We can’t help but feel it—a surging wave of summer vibes after two years of pent-up passion for all the flavors and fun of a season associated with good times and great tastes. The rollback of restrictions is sure to release the foodservice floodgates as menu innovation makes the most of a season of opportunity for sizzling sales.
Topics: Trends, Seasonal, Better-for-You, Menu, Menu Strategy, Health & Wellness, Culinary, COVID-19, Coronavirus
Challenges may linger and storm clouds reemerge, but with all the improvements since the onset of the pandemic, it’s fair to say the sun is rising on a new dawn for the foodservice industry.
Topics: Casual Dining Restaurant, Breakfast, Menu Strategy, Sales & Profitability, Operations, COVID-19, Coronavirus
Desserts can be a big draw—a third of consumers say they sometimes visit a restaurant specifically because of one it offers.1 Yet historically, only 35% of operators have included frozen treats on their menu.2
Topics: Millennials, Snacking, Global, Ice Cream Desserts, Gen Z, Better-for-You, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Menu Strategy, Branded Ingredients, Flavor Profiles, Indulgence, Customization, Limited Time Offers (LTOs), Nostalgia, Foodservice, Healthful, Sweet, Refrigerated/Frozen Foods, Shakes/Smoothies/Frozen Beverages
Today’s moviegoers want red-carpet-worthy food and beverage options—which recent research indicates might also help woo still-hesitant viewers back to the big screen.
More than half—54%—of consumers who’d stopped going to movie theaters at the start of the pandemic or when the delta variant emerged say being able to get gourmet foods at a higher price would make them want to attend movies more often.1
Topics: Side Dishes, Beverages, Shakes/Frozen Beverages, Ice Cream Desserts, Main Dishes, Appetizers/Snacks, OREO, SOUR PATCH KIDS, Cocktails, RITZ, Customer Experience, Menu Strategy, Sales & Profitability, Branded Ingredients, Consumer Behavior
Every year foodservice operators hope consumers deliver an eagerly anticipated holiday gift: a surge in sales. This year, the market research firm Datassential is the bearer of glad tidings in its Foodbytes Holiday Issue, and there are positive signs that the industry will continue to ring up strong sales long after ringing in the new year.
While many operators are understandably wrapped up in supply chain and labor shortage challenges, the industry can still take comfort and joy in the nationwide rollout of vaccines and the rollback of restrictions. Virus variants may add to an air of uncertainty, but as Renee Lee Wege, senior publications manager at Datassential, put it: “As always, though, the industry has proven time and time again throughout the pandemic just how innovative and resilient it is, and there’s no doubt that’ll continue.”1
Topics: Trends, Menu, Flavors & Ingredients, Menu Strategy, Sales & Profitability, Operations, Fast-Casual Restaurant, Off-Premises
Read about 6 Trends Changing and Challenging the Foodservice Status Quo in 2022
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