Milling & Baking News Corporate Profiles - October 2011 - (Page 66)

Food Service Fast casual restaurants change in traffic Fast casusal 7% Total quick-service restaurant Total restaurant 6% 4% 1% 0% 0% -1% 2008 -3% -3% 2009 2010 Source: The NPD Group/Crest healthy foods are also higher priced is a challenge for restaurant operators, who are under their own pressure to add healthier menu items, not only from consumers but also the government.” According to Mintel Foodservice, 81% of customers want tools to make their healthy decisions easier. Forty-eight per cent choose dishes that use healthy ingredients like lean protein and vegetables, and 41% use menu calorie counts to help with their selection. According to an NPD report released in February, restaurants wanting to improve sales by offering more healthful menu items should focus on quality rather than fewer calories. Consumers seeking healthy menu options said quality, such as fresh, natural and nutritious ingredients, was the most important feature. Fewer calories were among the least important features. The report also found consumers expect to pay the same for healthier foods as those considered less healthy. According to the NPD report “Consumers Define Healthy Eating When They Go Out to Eat,” calorie information on menus most likely will have little long-term effect on consumer ordering patterns. When restaurants posted calories for standard menu items, consumers on average ordered meals with 901 calories, which compared with 1,021 when calories were not posted. Consumers on average ordered 3.3 items when calories were not posted and 3.2 items when they were. “Calories aren’t the main priority for diners who are looking for healthy options when they eat out,” Ms. Riggs said. “We found through our research that quality, as in fresh, natural and nutritious, is the most important healthy eating attribute when they dine out.” Average checks for lunch and dinner declined to $6.20 from $6.40 when calories were posted. “The takeaway for restaurant chains is that, in the short term, we expect consumers may react to calorie labeling with some shift in foods/beverages ordered, but expect that old behaviors will return in time,” Ms. Riggs said. “Operators may want to plan for some initial shift in product mix when the new menus are presented to consumers. Lower-calorie sides might be highlighted or promoted when the menu change is made, which could assist in keeping order sizes and check sizes up.” Under a federal menu labeling law, restaurant chains with 20 or more units will be required to display calories for standard menu items, as well as calories for each serving of food at a salad bar or buffet line, in the latter half of 2012. A food service market research report released June 8 by The NPD Group found 70% of consumers expect to pay no more for healthier items than they do for other menu items. Breaking it down into categories, younger adults appear more open to paying more for healthful items than people over age 50 and consumers at full-service restaurants expect to pay the same price for healthy items as they did for other menu options while fewer consumers at quick-service restaurants expect to pay the same price. “One of the key takeaways from the study results is that pricing of the healthy options needs to be consistent with pricing of other choices on the menu,” Ms. Riggs said. “The market for health today is growing, and there is a good opportunity for operators who find a Total restaurant components of spending per cent change versus year ago 1.1% 0.6% 0.4% 1.5% 1.8% -0.4% 2.0% 1.5% 0.5% Dollars -1.2% 1.7% -2.9% -1.7% 1.6% -3.4% -1.4% 1.7% -2.9% 0.1% 2.0% 0.9% 1.6% -0.7% -1.8% 2nd Quarter 2009 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter 1st Quarter 2010 2nd Quarter Checks 3rd Quarter Traffic 4th Quarter 2.1% 1.6% 0.5% 1st Quarter 2011 2nd Quarter Source: The NPD Group/Crest 66 \ October 2011 Milling & Baking News • Food Business News • Baking & Snack • Meat & Poultry Corporate Proﬁles

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Milling & Baking News Corporate Profiles - October 2011

Milling & Baking News Corporate Profiles - October 2011