Milling & Baking News Corporate Profiles - October 2011 - (Page 62)

Food Service Food service Fast-casual chains hold steady in recession C onsumers appeared to like their restaurant food served fast and in a casual setting in 2011, but another debate focused on how often they count calories. The fast-casual category held steady in a struggling economy while restaurants took different marketing strategies based on health. Visits to leading fast-casual restaurant chains grew 17% from 2007-10 while the rest of the industry experienced traffic declines, according to food service market research released March 16, 2011, by The NPD Group, which has a U.S. office in Port Washington, N.Y. The NPD Group defines fast-casual restaurants as upscale quickservice restaurants that offer more service and higher quality food than other fastfood restaurants. Visits to leading fast-casual chains like Chipotle, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Noodles & Co., and Panera were up 6% for the year ended December 2010 when compared with the year ended December 2009. Total restaurant industry visits declined 1% for the same time period. “Fast-casual restaurants have done an excellent job of satisfying their customers’ need for quality and service and have built strong customer loyalty as a result,” said Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant industry analyst for The NPD Group. “The attributes that define the fast-casual concept — fresh, food quality, and service — are the reasons why customers give them their highest satisfaction ratings.” According to Technomic, the top 100 Zagat’s National Fast Food Restaurant Survey says ... Popular favorites Mega chains 1 2 3 4 5 Subway McDonald’s Wendy’s Burger King Taco Bell Quick refreshment 1 2 3 4 5 Starbucks Dunkin’ Donuts Culver’s Ben & Jerry’s Cold Stone Creamery Large chains 1 2 3 4 5 Five Guys Panera Bread Chipotle Chick-fil-A In-N-Out Burger Source: Zagat 62 \ October 2011 Milling & Baking News • Food Business News • Baking & Snack • Meat & Poultry Corporate Proﬁles

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Milling & Baking News Corporate Profiles - October 2011

Milling & Baking News Corporate Profiles - October 2011