Turkey company Butterball is releasing the Butterball Togetherness Report: Unlocking Retail Potential Through Social Meal Gatherings. The report reveals consumers’ shopping behaviors and trends when buying groceries for social meals with friends and family outside of the holidays and special occasions. Social meals are non-holiday, casual dining occasions hosted at home with people other than immediate family members. Examples include a cookout, dinner party or brunch; they do not include dining out.

Survey results highlight the desire for more social meals throughout the year, which according to consumer estimates, account for a third of food and beverage spend–an approximately $281 billion market. 

“Butterball knows that consumers enjoy gathering with friends and family around a meal throughout the year, but we wanted to better understand how people shopped for those events and what we could share with grocery retailers to help capture those trips,” said Kyle Lock, Butterball’s vice president of retail and international marketing.

Lock said, “The report revealed that the power of food to bring people together is an all-year opportunity. Just a few simple considerations when merchandising, planning promotions and providing resources for shoppers can build loyalty and repeat store visits that impact the bottom line.”  

The Togetherness Report recommends four key strategies for grocery retailers:

1. Realize the importance of social meals.
2. Engage shoppers with easy recipes and fun experiences.
3. Establish the store as the go-to grocery destination for shoppers who entertain.
4. Promote protein, the preferred social meal staple.

The importance of social meals 

Shoppers have a strong desire for more social meals outside of the holidays and special occasions, as 85% of consumers said they plan to entertain as many as or more times than they did last year. In addition, 47% of shoppers stated that cooking for others is how they show they care. Retailers can capture these sales opportunities by providing meal solutions to accommodate tight budgets and time constraints. 

Engaging shoppers

Butterball’s research found that younger generations host more social meals than Boomers and are 42% more likely to explore different stores when shopping for at-home gatherings. As newer hosts, they seek inspiration and guidance when meal planning. Grocers can accommodate by providing digital recipes that link to an online shopping cart and in-store how-to experiences that foster confidence and fun.

Go-to grocery destination

Consumers surveyed said they meal plan and shop differently when entertaining. The report cites that 33% visit multiple stores, and the top reasons for store choice are based on affordability, variety, convenience and quality of the meat and seafood department. This data indicates that retailers can use these occasions to drive incremental trips and premium baskets by tapping into store loyalty, leveraging e-commerce platforms and providing consumers with protein-forward options.

Hosts plan their social meals around protein, as 92% of shoppers surveyed said it is always on the menu, and it’s also what 52% of hosts are most likely to splurge on when entertaining.

About the study  

A 12-minute online survey was fielded from April 15-21, 2025, in the contiguous United States. The survey reached 1,872 respondents who share or are the primary grocery shopper for their household and had some type of social meal gathering more than once in the last year.

Source: Butterball