Mintel: A quarter of Americans will spend less dining out in '11

January 27, 2011

A study conducted by foodservice research company Mintel shows that consumers may not be fully out of the proverbial woods from the Great Recession.

Study reveals sales jumps from incentivized programs

January 27, 2011

In 2010, restaurant goers signficantly increased the amounts of food and drink they purchased when incentivized through gift cards, comp cards, and loyalty…

Post spill: Consumers still apprehensive about seafood

January 26, 2011

Last summer's oil spill that dumped an estimated 200 million gallons into the Gulf of Mexico still has lingering effects on consumers' eating behavior. A new…

Wingstop ready to tackle Super Bowl Sunday

January 25, 2011

Wingstop will stock up on staff and supplies for Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6, as the chain prepares for its busiest day of the year.

U.S. restaurant count down; chains stable

January 24, 2011

The number of U.S. restaurants declined by 1 percent in 2010, according to market research company The NPD Group. This translates to a loss of 5,551 total…

RedBrick Pizza goes gluten-free

January 20, 2011

Continuing on its quest to create a healthier experience for guests, RedBrick Pizza has introduced a new gluten-free pizza crust especially for wheat sensitive…

Consumers to alter budgets amid rising gas, food costs

January 18, 2011

As food companies and restaurant operators make hard fought attempts to keep from raising prices, U.S. consumers are bracing to pay more for their food in…

Starbucks takes mobile payments national

January 18, 2011

Starbucks Corp. has announced the launch of mobile payment in all U.S. company-operated stores. The launch allows customers to pay for in-store purchases with…

Consumers looking for differentiation, value

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

January 13, 2011

A new study by Chicago-based Technomic shows that even as consumers are expected to loosen their purse strings in 2011, finding a good value from the casual…

AHA calls on food industry for salt reduction

January 13, 2011

The American Heart Association has issued a call to action for the public, health professionals, the foodservice industry and the government to put forth a…

Study: More dining out, smaller checks in 2011

January 11, 2011

Good news first: Americans are expected to dine out more in 2011. Not-so-good news: it's predicted they'll spend about 5 percent less per meal while doing so.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…