12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.1

Segment: Young adults who do not know how to cook.

Interview #1: The first person I spoke to was Yovani C., he is an incoming freshman who does not know how to cook. We started the conversation by talking about why he did not cook, that’s when I learned a bombshell. Yovani’s dad was chef, Yovani said that he grew up always watching his dad cook and his mom was also a fantastic cook, so he never learned how to cook. I then explained the concept of my idea. I asked Yovani when the inability to cook has really provided a problem for him? He said, “When I get home from soccer practice and I just worked myself to the core for three hours and I just want a quick meal I can’t make myself one and I have to go buy food and it’s burning my pockets.” This immediately made sense to me because when you work out extensively you need to eat to replenish your nutrients. If Yovani knew how to cook he could have baked some chicken breast and vegetables along with some brown rice so when he got home, he could eat right away.

Information Search: Yovani said that whenever he was hungry, he would use google to find delivery food places so he would not have to leave his home after the gym. Or he would use popular deliver apps like uber eats or bite squad in order to get his daily meals. This delivery apps overcharge you for different restaurant and fast food meals along with adding a tip and delivery fees. Yovani was spending 120 dollars a week on food alone.

Interview #2: The next person I spoke too was Caroline P. a Junior majoring in Psychology, she also does not know how to cook. Starting out I asked Caroline for the reason she never learned how to cook. Caroline said “I grew up in a Cuban household meaning every weekend was a feast or party and my family always cooked the food for it. I would always see my mom cooking so much food so fast but would burn herself all the time because of how much food she had to make with the small amount of time she had. That just turned me off of cooking.” We talked about her experience with cooking some more then I asked, “When does your inability to cook affect you the most?” Caroline said, “Family get-togethers at my apartment, I always have to order catering or buy a bunch of pre-made foods from groceries stores around me.” This, as you can imagine, is way more expensive than buying the ingredients and just making the meals by hand. For example, if Caroline knew how to cook for only 45 dollars, she could make a Thanksgiving dinner for her entire family.

Information Search: Caroline explained to me that whenever she needs food she drives to a restaurant or fast food place and when she has a family or friend get-togethers, she will get catering from chic-fil-a or other restaurants near her.

Interview #3: The last person that I spoke to was Joseph C. he is a sophomore mechanical engineering student who does not know how to cook. When our conversation started, I asked Joe “So why did you never learn how to cook?” Joe said “Because my mom did not cook either. She either ordered food or buy already cooked food and assembled it for me. It wasn’t bad though the food was good.” Joseph was the first person that I interviewed whose parents did not know how to cook either. I then asked Joe “When does your inability to cook affect you the most?” Joe said, “Whenever I actually get to spend time with my girlfriend.” Joe explained that he was in a long-distance relationship and his girlfriend would come to visit and stay with him and whenever they were hungry, they would go out to eat and Joe would always pick up the bill. I will spare how much he spent because it was ludicrous.

Information Search: Joe told me that whenever he was hungry, he would either go to a fast food place or a restaurant. He also has a meal plan so he can eat free on campus.

Conclusion

After all my interviews I have learned a couple things. One is that the thing that connects all young adults who never learned how to cook is convenience. Food was just conveniently there so they never learned how to cook. The second thing I learned is that parents are also sometimes at fault for never showing their children how to cook. The final thing I learned is that the inability to cook affects the person the most when they want to take care or feed someone they care about (themselves, family, friends, sig. other). This information was extremely vital in cultivating my idea and I will put my best foot forward to use this information wisely.