A recent survey of middle-income households shows 57% anticipate buying fewer takeout and dine-in meals, reported Restaurant Business (April 20). At the same time, restaurants are struggling to keep prices in check. With these factors in …
Consumers are still loving all things fried. Market research service Mintel Menu Insights found that the number of fried foods on U.S. restaurant menus rose 5% during the first three quarters of 2021. And with …
Image courtesy of Wingstop While 18 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. have legalized marijuana for recreational use, it remains illegal on the federal level. Yet, several national restaurant brands are incorporating marijuana into their marketing …
For Earth Day, The Food Institute takes a closer look at recent industry efforts to meet the growing sustainability expectations of consumers. RETAILERS Sam’s Club recently revealed new sustainability efforts for its Member’s Mark private-label …
As a broader variety of plant-based protein alternatives enter the market, health-conscious flexitarians are turning a more critical eye towards ingredients and production methods. In 2021, consumer interest in clean label grew by 86% within …
Teens are spending more money (+9%) and food is a top priority, according to Piper Sandler’s Taking Stock with Teens Spring 2022 survey. With these themes in mind, below are key findings that food industry …
Call it a perfect storm: COVID led to labor shortages and supply chain issues and to fuel shortages, all of which contributed to inflation. Factor in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and unpredictable weather, and food …
While leadership changes are nothing new for restaurant chains, CEOs have been resigning in spades over the past two months, including departures from prominent brands like Starbucks, Dominos, Denny’s, Red Lobster, and Wingstop. What’s behind …
We may not have George Jetson’s flying car quite yet, but we could soon be getting a significant amount of our deliveries by drone if Amazon and Chili’s have their way. Amazon has been talking …
As consumers continue to blur the line between snacks and meals, the plant-based category is playing an active role in the space between. Seventy-eight percent of global consumers say their definition of snacks has evolved …
Restaurant chains are entering the great unknown, taking bold leaps into the “metaverse.” It’s the latest endeavor by fast-food brands to reach potential customers where they’re at. The Food Institute investigated exactly how the strategy …
Like many things, consumer behavior has changed over the past two years. In fact, a new report from Placer.ai found that hybrid work, increased economic uncertainty, and more leisure activity, dramatically accelerated the rate of …
Investors appear to have soured on Beyond Meat, sending its stock price from a $160.28 to as low as $35.74 in the last year, as competition in the alternative-meat sector has increased and the company’s …
When U.S. delivery startup Zero Grocery abruptly closed recently, it stunned northern California businesses that sold its products. Many were owed money and questioned what went wrong with the fast-growing startup, reported San Francisco Chronicle (March …
Food businesses are losing faith in Instagram following a change in its algorithm. The social media platform’s choice to prioritize videos over photos has created unforeseen costs for small businesses, leaving many owners frustrated, reported …
Phil Kafarakis knows the pandemic has created dire situations for many restaurants. At the same time, he’s also encouraged by the resilience displayed by many operators. “I think this pandemic gave people an opportunity to …
After two years of COVID-related limitations on indoor dining, one segment of the restaurant industry is surpassing pre-pandemic traffic figures: steakhouses. That’s according to a recent report from location analytics firm Placer.ai, which reported growth …
One of the lasting pandemic-related changes in consumer behavior could be the adoption of the QR code, according to a new FoodBytes report from Datassential. A year ago, just a quarter of consumers had encountered …
Users sharing their food on social media is nothing new, but TikTok is taking the phenomenon to new heights. Earlier this week, the hashtag for “food” had garnered a whopping 268 billion views on the …
With masks coming off, restaurants are bracing for a surge in business, evidenced by increased job posting for servers, bartenders and a host of other rolls, reports PeopleReady, an on-demand labor company. Unfortunately, many of …
Are consumers willing to shell out $20 for a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake at their favorite fast-casual restaurant? As inflation and gas prices soar, we’re likely to find out soon. In fact, consumers appear …
Burger giant McDonald’s led the way among fast-food chains, suspending operations in Russia less than two weeks after the Kremlin began its invasion of Ukraine and the West began imposing sanctions on Moscow. The likes …
Gamers are proving to be an influential demographic in the food industry. In fact, research from Wunderman Thompson Commerce’s Future Shopper Report 2021 shows that globally, 84% of online shoppers are gamers. With this in …
Editor’s note: This article is a free, one-time preview of The Food Institute’s new Premium articles, which will be available to members. To join FI, click here. After nearly two years of intermittent pandemic-related lockdowns, consumers are seeking …
Alternative meat sales continue to plateau at retail following strong performance in recent years. Has plant-based meat reached its peak, or is this just a lengthy chapter in the emerging category’s evolutionary process? According to …
The drive-thru lane is no longer exclusive to fast-food chains. Applebee’s recently revealed it would be “aggressively” leaning into drive-thrus as it gets back to new unit growth, reported Forbes (March 3). The chain will …
After ten consecutive months of traffic gains, the U.S. restaurant industry’s recovery slowed in January, according to The NPD Group. However, things are looking up. OMICRON-INDUCED SLOW DOWN IN JANUARY The surge of the COVID-19 …
For some time, it seemed like there was a new app every week promising New Yorkers food and other deliveries in 15 minutes or less. Now, it looks like there could be a bump in …
Consumers are getting more adventurous with their pizza. In fact, Slice’s 2022 Slice of The Union report indicates that three types of not-so-traditional pizza had their best year ever: Dairy-free pizza was 333% more popular New …
For much of the 1980s and ‘90s, American malls were where seminal moments occurred in the lives of adolescents. They bought puppies at the basement pet store. They rented tuxedos for proms. And they socialized in …
Newsweek recently released its America’s Best Loyalty Programs 2022 list and several food brands stood out. In the grocery category, Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market and Publix Super Markets landed the top spots, while Jersey Mike’s …
Hiring new employees is hard for businesses across the food landscape. Retaining them is even harder. And if you are a restaurant operator amid the current worker shortage, your staffing problems are the hardest. The …
U.S. companies should be prepared for retaliatory cyberattacks following Biden Administration sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine. U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said private companies should be …
Meal kits are at a crossroads. Despite strong sales earlier in the pandemic, customers have dropped meal kits in droves as restrictions ease, while soaring food and logistics costs squeeze margins. In December, HelloFresh released 2022 …
Interactive & Educational Conference Designed to Meet the Needs of Retailers, Foodservice Operators, Food Manufacturers, Investors, Financial Services and Policy Makers, Scheduled for June 1-3 February 16, 2022/FI Newswire/ – The Food Institute and The Lempert …
As states ease mask mandates, consumers remain wary of omicron and future variants. At the same, experts say businesses need to brace for an expected surge in demand in the second quarter. With that, the …
