FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
INTERESTING TIDBITS FROM AROUND THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY

• Speed of service should be around four to five minutes for quick-service restaurants, but it needs to be two to three minutes for coffee shops, per industry standards.
• In school cafeterias nationwide, standbys such as chicken nuggets, pizza and hamburgers continue to exert a strong pull over students, but foodservice operators are branching out to diversify their menus.
• In 2007, Dunkin’ Donuts added flavor varieties to its product line from the chain’s initial product launch to further meet the needs of its target customer, “who is always looking for a fast way to refuel.”
• Dietetic experts are observing a movement toward eating less processed and more natural, whole foods slinking its way to the forefront.
• In 2007, Mandarin Oriental introduced specialty themed meeting break menus, where food is fashioned after popular local gathering spots, to increase banquet sales and separate the hotel from its competition
• According to a 2008 diner study, 47.2 percent of diners who say that when having dinner at or from a restaurant on weekdays, they always or often order something different from what they would prepare at home.
• As nutritionists push for Americans to consume more vegetables on a daily basis, Jamba Juice, a leader in healthy blended beverages, has added vegetables “into the mix” with drink introductions like orange carrot banana juice.
• According to Technomic, a consultancy firm focused on away-from-home dining, having the options available to meet the needs of the consumer is the number one way for a hotel food and beverage director to grow incremental sales.
• A recent article in The New York Times entitled “Pour Me a Melon: Masters of the Blenders’ Art,” profiles New York from Harlem’s Uptown Juice Bar to Juicy Lucy of East Village as an unusual hot spot for juice bars and smoothie stops.
• One of the top three most important factors when choosing a restaurant is that the “dining experience is quick,” according to a 2008 industry study.
• A BusinessWeek article entitled “A Smoothie You Can Chew On,” chronicles Jamba Juice’s strategy to boost the frequency of customer visits and become the “Starbucks of the smoothie,” which revolves around adding texture and making products chunky, natural and more filling.
• According to the National Restaurant Association:
  • 70 percent of adults said their favorite restaurant foods provide flavor and taste sensations which cannot be easily duplicated in their home kitchens
  • Smoothie operators reported a 32 percent increase in popularity of smoothies since 2007