In light of Darden’s recent sale of its giant Red Lobster concept to a private equity firm, casual dining continues to struggle, with traffic hitting a six-year low for the year ended February 2014, according to a recent release from The NPD Group’s foodservice practice. The research group suggests rampant dealing by larger casual chains…

Maybe the MAFSI reps have it right. They forecast E&S sales growth of 4.9% for 2014, the strongest predicted gain since they began the MAFSI Barometer in 2002. First quarter ’14 revenue numbers from the publicly reporting E&S companies seem to bear out their view. With seven of the eight companies we track reporting, combined…

Led by strong rebounds in same-store sales and traffic, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index gained nearly a full point in March to reach 101.4, the highest level in 10 months. It was the 13th consecutive month the index has stood above 100, the tipping point that signals expansion vs. contraction. One capital-spending indicator…

Technomic Inc. has released its full 2014 Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, and fast-casual chains once again led growth. Sales for Top 500 chains identified as fast casual increased sales 11% in 2013 on a nearly 8% gain in net units. Market leaders Panera Bread, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panda Express posted sales gains of…

The 50 economic forecasting groups polled monthly by Blue Chip Economic Indicators cut their forecast for real growth of 2014 gross domestic product in the U.S. to 2.4% in the May survey, but remain upbeat about the rest of this year and next. The cut comes as the paltry 0.1% GDP growth of the first…

In light of stronger than expected sales during the second half of last year, Foodservice Equipment Reports has revised upward its estimate of foodservice equipment and supplies sales for 2013. FER now estimates total industry E&S sales at the manufacturer level rose 4.5% last year to a total of $10.113 billion. Real growth for ’13…

In spite of an early winter in some parts of the country, sales of equipment and supplies by manufacturers’ reps increased 4.8% in the fourth quarter of last year, according to the latest MAFSI Business Barometer. The quarterly survey is maintained by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry. And while the reps expect…

Consumer sentiment continued to improve throughout April, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, which released its latest data April 25. The Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 84.1, its second highest reading since 2007 and a gain from 80 in the final March reading. The sentiment index stands 10.1% higher than at…

March brought another round of sharp increases in food and gasoline prices, according to wholesale and consumer price data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and AAA. The National Restaurant Association calculates that average wholesale food prices rose 1.1% in March, based on Producer Price Index data. Menu prices rose 0.3% for the second…

The March report on the employment situation in the U.S. from the Bureau of Labor Statistics cheered up nearly everyone. A 192,000 increase in non-farm payroll jobs for March and a 37,000 upward revision of job gains in January and February showed economists and other observers that the American economy had shaken off the brutal…