Asian Noodles, Coffee, and Mexican Lead Restaurant Growth
Fastest growing cuisines in the restaurant industry, 2024-25, based on consumer spending: Limited service: Asian/Noodle 5.9% Coffee cafe 5.8% Beverage/snack 5.8% Chicken 5.2% Mexican 5.0% Lots of pockets of growth in these clusters, with a whole lot of new concepts emerging.
Starbucks Pre‑order Limited to One‑hour Advance
Frankly this seems like a no-brainer to be able to do on a delivery app: Starbucks will allow you to pre-order and plan your pick up times in advance. But - apparently only up to one hour ahead of pick-up. #restaurant #delivery...
Restaurants and Bars Stuck in Ongoing Affordability Crisis
Restaurants (and bars) have an affordability crisis. While the energy crisis is the most recent challenge, prices have been going up for a myriad of reasons for several years now.
McDonald's Refresh Era Launches, Industry Impact Awaits
The McDonalds refresher era is soft launching today. Will be interesting to see the impact it has on the industry.
Independents Shrink While Chains Slightly Grow in 2025
2025 was a rough year for independent #restaurants. Let's look at the numbers of units; the closures indicate that it remains really challenging for smaller operators to stay afloat: Limited service Chains +1.6% Independents -1.8% Full Service Chains -0.1% Independents -2.6%
Consistent Execution Beats Innovation in Restaurant Success
Interesting concept; I just wonder how sustainable this is - one guy, every day making pizzas. Still, this line I think is the key to any successful restaurant (IMHO): "You don't need to be innovative. You don't need to be...
Chicken Chains Grow 4% Annually, Fueling Fierce Competition
The number of units operated by chicken restaurant chains has gone up by roughly 4% EVERY YEAR since 2015. This has turned into a really competitive part of the industry. https://t.co/jXk3R2F3QR
Top Large Cities Reveal Geographic Edge for New Restaurants
Aspiring restaurant operators - here is an interesting resource about the best large cities to start a business. Some interesting geographical differences. https://t.co/3JGPaRhc7m
Convenience Services Set to Outperform Foodservice Industry
In LA for the 2026 NAMA Show and sharing our research on the health and outlook for the broader convenience services industry. This part of the broader #foodservice industry should outperform. #vending #micromarket https://t.co/SstO0lXeJO
Key Restaurant Trends Unveiled at Leadership Conference
Nice write up of the trends and outlook presentation that my @Technomic colleagues Rich and Lizzie gave at the Restaurant Leadership Conference earlier this week in Scottsdale. https://t.co/vdppbiWWIC
Chicken Chains Surge 46% Despite Slowing Sales
Consumers love chicken, but like all parts of the restaurant industry, sales are slowing. The count of chicken restaurant chain stores (as defined as appearing in our @Technomic top 500) has increased 46% over the last decade - meaning 6,200...
Ask “Should?” Before Asking “Can?”
“They were so preoccupied with whether they could do something, but they never asked if they should“
Human Connection Fuels Optimism in Hospitality Industry
This is a good read and one reason to be optimistic about the hospitality industry - which is all about human interaction and experiences. (Well, mostly.)
Foodservice Market Hits $50B Across Schools and Restaurants
Big implications for #restaurants for sure, but also #foodservice sales in K12 and college/universities, which when combined represents over $50 billion in spending.
McDonald's Beverage Push Taps Booming, Resilient Cold Drinks Market
I tend to agree with @jonathanmaze here on the impact of @McDonalds getting heavier into the beverage space. This is a category (cold beverages in particular) that has shown tremendous resilience and indeed is outperforming all restaurants and foodservice in...
Technomic Top 500 Report Sets Benchmark for US Chain Restaurants
The @Technomic Top 500 report was issued this week. Always one of our most popular reports, it sets the bar for highest quality data on the US chain #restaurant market. 1/ https://t.co/cpazRO0Kx4
Third‑Party Delivery Only Viable If Fully Incremental
We did an economic impact study several years ago on third party delivery. Economically, the only way it made sense was if all the business was incremental, because if not it was just cannibalizing revenue. As noted, it's hard to...
DoorDash Pilots Reusable Containers as Waste Concerns Rise
Disposable packaging at restaurants is becoming a big issue as sustainability demands and regulatory pressures increase. "Reusable" containers have been around for a while but haven't gained much traction, but DoorDash is testing reusable containers in the Bay area. 1/ https://t.co/fElzeWcgxn
Coke Freestyle and Pepsi Spire Fell Short of Hype
Great thread on the Coke Freestyle machine. Lots of potential and hype, but I think anyone would admit it's underperformed well below their expectations. I know a number of restaurants that used and moved away. To be fair, Pepsi had a...
Refreshers Span Multiple Categories, Complicating Sales Analysis
This has been a central theme for me @Technomic all Spring as I've been updating our #restaurant and #foodservice beverage sales figures. Refreshers fall into all sorts of categories: lemonades, teas, aguas frescas, juice drinks. Hard to pinpoint exactly *what*...
Humor Is the Underrated Survival Tool in Chaos
Underappreciated life hack is keeping a sense of humor even as things crumble around you.
Crumbl's Sweet Surge Faces Economic Reality Check
I've been a fan of Crumbl; while snack concepts have generally been doing well as consumers look for affordable indulgences, at some point the economic realities catch up with them. Crumbl isn't going away but the cracks are starting to...
Pilot Confirms Frequent Travelers' Biggest Fear
As a frequent traveler this has always worried me too, but it sounds even more terrifying coming from a pilot.
