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Customer Engagement: The Key to Building Loyalty

2/3/2023

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Positive customer engagement can build long-lasting connections between customers and your brand. However, if you're not doing it right, customers will disengage, negatively affecting your overall revenue. Click here to read the full article. 
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Datassential Forecasts 2023 Macro Trends for the Food Industry

2/3/2023

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The burgeoning influence of Generation Alpha, whose oldest members will start hitting their teens this year, will have a growing effect on food trends in the coming years, Datassential's Samantha Des Jardins writes. Other factors expected to drive food trends in 2023 include artificial intelligence, greater risk-taking with menus, and a broadening of the definition of "third place" as more people shift to working from home.
Datassential, the leading food and beverage insights platform connecting the dots between consumers and the food industry, has unveiled the tentpole themes and macro trends that will impact the food industry in the coming year. Click here to read the full article. 
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Mixed Forecast for 2023 US Restaurant Seafood Sales

2/3/2023

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Higher ingredient costs will continue to plague restaurant operators in 2023, forcing them to streamline menus, according to several foodservice industry experts. Click here to read more. 
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Survey: Consumers Already Bracing for Recession

1/25/2023

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Though experts still are split on whether the U.S. Federal Reserve’s inflation-fighting moves will plunge the economy into a recession, consumers apparently aren’t waiting for the official figures, already trimming their grocery bills and choice of restaurants, the latest survey from Acosta indicates. Click here to read the full article. 
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1 In 3 Restaurants Now Serves Lower Quality Ingredients Due to Inflation

1/23/2023

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If the flavors have felt slightly off at your favorite restaurant lately, it may not be your imagination. An eye-opening new report on the state of the restaurant industry entering 2023 reveals economics have started influencing ingredients in a major way. Click here to read the full article. 
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Inflation Reveals Generational Divide in Restaurant Spending Cuts

1/13/2023

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As economic pressures continue, consumers across demographics are making changes to their restaurant purchasing behaviors. The December edition of PYMNTS’ Restaurant Digital Divide study, The 2022 Restaurant Digital Divide: Restaurant Customers React To Rising Costs, Declining Service, draws from a December survey of a census-balanced panel of more than 2,300 consumers who regularly purchase food from restaurants, seeking to understand how their dining habits have changed. Click here to read the full article. 
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Number of U.S. restaurants per capita at 25-year low

1/5/2023

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The number of U.S. restaurants — including chain franchises and independents — is still meaningfully lower than what it was before the advent of COVID-19. Click here to read the full article. 
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Restaurant sales and traffic growth soften again in November, likely signaling tougher times ahead

12/22/2022

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Inflation began its decline in late summer, the short-term increase in gas prices has since subsided, and the impact of those economic trends can be seen in consumer spending at restaurants. Click here to read the full article. 
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‘Experiences,’ local flavors seen as key food trends in 2023

12/19/2022

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Click here to read the full article. 
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The 2022 Uber Eats Cravings Report

12/14/2022

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As 2022 comes to an end, we’re rounding out the year with our fourth annual Uber Eats Cravings Report: a snapshot of the most popular, unusual and unique delivery requests. And there has been no shortage of cravings  over the past 12 months. From non-alcoholic beverages, to the soon-to-be extinct Choco Taco, to the viral sensation Negroni Sbagliato (with Prosecco of course), we along with Uber-owned companies Drizly and Postmates, were focused on helping you get anything right to your door. Click here to read the full article. 
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State of the Plate: Smoke is on Fire!

12/5/2022

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Smoke-filled rooms may be a relic of the political past, but smoke-filled menus are totally on trend today, as operators of all types take advantage of the flavor enhancement and promotional panache afforded by the technique. Click here to read the full article. 
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Restaurant Hiring Accelerated in November

12/5/2022

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Restaurants and bars stepped up their hiring during November, adding 62,000 jobs, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's higher than the 36,300 jobs the industry added in October, which itself was an upward revision from previous estimates.
The statistics for November show a total of 11.9 million people were employed by eating and drinking places. That's 400,000 jobs short of where the industry was in February 2020, before the pandemic led to widespread job cuts. Click here to read the full article. 
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Snow Crabs Are Disappearing. Cajun Seafood Restaurants Are Worried

11/30/2022

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At the Oklahoma City location of the Cajun-style seafood chain Hook & Reel, the decor is unsurprisingly nautical. Thick braids of rope are coiled decoratively around pillars, and a plastic shark hangs from the ceiling, baring its teeth in a wide, leering smile. Seafood comes to tables piled on platters or nested in fry baskets. Click here to read the full article. 
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Why Barbell Pricing is the Strategy Du Jour On Restaurant Menus

11/25/2022

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As inflation continues to cast a shadow over the economy, restaurants are turning to an age-old marketing tactic to keep customers coming in the door.
Barbell pricing—the practice of simultaneously promoting both high- and low-priced menu items—has made a comeback this year as operators look to appeal to two sets of customers: those who are hurting from inflation and those who aren’t. Click here to read the full article. 
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Catering Set to Take a Bite Out of Restaurant and Grocery

