In comments delivered to clients at its Foodservice Planning Program meeting, Technomic acknowledged that lower commodity prices will [image-nocss] help operators reduce the need to take price increases in this tough economic environment. "However, even if the economy were to improve quickly in the second half of 2009, real growth is expected to remain negative," added Joe Pawlak, Technomic vice president.
Additional details on Technomic's current forecast for all major U.S. foodservice segments can be viewed at their website, at www.technomic.com/facts/forecast.html.
In a separate report, Technomic said that the weak economy has not just reduced restaurant traffic; it has influenced diners' choices in entrees. Many consumers are bypassing beef for less expensive proteins like chicken, says Darren Tristano, executive vice president at foodservice consultants Technomic. When ordering beef, and especially steak, said Tristano, they expect more quality, better cuts, aging and seasonings to justify paying a higher cost. Their expectations are reflected in emerging flavor and preparation trends and in menu descriptions.
These and other findings are detailed in two new reports in Technomic's Center of the Plate series, the Poultry Consumer Trend Report and Beef & Pork Consumer Trend Report.
Select findings include:
More than three out of five consumers think that turkey (64%) and chicken (61%) are healthier than beef or pork. Among emerging full-service chains and independent restaurants, the top three preparation methods for beef were "cut" (as in hand-cut, center-cut or barrel-cut) at 16.7%, "grilled" (13.3%) and "aged" (12.4%). These were often used together in describing specific beef entrees. Though consumers say they would like to order more ethnic and regional chicken dishes, restaurants have not yet met growing demand. Operators have increased their offerings of bolder, globally-inspired poultry dishes, but menu analysis reveals there is even more room for growth. Compared to the population at large, both students and Canadians displayed interesting differences, including:
The high protein content of beef was less appealing to students (39%) than to nonstudents (47%); however, students were more likely than nonstudents to think that beef is healthier than pork, chicken or turkey. Several flavors for beef preferred by Americans, such as bourbon and chipotle, are significantly less appealing to Canadian consumers. For beef, students show increased interest in spicy, ethnic flavors such as chili pepper, chipotle and hot sauce, and less for traditional flavors such as garlic and black pepper. Earlier this month, Technomic said that a number of top limited-service sandwich chains are overcoming the downhill economy by exhibiting growth. "Though the economy has moved from bad to worse, the limited-service sandwich segment is holding its own," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Chicago-based Technomic. "Its resilience comes from its ability to provide customers with a range of offerings from low cost to high end. The top 100 sandwich chains have displayed an array of tactics for weathering the economic storm-from revising their pricing strategies, to making menu offerings more memorable and substantial to renovating their stores."
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