Trend Tracker

Snacking strengthens restaurant spending

Restaurants are increasingly relying on snacks to entice customers to purchase additional foods and beverages, according to Snack and Dessert Trends in the U.S. Foodservice Market by research publisher Packaged Facts. “Snack foods are the means through which foodservice players are boosting mid-morning and mid-afternoon sales and driving guest traffic,” says Don Montouri, publisher of Packaged Facts.

How your customers are using social media

A growing number of diners have indicated that they use social media sites to “friend,” locate or follow a restaurant and find out about promotions or menu items. Social media is a new and quickly growing way for restaurants to interact with their guests.

Three-Year High for Restaurant Performance Index

Restaurant operators have seen improving same-store sales and increases in customer traffic, triggering a rise in the Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) in October, 2010. The RPI, a monthly index that tracks the health and outlook of the U.S. restaurant industry, is the highest since 2007, sparking optimism from restaurant operators hit hard by the recession. Index values above 100 mean that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, marking the first period of expansion after 37 months below 100 in the contraction range.

Food price inflation: Up or down in 2011?

This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasted the lowest consumer price index rise of food prices since 1992. However, due to expected higher food commodity and energy prices, this trend is not likely to continue. With that in mind, the USDA is predicting an inflation of food prices in 2011.

Gender, ethnicity and age play roles in food allergies

Although only about 2.6 percent of Americans (or 7.6 million people) suffer from food allergies, reports the National Institutes of Health, there is evidence that specific demographics may be at greater risk. Factors behind these age, ethnicity and gender discrepancies are not clear yet to researchers, but they have drawn a correlation between food allergy sufferers and asthma attacks. In fact, asthma patients with food allergies are seven times more likely to suffer an attack then those without a food allergy.

Obesity is in the eye of the beholder

More Americans are classified as obese than ever before, yet a large proportion of obese people do not think they are fat, according to a study conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Tiffany M. Powell and colleagues found that among 2,000 obese Dallas county residents, only a small percentage believed they needed to lose weight. Additionally, these “misperceivers” often thought they were healthy and not at risk.

Families with Children Return to Restaurants

After three years of dramatic recession-induced decline, families—with their kids in tow—started returning to restaurants this summer. Though the numbers are still not near where they were in the Fall of 2006, the positive uptick shows that restaurant business is beginning to pick up for families with children, reports The NPD Group in its foodservice market research.

Alcohol Consumption on the Rise

With the economic slump continuing and the already vast selection of beers, wines and liquors on the market growing in size and scope, it is no wonder that a recent Gallup poll indicates that the rate of alcohol consumption among Americans is at a 25-year high. According to Gallup, 67 percent of American adults consume alcohol, with beer being the beverage of choice followed by wine and liquor. The results from this poll were compiled from telephone interviews with a random sample of more than 1,000 adults over two days. Here are more findings:

Is it a good time to buy or sell a restaurant?

BizBuySell.com, an online marketplace, has released data on business-for-sale transactions in the restaurant industry. According to BizBuySell’s third quarter Insight Report, there has been a slight increase in restaurant business sales from last year, yet the number of closed transactions is still well short of pre-recession sales. BizBuySell.com saw a similar trend across most industries this quarter. 

Consumers “go gourmet” in spite of recession

Purchasers of gourmet food products may make some concessions to stay within budget, but they are not wiling to compromise on sophisticated taste—they are merely finding more wallet-friendly ways to indulge. That was the major finding reported in Packaged Facts’ Gourmet, Specialty and Premium Foods, Beverages and Consumer Trends in the U.S., 8th Edition.

Foodservice outlets across the globe see slight growth

Despite most global restaurant and foodservice visits still down, there was slight growth in the quarter ending June 2010 compared to a year ago. The NPD Group found that increased consumer traffic occurred mainly in China and Canada. The economic recovery and increased consumer confidence in China helped spark the boom in foodservice spending while the rest of the world remained relatively stagnant.

Growth is forecast for the morning daypart

Breakfast spending at restaurants took a downturn in 2010 but is expected to rebound in 2011. Additionally, breakfast fared decently throughout the recession, taking market shares from both lunch and dinner dayparts, according to Packaged Facts’ Breakfast Trends in the U.S. Foodservice Market.