Foodservice Industry Newsletter

The following articles and more can be found in our PDF version of Tracks... Just click on any of the issues below to view the articles.

Summer 2011	Spring 2011
Sandelman indexed the average quarterly gas price to the five-year average (Q4 2005 - Q4 2010) and compared it to indices of “expectation of worsening financial situation” and fast-food nonusage. When it comes to satisfying vast numbers of users in the total population, McDonald’s takes the prize. Find out why. In 2009 only about 11 percent of restaurant customers were fans of restaurant sites. What percentage “like” you now? Use of promotions for fast-food purchases increased from 18 percent in 2007 to 22 percent in 2010. And pizza chains are driving customers to the Web.	Sandelman’s Casual-Track® Study found use of promotions at CDRs is steadily up from 14 percent in 2006 to 20 percent in 2010. How well is the industry doing at meeting consumer needs when it comes to health and nutrition? Feature article highlights a new report that explores current behavior and perceptions. Café Rio, Pei Wei, In-N-Out Burger, Raising Cane’s, Capriotti’s and Me ‘n Eds are the top-rated chains overall by chain type in Sandelman’s Quick-Track Study. Learn who took home other awards. Industry marketing veteran Chris Miller joins Sandelman & Associates.
Summer 2010	Spring 2010
While the economy continues to sputter, thankfully consumers are finding ways to include fast food occasions in their diets. When we ask fast-food users to rate the chains’ advertising on an overall basis, the Top 5 fast-food chains are Chick-fil-A, Panera, Subway, Arby’s and McDonald’s. Are casual diners trading down? Yes, it seems they are. Female and 16-to-34-year-old average fast-food spending fell below $5.	While Hispanics continue to be a large and growing segment of the population, their fast-food consumption has slumped. Nearly half of 18-to-34-year-old men were visiting fast-food restaurants less often in late 2009. Remarkably 39 percent of fast-food chain users rated their last occasion “excellent” overall in 2009. Heavy casual dining users are young, male, affluent.
Winter 2010	Summer 2009
Excellence is the economic engine. Maybe we can learn a lesson from those who truly celebrate winter – Winter Olympians. Fewer heavy users is weighing on chains. What’s hurting casual dining is the drop in number of occasions that heavy CDR users provide to the category. Find your customers on social media. Nearly 30 percent of heavy QSR users interact with social media four or more hours a week. Who’s winning the share battle? Burger, pizza, chicken, Mexican or sandwich?	Applebee’s, Chili’s, Denny’s, Golden Corral, IHOP, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday and TGI Friday’s advertising was rated by casual dining users. Who are the big winners? Fast-casual faces a big challenge: Most customers are only moderate or light users of fast-casual, whether they’re heavy users of fast-food or not. QSR advertising rates better than casual dining advertising on being unique and distinctive, easy to understand, providing new information, offering good deals, improving the chain’s image and on an overall basis. QSR users who earn less than $30,000 a year are most likely to spend more than $6.50 on their last occasion. New report on spending.

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