Let’s hope we don’t get fooled again. The U.S. economy, at least as measured by jobs growth and consumer confidence, finally seems to be gaining some traction. Nonfarm payroll employment posted another moderate gain of 175,000 jobs in May and over the past 12 months has averaged 172,000 new jobs monthly, according to the latest…

Sales of foodservice equipment and supplies grew a modest 2.4% in the first quarter of 2013, versus the comparable quarter last year, according to the quarterly Business Barometer maintained by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry. It was the slowest growth in any quarter since the Barometer signaled recovery in the fourth quarter…

Growth of foodservice operator sales is expected to slow this year and pick up steam only slightly next year, according to new forecasts and revisions from Technomic Inc. The Chicago-based research firm trimmed its new forecast for the current year, released at the end of the NRA Show, to 3.8% from 3.9% in the firm’s…

It’s been a rule of U.S. foodservice for decades that chain restaurant operators grow faster than independents. And big chains—those with more than 500 units, which tend to be big quick-service brands—appear to remain dominant in terms of traffic and sales growth. But new data from Technomic Inc.’s just released annual Top 500 Report and…

Generally, the mood and attitude of nearly everyone—operators, dealers, consultants and manufacturers—we spoke to at the National Restaurant Association’s annual show in Chicago May 18-21, was good. Most reported a slow, but not disastrous, first quarter. The first-quarter numbers from MAFSI and the publicly reporting E&S companies bear this out with very modest sales growth…

Registered yet? How are you going to plan for next year if you don’t know the outlook? Foodservice Equipment Reports’ 2014 E&S Market Forecast President’s Preview will be held Wednesday, Aug. 7, at the Westin O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Ill. This annual one-day event provides manufacturers, operators, dealers and others in the industry an in-depth…

It was clearly a slow first quarter for many foodservice equipment and supplies companies. The seven publicly reporting E&S companies managed to increase combined sales only 1.8% in the first quarter of 2013 versus the first quarter last year. Four of the seven reported declines in revenues, including both Libbey Foodservice and Carlisle Foodservice on…

With about two-thirds of chains having reported, same-store sales in the first quarter this year are barely above even, according to preliminary data compiled by Technomic Inc. With 46 of the approximately 70 chains reporting, Technomic’s weighted average less McDonald’s was up only 0.14% for the quarter compared with the first quarter in 2012. The…

The foodservice market in the United Kingdom is beginning to improve, according to Peter Backman, managing director at Horizons, the London-based foodservice research firm, which held its annual briefing on May 1.While the nadir of the foodservice recession in the U.S. was 2009, in the United Kingdom it was 2011-12, reports Backman. He estimates the…

A soft economy, gas price increases and inclement weather clipped restaurant operator sales in Canada in the first quarter, according to the latest Canadian Restaurant & Foodservices Association Restaurant Outlook Survey. While the percentage of operators reporting improved same-store sales held steady at 33%, the percentage that said sales fell compared to the year earlier…