Eloquently expressing your love on Valentine’s Day can be even more complicated than scoring a dinner reservation on February 14. To confuse matters, gifts and meaningful moments resonate differently across generations. From traditionalists to trendsetters, what the perfect Valentine’s Day looks like to adults reveals a chocolate box full of tastes when it comes to cooking up the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner.

Generational Mindsets

“How each individual spends Valentine’s Day can be influenced by their financial circumstances, family and cultural traditions, as well as bad breakups and their idea of the commercialism of holidays,” explains Generational Business Strategies CEO Karin Palle, who helps people understand, communicate with and motivate across the generations. She provided further insights into how different generations might choose to celebrate Valentine’s.  

Gen Z: Experiencing Love 

Younger Utahns love to exercise their penchant for experiential dining, leaning towards unconventional venues with Instagram-worthy aesthetics. A rooftop dinner with panoramic views, a pop-up event featuring local chefs, or even a food truck rendezvous could define their perfect Valentine’s Day celebration. 

“Gen Z couples are more likely to engage in group activities with friends and/or family that focus on the experience rather than giving gifts,” Palle reveals. They’ll likely choose to dine at restaurants with sustainable and ethical business practices with shareable, internationally focused menus to accommodate various dietary requirements. “Gen Z spends approximately 10-20% of their income on eating out if it meets their need for connection and inclusion,” Palle continues. Look for them at casual restaurants with social media-worthy cocktails and food. 

Millennials: Love Blossoms in their 30s

Millennials might love a culinary experience cooking with friends or even the convenience of online ordering with delivery as they binge watch the latest streaming shows or a romcom. And research shows they’re willing to spend the most on food of all generations — approximately 15-25% of their income if they feel economically comfortable.  

Prescott Dunn and Sam Leonhart will be spending their first Valentine’s Day together as a couple, so they plan to celebrate their blossoming relationship the entire day. “We’re definitely having champagne in the morning!” laughs Dunn.

Leonhart, who is a self-described homebody, initially thought about a romantic evening at home cooking their favorite dishes, but Dunn adamantly explains, “It’s my first Valentine’s Day. I haven’t done this before. I want to go out to dinner.” So their day will be bigger and more celebratory than might normally be the case. 

At 31, Dunn has a pragmatic view of Valentine’s Day. “I’ve waited 30 years for Valentine’s Day. He’s my first boyfriend so there’s more pressure in my subconscious than I probably would like, but I’m kind of disenfranchised by the whole thing.” 

The couple feel it’s important to stay true to their relationship and what they would do for each other on every other day of the year — favoring authenticity over cliché

So the day will start with champagne in bed so they “can wake up and spend actual, quality time together,” says Leonhart, before a couples massage at The Kura Door and dinner at The Copper Onion, one of their most frequently visited restaurants. “We’ll probably crack into a nice bottle of wine from California,” Dunn continues. Most importantly though, “We both align on quality time. That’s our main love language.” 

Generation X: Loving their Lives in their 40s and 50s

Gen Xers grew up in the grips of commercialism around this Hallmark holiday so they may opt for a combination of tradition and innovation with an eye on ROI. A farm-to-table dining experience or a trendy fusion restaurant where the known is married with the excitement of a new place and quality is foremost. Price will likely play into the final Valentine’s experience as Gen Xers may have their sights firmly on college savings for their kids or retirement for themselves, although they regularly spend 10-15% of their income on dining out.

Holladay residents Joe and Jeni Libin, who have been married for 27 years, typically make locally owned Italian restaurants like Antica Sicilia, Stanza or Matteo’s their go-to Valentine’s destination thanks to their love of Italian. “We bring a really nice bottle of Italian red, share some burrata to start and then split dessert,” Joe explains. “We might have some port to finish.” He also always comes with lilies in hand for Jeni and sometimes “something special that may sparkle.” He’s been gifting gemstone jewelry — usually earrings or the occasional ring — for nearly two decades with stones that catch his eye and make him think of her.

Gen Xers might also choose to spend Valentine’s with their family, perhaps inviting their Gen Z children to join them out at a restaurant or at home. Jeni recalls that when their son was young, “One of the things that we would do was to make dinner at home and Jack was our waiter so it was a romantic dinner for us.” 

The Perfect Valentine’s Day Dinner

Regardless of the generational bent, the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner is a deeply personal expression of love and connection. The day, and the meal, is about creating an experience that resonates with each couple’s tastes and preferences, celebrating both their shared history and the ever-evolving nature of love in the Beehive State.

Feature Illustration by Chris Bodily.