Restaurant Performance Index posts November decline

January 2, 2011

As a result of a downtick in same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) fell below…

Menu labeling is HOT for 2011!

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

As the New Year began, California decided to stand firm and strong on a very interesting topic for anyone that is in the food service business: menu…

Heeeers 2011!

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

The media has been focused on recapping the previous year as they do each December. I have never been clear if this is to point out the cleverness and accuracy…

Craft beer popularity soars

December 28, 2010

While spirits barely edged out beer as the most popular alcoholic beverage enjoyed by consumers in 2010, the market has hardly fallen flat. According to the…

Fast Casual predicts top trends for 2011

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

It seems that 2010 brought about a series of buyouts and capital investments for fast casual chains looking to improve their operations for the year. While the…

Where do we go in 2011?

by Don Fox — CEO, Firehouse of America

This week, all across America, there are countless restaurant executives taking stock of how they and their companies performed in 2010. Even the casual…

2010: Fast Casual year in review

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

Healthcare reform, bankruptcy protection and brand overhauls highlight a year full of the quintessential highs and lows.  

2011 U.K. foodservice trends predicted

December 20, 2010

The United Kingdom has welcomed many American brands to its soil. Chains such as KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King, Chipotle, Starbucks, Domino’s, Papa John’s and…

Foraging – Desperate Times

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

Lilly looked around from her vantage point of the red flowered pillow and wondered what there was to eat. "Hey Teddy," she said in a sleepy voice, "what do we…

Seasonal flavors spice up menus

December 14, 2010

The latest research from market intelligence provider Mintel finds that restaurant chains are responding to consumer demand by spicing up their menus with fall…

Oh, Canada! Foodservice industry up north outpacing U.S.

December 14, 2010

Restaurant chains are spreading throughout Canada faster than they are in the U.S. According to a study by Technomic, the Canadian restaurant industry has…

Food and drink tickets more expensive in 2010

December 13, 2010

Although Americans' wallets may feel thinner because of the recession, consumers are apparently willing to spend almost a dollar more on lunch. New research…

Unemployment hampers restaurant recovery, but volumes gain slight edge

December 12, 2010

With continued high unemployment across the U.S., restaurant traffic remained down 1 percent in the third calendar quarter of 2010; however, positive signs…

What’s the Five Guys mystique?

by Janet Eden-Harris — CMO & SVP Strategy, Market Force

A year ago, Market Force conducted a survey and asked consumers to tell us their favorite fast casual restaurant, and why they nominated them. And we did it…

Mexican menu popularity boosted by fast casual concepts

December 5, 2010

Limited service Mexican restaurant chains were able to increase sales by 2.7 percent and unit counts by 1.8 percent in 2009, despite an overall industry-wide…

Chef’s survey reveals 2011 menu trends

by Valerie Killifer — Editor, FastCasual.com

The National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot” survey of more than 1,500 professional chefs has revealed that local and hyper-local sourcing, healthy…

Consumers choosing healthier foods, NPD says

November 29, 2010

According to foodservice market research by The NPD Group, foods high in sugar content or fat have been ordered less frequently at restaurants over the past 1…

Restaurant comps, traffic push RPI to highest level in three years

November 29, 2010

Fueled by improving same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) rose to its highest…

Fast Casual restaurants gain UK market share

by Valerie Killifer — Editor, FastCasual.com

November 28, 2010

Fast-casual restaurants are continuing to gain market share in the United Kingdom -- growing at a faster rate than their limited-service counterparts…

Study: People choose combo meals regardless of value or size

November 28, 2010

In her new research, "Consumption Effects of Bundling: Consumer Perceptions, Firm Actions, and Public Policy Implications," appearing in the fall issue of…