Canadian Restaurant Industry Continues Recovery in August with Traffic Up from a Year Ago  

Pent-up demand for dine-in visits slows, and carry-out increased after several months of declines

Consumers continued their return to restaurants in August, increasing visits by 5% compared to a year ago, reports The NPD Group. Restaurant dollars were up 9% in the month versus a year ago. Dine-in visits slowed in August to a 28% increase from the triple-digit growth realized in the first months after the pandemic lockdowns. On the other hand, carry-out orders, which have been down since...

4 Major Trends in Food Carryout and Delivery

Many consumers have reported using more food carryout and delivery compared to pre-pandemic behavior. In 2021, U.S. food carryout and delivery sales reached $694 billion due in part to the impact of the pandemic, which helped drive the demand for convenient foods eaten at home, as detailed in Food Carryout and Delivery in the U.S., 2nd Edition by Packaged Facts. The report describes a variety of unique food delivery and carryout trends to watch, including those highlighted below.

1. Continued Elevated Use Of Food Carryout And Delivery
Food carryout and...

Restaurant Carry-Out is Losing Out to Delivery and Drive-Thru As More Convenient Ordering Options 

More than half of carry-out orders are placed at the counter

Restaurant carry-out, which dates back to ancient Rome, has provided a convenient eating solution for time-strapped civilizations for ages. However, with consumers always looking for the next level of convenience, like not getting out of the car, delivery and drive-thru orders have taken hold, making carry-out the less convenient service mode, reports The NPD Group. Carry-out orders were lagging drive-thru and delivery orders before the pandemic...

Digital Foodservice Ordering Continues to Accelerate in Canada

Digital foodservice ordering has been among the lifelines for Canadians throughout the pandemic. Although digital foodservice ordering was growing before the pandemic, the pandemic accelerated its growth, reports The NPD Group. Over the last two years, digital orders for carry-out and delivery from restaurants and other foodservice outlets have increased by 155%, according to NPD’s continual tracking of the Canadian foodservice industry.

Ordering through mobile apps represents the bulk of digital orders. In January 2022, mobile app orders represented 75% of all digital foodservice orders. 20% were internet orders, and 5%...

P.F. Chang’s To Go Continues Florida Expansion with New Lake Mary Location

P.F. Chang’s today announced the opening of its second P.F. Chang’s To Go location in the Orlando metropolitan area, expanding its offering of iconic, wok-fired dishes with even more convenience.

Launched in 2020 as part of the company’s off-premise dining strategy, P.F. Chang’s To Go focuses on takeout, delivery, catering and third-party online delivery services for consumers on the go. Whether pressed for time at home, the office or anywhere in between, the new To Go format allows guests to enjoy P.F. Chang’s favorites their...

Smashburger® Launches New Nationwide Menu with the Addition of Two Chicken Tender Offerings

Smashburger®, the better burger fast casual restaurant, announces the launch of its brand new menu, launching nationwide today. The new revamped menu will feature two brand new menu items: Adult Chicken Tenders and Scorchin' Hot Chicken Tenders. Inspired by successful menu testing at select locations and the popularity of the 2021 Scorchin' Hot Crispy Chicken Sandwich, the new chicken offerings will be available in 3-piece and 5-piece quantities and are made of crispy, all white meat chicken, with your choice of sauce...

COVID Restrictions Thwarted the Canadian Foodservice Industry’s Expectations for a Strong Recovery

The Canadian foodservice industry entered 2021 hopeful that the industry could get back on track. The recovery seemed like it was heading in the right direction in the third quarter — with vaccination rates high, COVID infections low, and restrictions lifted, reports The NPD Group. Consumers were anxious to return to their favorite restaurants, and online and physical visits were within just five percentage points of where they were in the same quarter before the pandemic. But the onset of the omicron wave and the return of restrictions suppressed...

Consumers Prefer to Shop at Retailers that Require Masks, According to New Survey

Forty-nine percent of consumers said they prefer to shop at retailers that require masks.

Learning to live with COVID might be the new normal.

Seventy-one percent of consumers in Numerator’s newest Consumer Behavior & Sentiment Survey said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "I think we will learn to live with COVID-19 rather than ever fully returning to a pre-COVID 'normal'.

Also, almost half (49%) of consumers said they prefer to shop at retailers that require masks (61% of vaccinated consumers...