Millennials dictate Harris Poll brand winners

April 20, 2017

The Harris Poll EquiTrend Brand Equity results are in and the winners in the five restaurant categories are: 

Capturing today's diners? A lot of it is still about 'the money'

Even with the surprises that the AlixPartners diners' preferences poll has shown this week, in many ways it still all comes down to the fact that customers…

Study: Wanderlust is stealing restaurant dollars

April 12, 2017

Consumers' love of travel is slicing into the food service sector's pie, potentially creating a defining moment for the restaurant industry.

Commodities: Cheese prices drop, so does Domino's stock

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Overall, it was a fairly costly week for pizza operators' essential commodities, though ascending cheese prices returned to reality and the stock market…

Food truck growth goes full throttle: Part 1

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

This four-part series explores the successes and challenges of the food truck industry, Food truck revenues have increased from $650 million in 2013 and should…

Growth slows for restaurant chains in 2016

March 31, 2017

The Top 500 chain restaurants experienced a deceleration in 2016 with cumulative sales growth checking in at 3.6 percent, down from 5.2 percent the prior year…

Study: Consumers receptive to chatbots

March 30, 2017

A majority of consumers are comfortable talking with a chatbot yet only a fraction have engaged with one, according to the 2017 Mobile Consumer Report from…

Commodities: Ever feel like you've been here before?

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

It's a bit like the movie, Groundhog Day, in the commodities and trading report for pizza these days, with the same trends that started about a month ago…

ICX Association extends entry deadline for annual Elevate Awards

March 14, 2017

Nomination deadline for the Association's annual awards has been extended to April 3.

Study: Americans still love In-n-Out, Chik-fil-A , Chipotle, Firehouse, Marco's Pizza

March 7, 2017

Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Marco's Pizza, Firehouse Subs and In-n-Out still top the list of Americans' favorite fast food chains, according to a consumer study…

Restaurant numbers drop as diners stay home

February 27, 2017

A series of restaurant industry polls and data analyses indicated significant change is underway in the restaurant industry, much of it not particularly…

Research: Worldwide political uncertainty = unpredictable economies

February 24, 2017

The wildly fluctuating and uncertain political climate in both the U.S. and Europe may cause some real problems for the economy this year for both areas, while…

4 functional factors fueling pizzeria design trends

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Three pizza brands that have recently implemented redesigns make it clear that industry changes are driving some of the most popular design trends.

FastCasual accepting nominations for Top 100 Movers & Shakers

January 4, 2017

FastCasual is taking nominations for its annual list of Top 100 Movers & Shakers, which honors the brands and executives leading the fast casual restaurant…

Study: QSR and Fast Casual only restaurant segments to see traffic growth in '17

January 3, 2017

If there's a bright spot in the restaurant industry outlook for the year ahead, at least one data analysis and research company believes it will be in the…

Pushing boundaries: Top 10 menu trends of 2017 revealed

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Combining cuisines from all over the world will be 2017's No. 1 trend. Other trends include spicier flavor profiles, more vegan and veggie options and DIY…

5 findings inside diners' minds make great guides for 2017

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

NPD Group recently outlined its top five predictions about the American diner's state of mind as it relates to the dinner plate. Taken collectively, these five…

A 'post mortem': Looking back at 2016's hard-learned lessons

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Experts weigh in on the eight lessons they learned in 2016 about the fine art of running a restaurant.

Delivery data: Mac and cheese, oxtail soup top 2016 at-home orders

December 15, 2016

The market for home-meal delivery grew substantially over the past year, and Grubhub, a mobile food-ordering company, has used data about those deliveries to…

Q3 restaurant visits decline, fast casual is no exception

December 6, 2016

Although traffic growth at U.S. restaurants remained flat during the first half of 2016, Q3 results were even worse, according to The NPD Group, which found…