Guest Column: Explaining CEOs’ Short Shelf Life in 2024

The pressure is on restaurant chain CEOs to deliver fast in 2024. Private equity is largely to blame, according to one industry leader.

Optimism Abounds for Foodservice Despite Recent Challenges

Despite some uncertainty about future challenges, restaurant operators, suppliers, and distributors remain optimistic about the future of foodservice.

John Mackey Move Highlights Plant-Based Potential

Whole Foods Market co-founder John Mackey is listed as a partner in startup Healthy America LLC, which plans to develop a chain of plant-based restaurants and wellness centers.

Column: Future for Casual Dining Stocks Could be Grim

The near-term pressures on casual dining operators right now are obvious. Fears of a recession are rising. Consumer confidence is falling. Labor shortages have driven up wages and in some cases forced operators to limit …

Millennials Favoring Energy Drinks with Functional Claims

CHICAGO – At Coffee Fest Chicago recently, business owners and various industry reps gathered to take note of new products, as well as learn how to increase sales. As much as anything, the event suggested …

Consumer Survey: Delivery Apps Often Fail to Deliver

Nine out of 10 customers have had a food delivery order go wrong, according to a recent survey by Circuit, a route-planning app for delivery drivers. In fact, the survey of 1,066 American consumers who …

Restaurateur Stephen Schrutt on What Makes Gen-Z Tick

Every generation brings change, but Generation Z has an important distinction: It’s the first generation to have grown up in the digital era and members have high standards for how to spend their time online. …

Menu Innovation Spurring Breakfast’s Revival at Restaurants

As professionals return to offices and on-site work post-pandemic-peak, restaurants are revitalizing breakfast service in a trend back toward innovative items with international influences. Chains are driving morning traffic back with discounts and deals, TODAY …

Restaurant Show Puts Plant-Based in Spotlight

CHICAGO – Plant-based protein options were plentiful at the recent National Restaurant Association show, with old timers Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Kellogg’s Morningstar Farms joined by newer companies – such as Daring, Next Gen …

Automation, Marketing to Gen Z Key Themes at Restaurant Show

CHICAGO – Members of the restaurant industry gathered in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association Show between in late May to taste the latest in culinary trends. Major themes at the show included automation, marketing …

Analysis: How Severely Will Inflation Impact Small Restaurants?

Half of all small business owners and nearly three-quarters of restaurateurs fear inflation will drive them out of business this year, the Alignable Small Business Inflation Poll indicates. “It’s the mom-and-pop diners and the small, …

Analysis: Mobile’s Potential Impact on the Future of Dining

Our smartphones have impacted just about every element of life and dining out is no exception. From QR code menus to online ordering and reviews, consumers have grown accustomed to mobile components attached to restaurants. …

Influx of Teens Impacting Workforce

Everyone remembers that first job: the first whiff of responsibility outside school or home, the ability to put cash in one’s pocket that didn’t come from mom or dad, that incredible flush of independence. But …

Restaurants Grapple with Rising Chicken Prices

Chicken is not as cheap as it used to be. USDA reported prices for skinned boneless chicken breasts in the Northeast region were ranging between $3.30 and $3.35 per lb. on May 4. Food Institute …

As Inflation Rises, Consumers and Food Companies Pivot

It’s been four decades since consumers were slapped with a double whammy of rapidly rising food and gas prices. In the 1970s and early 1980s consumers coped by switching to generics, changing their diets, and …

Are Consumers Ready for the Return of ‘Eatertainment’?

As the pandemic appears to subside, at least one major chain is banking on the return of experiential dining that includes entertainment options such as arcade games. Dave & Buster’s opened eyes in April when …

IFMA CEO: 3 Key Issues Likely to Drive Foodservice Forward

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 …

The Restaurant ‘Experience’ Returns

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 …

Will Restaurants Become the Focus at Malls?

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 …

Restaurant Hiring Was Rising Before Omicron, but What’s Next?

The leisure and hospitality industries posted solid job growth in December, but it remains to be seen how the fourth wave of COVID-19 will affect consumer demand and labor force participation. BLS Report Muted Compared …

Is the Fast-Food Industry Ripe for Unionization?

Multiple Starbucks locations have examined unionizing of late, which begs the question: Is this a harbinger of things to come in the fast-food industry? Fast-food workers have pushed for a $15 minimum wage, and the …

Pizza Chains Grab Bigger Slice of Market as Pandemic Boom Continues

Pizza sales skyrocketed during the pandemic. Major chains saw a combined 6% uptick to $27.5 billion in 2020, according to an industry report from Technomic. And while boom may have leveled off in recent months, …

Industry Insiders: Time to Rethink Compensation Packages in Hospitality Sector

Recently released October statistics from Indeed Hiring Lab indicated fewer people are looking for jobs in the hospitality-tourism sector – nearly 24% fewer than in February 2020 when the pandemic first took hold. Even with …

Oklahoma City Most Likely to Lead Restaurant Recovery Charge: Report

As the U.S. restaurant industry pushes towards pandemic recovery, a new report from Lending Tree shows some cities are bouncing back faster than others. For the study, researchers examined four key metrics from the 50 …

No Vax, No Service: How Vaccine Enforcement is Impacting Restaurants

Restaurateurs were a bit uneasy about having to determine whether their customers had been vaccinated against COVID-19, but now more are wishing all cities would take a page from places like New York, New Orleans …

Restaurant Sales are Booming, But for How Long?

The restaurant industry continued to regain its financial footing in June, but the pandemic aftershocks have yet to subside. “The industry right now is extremely strong and is surging. For many operators, they have more business …