Canada’s Foodservice Industry Recovery Overall Is Steady in August, But Has Some Declines

Canada’s commercial foodservice industry remained on a stable course to recovery in August, reports The NPD Group. In August, online and physical visits to restaurants and other foodservice outlets increased by +16% compared to August 2020 and were down -4% compared to the pre-pandemic level in August 2019. Consumer spending increased by +23% in August compared to the same month year ago and is up +1% from August 2019.

While total foodservice traffic and consumer spending continued to improve in August, the...

U.S. Restaurant Industry Continues Gradual Recovery in August While Dine-in Visits Remain Low

Despite bad weather and the delta variant spread, consumer online and physical restaurant visits in August continued to recover from last year’s steep declines, reports The NPD Group. U.S. restaurant traffic increased by +5% over the -10% decline in August 2020 and declined by -5% compared to the pre-pandemic level in August 2019. Larger average check sizes drove a +13% increase in dollars compared to a year ago and a +3% gain in dollars over the same month two years ago, according...

OpenTable And CLEAR Partner to Help Restaurants Streamline Proof Of Vaccination Across The US 

As the Delta variant spreads and more cities require proof of vaccination for indoor dining, OpenTable, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations and part of Booking Holdings Inc., and CLEAR, the secure identity company, are partnering to offer diners a simple way to show proof of vaccination at a restaurant through CLEAR's digital vaccine card.

"Our partnership with CLEAR furthers our commitment to help both restaurants and diners navigate dining out in the next chapter of the pandemic," said Debby Soo, CEO...

Canada’s Foodservice Industry Shows Promising Recovery in the Second Quarter Compared to Last Year

Through lockdowns, COVID-19 restrictions, and eventual reopening, Canadians released their pent-up demand and ordered from or visited restaurants and other foodservice outlets in the April-May-June quarter reports The NPD Group. Consumer spending at restaurants and other foodservice outlets increased by +43% in the second quarter of the year compared to the same quarter last year when spending declined by -41% from the year before. Visits, dining in and off-premises orders, improved by +31% compared to the second quarter year ago when traffic declined by -36%, according to NPD’s continual tracking of the foodservice industry.

Each area of the commercial foodservice market is recovering at a different pace. Quick service restaurants (QSR), many of which had well-developed off-premises services like carry-out and...

The U.S. Restaurant Industry Recovery Through Second Quarter has Been Slow and Steady

The second quarter of this year reflects a period during which state and local governments lifted pandemic restrictions, restaurants reopened, people got vaccinated, and consumers used restaurants more than they did throughout the pandemic, reports The NPD Group. Consumer spending at restaurants was up +32% in the April-May-June 2021 quarter compared to the same quarter last year, and for a pre-pandemic view, flat compared to the same quarter in 2019. Restaurant visits, dining in or off-premises, increased by +22% in the quarter compared to the same quarter last year and were down -7% compared to the second quarter of 2019, according to NPD’s daily tracking of the U.S. foodservice industry.

Quick service restaurants (QSRs), representing 81% of restaurant visits in the U.S., realized a gain of +15% in visits in the second quarter compared to a year ago and a -5% decline compared to the second quarter of 2019. Throughout the pandemic, QSR restaurants, particularly...

ANALYSIS: Chicken Wings Head into Overtime

It isn’t often that chicken wings continue to command the limelight in Q2. But despite the conclusion of March Madness, and in the absence of any wing-centric holidays on the immediate horizon, the market...

Canada: Dine-In Restaurant Visit Declines Soften in February when Restrictions were Eased
The pent-up demand for indoor dining was evident in February after dine-in restrictions were eased in Canada’s largest provinces. Dine-in restaurant visits increased by 4 percentage points in February compared to January, an increase of 10.5 million visits versus prior month. The downside of this news is the still deep traffic declines in on-premises dining. Dine-in visits declined by -79% in February compared to same month last year and were down -85% in January compared to last year, according to NPD, which continually tracks consumers’ use of Canadian restaurants and other foodservice outlets.

Off-premises dining, like carry-out, delivery, and drive-thru, has been the beneficiary of the indoor dining restrictions. In January off-premises visits, digital or physical, were up...

