient, quick dining options. QSRs cater to this demand by offering fast, ready-to-eat meals with minimal waiting time. QSRs are often cost-effective, offering affordable meal options. As consumers seek budget-friendly dining choices, the affordability of QSR meals becomes a significant driver for their growth. Quick service restaurants offer a wide range of menu items, from traditional Mexican dishes to international fast food options. They often provide customizable menu options, allowing customers to tailor their meals to their preferences. QSRs in Mexico are adopting various technological innovations to enhance convenience, such as mobile apps for ordering, drive-thru services, self-service kiosks, and online delivery platforms, making it more accessible for consumers. Many QSRs in Mexico are expanding their menus to include healthier options, addressing the increasing consumer focus on nutrition. Salads, lighter alternatives, and better-for-you menu items are being introduced to cater to health-conscious customers.

Recent Developments:
• In September 2022, Papa John's unveiled their new Chorizo pizza line, which has flavours derived from space cuisine. Papa John's trademark pizzas, papadias, and rolls are combined with the stratospherically delectable flavours of Chorizo in this space-inspired pizza collection.
• Alsea and Uber Direct joined in November 2022 to provide 30-minute delivery in Mexico for orders made via the Alsea WOW+ platform and Starbucks Rewards.
• Alsea SAB stated in September 2022 that it will invest USD 225 million to open 200 new Starbucks locations throughout Mexico by the year 2026.
Considered in this report:
• Geography: Mexico
• Historic year: 2017
• Base year: 2022
• Estimated year: 2023
• Forecast year: 2028



Aspects covered in this report:
• Mexico Food Service market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Sector
• Commercial
• Non- Commercial

By System
• Conventional Foodservice System
• Centralized Foodservice System
• Ready Prepared Foodservice System
• Assembly-Serve Foodservice System

By Type of Restaurant
• Full service restaurants
• Quick service restaurants
• Institutes
• Other

The approach of the report:
This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and list out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, and annual reports of companies, analyzing the government-generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducting trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers into regional aspects, tier aspects, age groups, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources.

Intended audience:
This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the Food Service industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.