Assessing the Consumers’ Perception towards Street Foods in Anand – Vidhyanagar, Gujarat State, India

Abstract

In India, eating out is part of the culture. Street food, in particular, has been popular not only among young people but also for different age groups. The street food mainly comprises of unorganized sector which is served on the streets without any formal establishment. Due to its popularity and low entry barriers, the street food market is competitive in Gujarat. Understanding the consumers demand about the food they want and giving them what they want becomes critical for the success of street food vendors. Thus, this descriptive quantitative study aims to “assess the consumers’ perception towards street foods in Anand – Vidhyanagar” in Gujarat state of India. Quantitative method was used for the study and 275 questionnaires that were conveniently distributed to the people who are consuming street food near Anand – Vidhyanagar area of Gujarat state and collected for further analysis. The data were analyzed using SPSS and it was found that consumers have very positive perception towards street food. The study revealed that about 39.3 percent of the consumers took street foods 2 to 3 times per week. Panipuri was found to be the most preferred choice of street food by the sample respondents. It was also found that taste of the food was the most important reason for consumption of street food, followed by convenient and easy accessibility of such foods and their inexpensive prices.The study indicated that about one fourth of the consumers were unsatisfied with the cleanliness of the vending area.