U.S. Restaurant Customer Transaction Declines Steepen in February

Severe weather in many parts of the country in February hampered the softening of customer transaction declines at major U.S. restaurant chains reported in the last few months of 2020 and this January, finds The NPD Group. Major restaurant chain customer transactions declined by -13% versus year ago, compared to a -9% decline in January, according to NPD’s CREST® Performance Alerts which provides a rapid weekly view of chain-specific transactions and share trends for 75 quick service, fast casual, midscale, and casual dining chains representing 53% of the commercial restaurant traffic in U.S.

Record-shattering cold, snow, and rain affected a large swath of the U.S. in February. Texas, the second most populated state after California, was hit with a winter storm in mid-February that dropped significant amounts of...

National Restaurant Association Releases 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report

The National Restaurant Association released its 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report, which measures the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry and examines the current state of key pillars including technology and off-premises, labor, and menu trends across segments based on a survey of 6,000 restaurant operators and consumer preferences from a survey of 1,000 adults. The report also provides a look at the path to recovery for chains, franchises, and independents and the year of transition ahead.

Key findings regarding the impact of coronavirus on the restaurant industry include...

U.S. Restaurant Industry Ends 2020 Making Its Way Out of the Steep Declines Caused by Pandemic

The U.S. restaurant industry closed one of the most unpopular years in history moving its way out of the steepest declines the industry has experienced since the Great Recession, reports The NPD Group. Customer transaction declines at major restaurant chains in December were down -10% compared to same period year ago, a 27-point improvement from April, the height of the shelter-at-home and restaurant dine-in closure mandates, when transactions declined by -37% from a year ago, according to NPD’s CREST® Performance Alerts, which provides a rapid weekly view of chain-specific transactions and share trends for 75 quick service, fast casual, midscale, and casual dining chains representing...

PODCAST: Lifting Others as We Grow - Mark Winkler, US Foods

This week Mark Winkler of US Foods discusses their innovations and initiatives through the COVID-19 pandemic. Between setting up ghost kitchens, helping small businesses adapt to a lack of indoor dining, and...

Technomic's Take: What to Expect in Canada in 2021

As we head into 2021, the world of foodservice remains in unprecedented territory as we collectively deal with the immediate and long-lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many unknowns linger as the world anxiously awaits an end to the virus, we do know that those who demonstrate the most versatility in response to industry, consumer and cultural shifts are best set to succeed in the coming year. Read ahead for Technomic’s expert predictions to better equip yourself for what’s to come and how to prepare for a post-pandemic world.

1. The Road to Recovery Steadies

Foodservice will experience the start of a financial recovery in 2021, but sales results across segments will be a mixed bag. Limited-service restaurants will turn...

Consumers Likely to Continue Increased Usage of Takeout and Delivery

With indoor dining restaurant traffic significantly curtailed due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns, the availability of takeout and delivery options became more important for consumers and restaurants. Many foodservice operators began offering these options recently, and consumers have increased their usage of takeout and delivery.

According to the National Restaurant Association, the uptick in takeout and delivery frequency was visible across each of the three major dayparts in recent months. The Association reported that 66% of consumers said they ordered takeout or delivery for dinner last week. That is up from 58% during the last week of February.

The trend was similar for lunch. About 47% of consumers ordered takeout or delivery for lunch last week, a level that has...

ANALYSIS: Egg Product Market Comes to Life

Though retail demand for shell eggs has run significantly above norms since the peak pandemic period, foodservice demand has struggled to...

Technomic's Take: What’s to Come in 2021

It’s not easy to forecast the future when the ground keeps shifting underneath. The foodservice industry has had to be more nimble than ever this past year, and everyone is eager to bounce back and embrace a clear sense of normalcy. Yet several big questions loom large: Is a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon soon? Which areas of the country will recover quickest? And when will consumers feel comfortable about dining indoors again?

Despite the many ambiguities that exist, Technomic's outlook for the industry remains optimistic. Up-to-the-minute strategies are positioning foodservice segments to kick off a wider resurgence through 2021. Optimizing the menu, directly...