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Diners are acutely price-conscious now but their dining preferences may be less strongly determined by promotional or price offers than some operators appear to believe. The NPD Group’s new report, “Defining Value Today: How Consumers Choose to Eat Out,” finds that loyalty keeps many diners returning to their favorite spot no matter what. The study [...]

Restaurant visits by U.S. Hispanic diners declined by 1% in 2012 at the same time that overall restaurant traffic rose by 1%, The NPD Group reports. The decline in Hispanic traffic translates to a loss of 86 million visits. Cutbacks in restaurant visits were most pronounced among Hispanic consumers ages 18 to 34, an especially [...]

Introduction of the Premium McWrap has given McDonald’s image a positive spike among self-described healthy fast-food eaters, according to ongoing research by YouGov BrandIndex. Beginning in mid-March when word spread that McWrap was coming through the beginning of April after its rollout, McDonald’s brand image rose to 44 on March 29 on the YouGov BrandIndex [...]

For decades a burger and fries have been the fast-food paradigm but data compiled for BurgerBusiness.com by researcher Mintel show that that’s no longer valid. Chicken sandwiches have surpassed beef burgers in number on QSR menus. The shift actually took place in 2010 when beef prices spiked. But rather than being a short-term reaction, the [...]

When the recession kneecapped the restaurant industry in 2008, chains resorted to heavy dealing to stay afloat. But researcher NPD Group says some deals’ appeal appears to be wearing out. Last year, 23% of restaurant visits involved a deal, a 3% decrease from 2011 and the first time dealing has declined since 2008 (when dealing [...]

Once again the restaurant industry’s spending for advertising has outpaced the average for all U.S. business. According to data from Kantar Media, restaurants spent $6.185 billion on advertising in 2012, a 4% increase from the $5.912 billion spent the previous year. Total ad advertising for all categories rose just 3% to $87.502 billion in 2012, [...]

With CKE Restaurants’ release today of preliminary results for its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2013, it’s now possible to estimate 2012 sales for the top burger chains and see how they align. On an earlier post, BurgerBusiness.com estimated that Burger King held the No. 2 spot for domestic sales, slightly eclipsing Wendy’s. Now it’s [...]

The total number of U.S. restaurants increased by 4,442 or 0.7% to 616,008 between the fall of 2011 and fall 2012, according to new data from The NPD Group. Additionally, the number of QSR (quick service and fast casual) burger-menu restaurants grew by 0.7% as well. But the most surprising news is that the number [...]

The bad news is that dining occasions are declining among young adults, who traditionally account for the most restaurant business customer traffic. Balancing this is the news that visits by Millennials’ parents and grandparents have been rising. According to an NPD Group report, “Boomers and Beyond—Targeting for Success,” baby boomers and their seniors (called Mature [...]

The restaurant industry’s advertising spending ballooned by 12.1% during the third quarter while total U.S. ad spending for all products and services rose just 7.1%, according to data from Kantar Media in New York City. For full-year 2011, restaurant ad spending rose by only 4.4%. The increase in restaurant ad spending is especially surprising considering [...]

The quick-service category continues to provide the restaurant’s only positive growth in customer traffic, according to new data from NPD Group. It finds that for the July-August-September quarter of 2012, net overall restaurant visits were flat. QSRs, however, continue to show traffic gains, up 1% in Q3. That’s the fourth consecutive quarter of customer growth [...]

The number of diners visiting U.S. restaurants in the second quarter of 2012 was flat compared with a year ago but only because traffic at quick-service restaurants (QSRs) was up 1%, according to new data from The NPD Group. Suggesting American consumers haven’t given up the cost-conscious behavior brought by the recession, mid-price restaurants continue [...]

The second phase of Burger King’s menu renovation was this month’s introduction of an array of what it called its Premium Chicken Menu. At the same time, the chain quietly rebranded its fish sandwich from BK Big Fish to the much more elegant Premium Alaskan Fish Sandwich. In these cases, Burger King was following trends [...]

While overall U.S. advertising expenditures increased just 0.9% in 2012′s second quarter, the restaurant industry showed surprising strength, posting a 2.1% gain, compared with the April-June 2011 quarter. “Ad spending growth sputtered during the second quarter and was unable to sustain its early year momentum. The advertising market is mirroring the tepid, slow-growth performance of [...]

Taco Bell calls its late-night snack menu “Fourthmeal,” but “fifth meal” might be more accurate: A new study from The NPD Group concludes that one of every five eating occasions in the U.S. is snack occasion. Further, while evening snacks are the most common, it’s morning snacking that is on the rise, now exceeding the [...]