11/23/2022

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It’s taken nearly three years, but the bruised and battered catering industry is finally eclipsing its pre-COVID revenue figures with a larger portion of total food sales than ever.
This, as Compass Group, the world’s largest catering company, announced Monday (Nov. 21) that its revenue has now surpassed what it was pre-pandemic.
“We’ve emerged from the pandemic as a stronger and more resilient business and reached the important milestone of revenue exceeding 2019 levels,” CEO Dominic Blakemore told analysts on a call accompanying the company’s Q4 and full-year 2022 earnings release. Click here to read the full article. 
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Restaurants Add Thanksgiving Items to Menu

11/23/2022

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Restaurants have been welcoming customers this holiday season by adding Thanksgiving items to their menus. SpotOn, a restaurant software and payment provider, reported a list of Thanksgiving meal trends it is seeing from the independent and small chain restaurants it serves across the U.S. Click here to read the full article. 
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National Restaurant Association Releases its 2023 'What's Hot' Culinary Forecast

11/18/2022

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Fried chicken sandwiches are still a top trend, according to the 500 chefs surveyed for the 2023 “What’s Hot” Culinary Forecast released today by the National Restaurant Association.
The crowd favorite took the No. 2 spot in the Association's list of Top 10 overall trends and was No. 1 in the lunch category, but with a qualifier—these are “Chicken Sandwiches 3.0,” enhanced with spicy and sweet-heat fusion flavors. Click here for the full article from Restaurant Business. 
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At bars and restaurants, Thursday is the new Friday

11/18/2022

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On an October Thursday in Brighton, a dozen chatty patrons sipped Japanese liquor at The Koji Club. Bartenders described the sake — brews with names like Forgotten Fortune or Dragon God — as “ricey and rusty,” and a couple complained about their bosses over a plate of curry empanadas. It wasn’t the weekend, but it might as well have been. Read the full article here. 
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Restaurant sales are going up. But dining out is on the decline

11/18/2022

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Chain restaurants have been reporting growing sales in the third quarter. But more sales don’t mean more customers. In fact, industry watchers are noticing that foot traffic to restaurants has been falling in recent months. That’s because as inflation eats into consumers’ budgets, many have been cutting back on their restaurant visits and eating at home more often. Click here to read the full article from CNN Business. 
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Pickles Surging in Popularity

10/10/2022

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Pickles have been around for thousands of years, yet they appear to be as popular as ever. Whether as a side or as a burger topping, pickles have become a true staple at restaurants, especially in 2022.
In fact, 43.9% of restaurant menus mentioned pickled ingredients in the second quarter of this year, according to Technomic data. That represents a rise in popularity for pickles during the last couple years. Click here to read the full article. 
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IFMA Debuts 2023 Foodservice Industry Forecast

10/6/2022

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The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) released its 2023 Foodservice Industry and Segment Projections at its annual Marketing & Sales Conference. The forecast projects that operator spend in the foodservice industry will decline by 0.1 percent, considered flat on a real basis in 2023, compared to 2022. The forecast models were created in conjunction with Datassential, a foodservice research firm, and validated by operators from the Foodservice Leadership Councils, who act as advisors to IFMA and its Board of Directors. Click here to read the full article. 
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Eight Ways to Sell in a Tough Market

10/6/2022

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Do you have a plan to help yourself and your client weather difficult economic times? Some businesspeople, while complaining about tough times, feel powerless to do anything that will stimulate business. To pull through the crunch times, your prospects need your value-added solutions more than ever. Here are eight ways you can help sell your way out of tough times. Click here to read the full article. 
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Breakfast bright spot for restaurants in August

10/6/2022

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Breakfast was the top meal of the day for the U.S. restaurant industry in August as traffic grew by 4% compared to August 2021, according to a report from The NPD Group.
The traffic growth is now within 1% of recovering pre-pandemic levels. Quick service restaurant breakfast represented 87% of all breakfast traffic and visits increased by 5% in August – 1% above the pre-pandemic level of August 2019, according to a press release. Click here to read the full article. 
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Gen Z shows preference for quick service restaurants

9/15/2022

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Although price matters to older Gen Zs (ages 18-24) in the US, their taste preferences and definition of value dictate the type of restaurants they visit. As a result, Gen Zs skew towards quick service restaurants, particularly fast casual, that balance value and focused menu, according to The NPD Group.
In the 12 months ending July 2022, Gen Zs made 5 billion restaurant visits, 4.3 billion visits to quick service restaurants and 736 million to full service restaurants. Gen Z fast casual visits were up 4 percent in the period compared to a year ago. According to NPD’s recently released Winning Gen Z Consumers study, Gen Zs favor major fast casual chains that provide the menu items they want, value for the money and messaging that reflects their interests, like organics and sustainability. Click here to read the full article. 
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30 Restaurant Menu Items That Are Trending

9/1/2022

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The National Restaurant Association says the foodservice industry is forecast to reach $898B in sales in 2022, up from $799 billion in 2021 and even higher than the pre-pandemic sales of $864 billion in 2019. They also report that 51% of adults say they aren’t eating at restaurants as often as they would like, which is an increase of 6 percentage points from before the pandemic. But pent-up demand for restaurant services remains high. Restaurant operators have had to pivot from in-house to take-away during the pandemic, then readjust to supply chain problems the following year. Click here for 30 trending restaurant menu items. 
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