The #JOMO is Real: Frito-Lay Predicts Couches and Comfort as the MVPs of Game Day

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Feb 06, 2024, 09:05 ET

Win or lose, at home or not – more than one-third of Americans also admit they'll likely miss work on Monday

PLANO, Texas, Feb. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The first-ever Super Bowl in Las Vegas will be among the year's most exciting cultural moments – but for a staggering 81% of Americans, watching it all from the couch is much better. Frito-Lay's annual Super Bowl Snack Index today reveals an uptick in symptoms of #JOMO (Joy of Missing Out), as nearly half of Americans also admit they will prioritize watching the game surrounded by their favorite foods over large social gatherings with friends.

"The Super Bowl is a cultural phenomenon that we look forward to being an integral part of each year," said Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of R&D for PepsiCo Foods. "Whether Americans choose to enjoy it with a quiet evening or at a large social gathering, it's clear that culinary creations will rule the day. At Frito-Lay, we are dedicated to understanding our consumers' evolving food preferences and behaviors to ensure they have the options they want and every meal occasion is joyful."

From pregame party prep to the postgame pout, Frito-Lay's Super Bowl Snack Index is back with the most important Super Bowl party and food insights.

The Pregame Party Playbook
As #JOMO takes hold, the stakes have never been higher for Super Bowl party hosts. Athletes will tell you that preparation is key and Frito-Lay recommends calling three game-winning plays to guarantee celebrations are a touchdown:

Play #1 – Draft Your Dream Team:
- As 3 in 5 guests admit the promise of top-notch food is the deciding factor in what Super Bowl party they attend, it's clear that the food and snack table will rule the day. This is particularly true among the under-40 crowd (77%) and parents (74%).
- Potlucks prevail as the preferred party format at 67%, highlighting the popularity of collaborative celebrations over host-provided fare.
Play #2 – Tackle Your Party Menu:
- Take note that 70% of experienced hosts will gear up for the game by planning a menu for their guests. More than half (51%) will kick off their game day preparations at least a week in advance.
- This is not the time to cut corners, especially when shopping for food essentials. Running out of food is considered the ultimate party foul by 1 in 3 guests, who cite it as worse than people blocking the TV, talking through the game and talking through the commercials.
Play #3 – Execute in the End Zone:
- The comfier the couch, the better. An overwhelming 81% would rather watch the Super Bowl from cozy confines than at a raucous party in Vegas. Parents (27%), however, are more likely than non-parents (15%) to want a night out on The Vegas Strip.
- And here's the ultimate game-changer: nearly half of Americans (46%) would rather celebrate surrounded by delicious food than their friends, making this year's spread more important than ever for combatting guests' #JOMO.

Snacks at the Snap

The Dip Dynasty: Dive into the timeless tradition of chips and dip, where Salsa (27%), French Onion (21%), and Queso (20%) reign supreme as the top three rival dips. While Salsa steals the spotlight among Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X dippers, Baby Boomers crown French Onion as their dip MVP.
BBQ Wins the Battle: Fire up the grill and unleash the flavor with eccentric snack and food combos that showcase the art of culinary creativity! 80% of Americans consider combining multiple snacks and food "to create the perfect bite" as an "art form." Watch out for recipes that cross team lines – Kansas City's BBQ (63%) dominates San Francisco's fish tacos (37%) in a head-to-head matchup of famous foods from the teams' home states.
Snacks Moving to Center Plate: With a 35% increase in consumers integrating their favorite snack products into meals, snacks are taking center stage in a new way. Whether it's yearning for a specific snack (51%) or simply being too busy to cook (44%), Frito-Lay's 2024 Snack Index predictions reveal that snacks are the essential ingredients for easy, no-prep meals – including those brought to Super Bowl parties.

The Postgame Pout

Workday Woes: Whether their team clinches victory or suffers defeat, more than 1/3 of fans expect to call in sick the Monday after the big game. Men are leading the charge, with 40% inclined to skip work compared to 27% of women. Across generational lines, it's Gen Z (46%) and Millennials (40%) who are most likely to miss at least part of the workday.
The Cost of Victory: Victory might taste sweet, but it seems it also comes with a side of postgame recovery. Fans of the winning team are 56% more likely to take a celebratory sick day than their counterparts.

Check out FritoLay.com and FritoLay.com/Snack-Index for the latest and greatest trends, product information and news.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted between January 19 and January 25, 2024, among a sample of 2,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+. The interviews were conducted using an email invitation and an online survey. The data has been weighted to ensure an accurate representation of the U.S. adult population ages 18+.

About Frito-Lay North America 
Frito-Lay North America is the $23 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, Cheetos snacks, Stacy's pita chips, PopCorners popped-corn snack, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com, on X (@fritolay), on Instagram (@fritolay) and on Facebook (Frito-Lay).  

Frito-Lay at the Super Bowl
In addition to the in-game advertisement from Doritos Dinamita, Frito-Lay has been building excitement leading up to the big game with its 2024 NFL Playoff campaign, "Taste of Super Bowl." Running since Super Wild Card weekend and until the Super Bowl, the spot features three football legends reminded of their Super Bowl victories as they open bags of their favorite game-day snacks.

Frito-Lay is also bringing even more to Las Vegas with an immersive fan experience at the Frito-Lay Chip Strip. From February 8 through February 11 at the New York, New York Hotel, fans can try their luck at the Frito-Lay Snackpot, take a seat in the hottest ride on the Strip, feel the love at the Cheetos Chapel – and so much more.

In support of its ambitious pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) goals, Frito-Lay is reimagining packaging possibilities at the Chip Strip. Visitors will be able to help Frito-Lay test the latest touchdown in its sustainability journey – all while enjoying their favorite game day snack products. Featuring an industrially compostable bag, the new technology is a critical step forward in building a world where packaging never becomes waste.

As the Official Chip & Dip of the NFL, Tostitos is headed back to the Super Bowl with Tost by Tostitos. At the complimentary limited-time experience, Tostitos is inviting fans to go on a culinary journey and enjoy Tostitos chips and dip in a way they never have before. Tostitos' key ingredient – corn – is at the center of the recipes, taking Tostitos beyond the chip bag and transforming it into one-of-a-kind culinary creations.

SOURCE Frito-Lay North America