Innovation and Evolution Are Keys to Canadian Full-Service Restaurant Success, Technomic Study Finds

CHICAGO, May 26, 2015 /CNW/ -- After regaining some post-recession footing, Canadian full-service restaurants (FSRs) are expected to continue on an upward path, according to Technomic's Future of FSR: Family & Casual Dining Consumer Trend Report. Differentiating tactics, such as brand refreshes and menu overhauls delivering smaller but higher-quality food and beverage programs look to drive sales, which are set to increase nearly 4 per cent in 2015. But the threat of the growing fast-casual segment continues to loom for FSRs, forcing brands to innovate—both on menu and in unit—so they may deliver an experience worth consumers' time and money.

"Millennials in particular are increasingly looking for a unique experience worthy of sharing, and FSR chains must intrigue, excite and battle sameness in order to attract these key users of foodservice and compete against independents and small chains," observes Kelly Weikel, Technomic's director of consumer insights. "Innovative dishes and bar programs, ethnic flavors, and menu items with a local or regional spin can help FSRs stand out."

[View larger INFOGRAPHIC: Spotlight on Full-Service Restaurants]

In addition to tracking consumers' consumption behaviour for both family-style and casual-dining concepts, the Future of FSR: Family & Casual Dining Consumer Trend Report compiles menu, industry and competitive data and spotlights emerging concepts. Operator and manufacturer marketing teams can easily leverage the report's key themes, which include:

• 55 per cent of consumers dine at family-style restaurants, 54 per cent dine at traditional casual-dining and 25 per cent dine at an upscale casual-dining restaurant at least once a month.
• Reasonable cost, taste of food and good overall experience are loyalty drivers when choosing which full-service restaurant consumers visit most often.
• The fastest-growing beverage menu items in the past two years at family-style restaurants are cappuccino, espresso and mocktails. For adult beverage there has been a rise in hard cider, scotch and gin.

Technomic's Future of FSR: Family & Casual Dining Consumer Trend Report is one of many topics in its Consumer Trend Report series, offering the most current analysis, insight and opportunities for business growth. Our best-in-class intelligence combines nearly 50 years of foodservice expertise with critical findings from more than 7,000 menus per year and nearly 30,000 annual consumer interviews. Technomic publishes a complete library of Consumer Trend Reports. To learn more, please visit Technomic.com or contact one of the individuals listed below. For Technomic updates, please follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or our blog.

Contacts:

Press Inquiries and Report Details: Kelly Weikel, [phone], or [email protected]

Purchasing Details: Patrick Noone, [phone], or [email protected]

About Technomic

Only Technomic delivers a 360-degree view of the food industry. We impact growth and profitability for our clients by providing consumer-grounded vision and channel-relevant strategic insights. Our services range from major research studies and management consulting solutions to online databases and simple fact-finding assignments. Our clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants and retailers, or other foodservice organizations, and various institutions aligned with the food industry. Visit us at technomic.com.

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SOURCE Technomic