Today’s restaurant customer is savvy, environmentally aware and healthy – and those restaurants that provide choices that meet their lifestyles are thriving. Looking at the National Restaurant Association Top 10 Trends (2014 Culinary Forecast) every item on the list revolves around more conscious consumer decisions, from locally sourced foods to nutrition. Two of the top
Willkommen to the German inspired beer halls of America!
The first time I ever set foot in a beer hall was in Munich, Germany. It was a pretty magical experience. Humongous steins of beer, sausages the size of my head and cheerful music played by jovial people. I wanted that experience to last forever. Basically what I’m saying is I dream of schnitzel and
Are you missing restaurant sales because you are not keeping up with consumer eating habits?
The Hartman Group recently released a report detailing how snacks are becoming mini meals, focusing findings on the need for food companies to keep up with the consumer’s life-style. This leads me to wonder, how can restaurants take advantage of this trend? Are we keeping up? Or are we missing more potential restaurant sales? The
Tempting the Distracted Diner and Winning Customers
We’re always on the go and we don’t go anywhere without our phones – we look at them before bed and immediately when we wake up, and we don’t go anywhere without them. So it’s no surprise that the latest trend in dining is finding more ways to let people do some handheld dining. Meaning:
Bring Your Own…Food?
We’ve all heard of BYOB. But just in case, BYOB stands for Bring Your Own Bottle (or beer or booze, depending on when and where you learned this amazing concept).BYOB restaurants are often sought after by consumers because of their naturally lower ticket, due to avoiding an item that can instantly rack up the dollars
What is the Next Hot Fast Casual Niche?
Last month, Fast Casual published an article that asked if the fast casual market is over saturated or if it’s still absorbing fast casual concepts. The article raised a good question – as an industry do we reach a point where we don’t need another fast casual restaurant? Or is the solution to a crowded
Businesses are Ready to Send Employees on the Road – The Impact of Business Travel on the Restaurant Industry
The Impact of Business Travel on the Restaurant Industry US business travel is expected to rise 5.1% this year versus a mere 1.8% in 2012 – a good sign for the restaurant business. Although many corporations are still exercising restraint and conservation with expense accounts, a traveler still needs to eat! A recent USA today
What makes breakout brands a breakout?
I’m always looking out for the next great burger. It’s my go-to comfort food. And nowadays with places like Five Guys, Smashburger, and Shake Shack, I have options! The sensation is known as the “better burger” trend – restaurants where you can get burgers with premium ingredients (sometimes even local or sustainable) that are fresher