Global QSRs Should Cross‑sell Hit Items Abroad
Hot take: big, global #QSR chains should do more cross-selling of their popular menu items in other countries. A couple of chains are starting to catch on, and I bet this limited time Butter Chicken Taco is going to be...
Hungry Howie's Pet‑themed Secret Menu Leverages National Pet Day
Appealing to the US consumers' love of their pets is always a smart promotion, as pizza chain Hungry Howie's partners with Happy Howie's for a "secret menu" to coincide with National Pet Day starting 4/11. https://t.co/WXrllxhuAi
Analyzing the Sysco‑Restaurant Depot Deal on Deeper Dive
I joined @jonathanmaze on his "Deeper Dive" podcast earlier this week to discuss the Sysco/Restaurant Depot deal. #restaurant #distribution #Sysco $SYY https://t.co/aJyWwsj04T
Independent Restaurants Urge FTC to Block Deal
Now, an association representing independent restaurants (the Independent Restaurant Coalition) has come out calling on the FTC to reject the deal. https://t.co/gHLxPAXYqC
Four Key Signals Reveal True State of Oil Markets
This is a great read about how to think about what's happening with oil and Hormuz - and ultimately with the world economy. The headlines are all over the place, but these 4 signals can tell you what's really happening.
Dos Toros Returns to Chicago After Closure
We had a Dos Toros (@DosToros) right across from our office that closed a couple of years ago. Glad to see they're coming back to the #Chicago market. https://t.co/r468kvvIBn
Swig Pioneered Dirty Soda Trend, Still Rapidly Expanding
Swig essentially created the "dirty soda" trend, now nearly every #restaurant is doing it (especially within #fastfood). And Swig is growing like crazy even as this new beverage category is becoming more ubiquitous. https://t.co/L4IjIvvaM3
Cash‑and‑Carry Saves Money When Items and Distance Align
Good perspective on using cash-and-carry from a #restaurant operator. But sometimes the savings can outweigh the hassle and wear & tear; depends what you're buying and how far you're driving.
Sysco's Pending Restaurant Depot Deal Sparks Industry Debate
Some additional thoughts on the Sysco acquisition of Restaurant Depot (which still needs to get regulatory approval.) Here's a short thread but I'm curious what people in the #restaurant industry think about this deal? 1/10
Beverage Category Becomes Restaurants' Innovation Battleground
I continue to believe that the beverage category is the innovation battleground in #restaurants today. This article from our sister publication @RB_magazine lays out how some smaller coffee shops are innovating (warning: pay wall for non-subscribers.) But here are trends:...
Sysco Moves Into Cash‑and‑carry with Restaurant Depot Acquisition
Big news as @Sysco announces the acquisition of Restaurant Depot. While broadline has done well, cash-n-carry distribution continues to do well & this gets Sysco into a segment that it has historically avoided. This is from last year but growth is...
World Record: Most Michelin-Starred Meals in One Day
Who knew there was a World Record about how many Michelin starred restaurants you could eat at in a day? Also, the amount spent seems pretty reasonable but it’s clear he was eating a lot of small plates.
Dietician‑Approved Chili’s Fajitas Prove Restaurants Can Be Healthy
Eating at #restaurants is often perceived to be unhealthy, but like anything, you can find good options if you just look a bit harder. In this case: the fajitas at @Chilis are the choice of dieticians looking for a healthy,...
Convenience Stores Emerge as QSR Competitors
We've been saying for many years that convenience stores are the sleeping giant that could, if they ever got their act together, create a strong competitor to quick service restaurants. Increasingly, c-stores are getting their act together. https://t.co/cFqwKkdF7a
OpenTable Demands Primary Status, Limiting Secondary Reservation Systems
The restaurant reservation system wars are heating up as OpenTable is now requiring any restaurant using the platform to be their primary "system of record." Operators can still use others, but only as secondary systems. https://t.co/8JreI1ovqF
Red Lobster's Turnaround Shows Early Positive Signs
How is the turnaround going at Red Lobster? @business takes a look at the current status, with some comments by yours truly in the article. https://t.co/eESerWrtou
Pizza Hut Hires $31K Crust Expert for Pi Day
I like this customer engagement idea: @pizzahut, as part of its rollout of a new crust and celebration of Pi Day, is hiring a "Hut Crust Connoisseur" who will be paid $31K and get free pizza for a year. #restaurant...
Restaurants Counter Ozempic Trend with Mini‑Cocktails
Restaurant operators are adapting to the "Ozempic effect" through various types of menu engineering and new product development. This one - mini-cocktails - is interesting as a lower cost, lower calorie (smaller portion) option. https://t.co/IiaEwuneAR
AI Ordering Soon, Delivery Costs Still Unchanged
Ordering thru ChatGPT, Gemini or other AI tools isn't reality yet, but it will be soon. These are increasingly replacing search engines as a means to discovery, and ordering will be linked soon enough. Can AI help bring down delivery costs?...
Restaurant Prices Rise Faster Than Overall Inflation
Restaurant menu price inflation continues to run hotter than overall inflation. Today's reading shows FAFH CPI up 3.9% (!), with limited service prices up 3.2% and full service up 4.6%. The affordability crisis continues. https://t.co/c9SLvliOyk
Live Events Should Become the New Menu Launch Standard
Hot take: more restaurant chains should introduce their new menu items in a live event complete with celebrities, choirs, and dancing, just like @tacobell. Here's everything Taco Bell revealed at Live Mas Live https://t.co/wRXDVDJ00I
Restaurants Use Barbell Pricing: Cheap Entrants, High‑Margin Winners
Great perspective; #restaurants typically have some type of "barbell" pricing/menu items; low cost to get people in the door, and higher value (hopefully higher margin) to pay the bills.