Tantalizing trends for a profitable 2017

This year is poised to bring new challenges for those in the restaurant industry. While Q’3 2016 showed a slight up-tick in same store sales among public traded chains (Technomic, Inc.), many industry experts are predicting stagnation in overall sales and growth. Operators will ponder how they will garner more than their share of the available foodservice dollar, while competing with emerging food trends such as home meal delivery companies (Plated and Blue Apron) and non-traditional foodservice segments:
c-stores and grocery. But, with these 2017 trends, operators can drive trial and repeat traffic:

Banking on Beverages - Carefully crafted concoctions from cocktails to cold coffee offer exciting opportunities for any segment. Operators are fielding new opportunities in beverages to move beyond traditional soda offerings and create a drink destination. Those who rely heavily on carbonated beverages are looking for new ways to incorporate soda into custom mocktails. Taco Bell^® has seen success with Mountain Dew^® as a mocktail base to deliver a variety of flavor profile that appeal to millennials and drive traffic.

Mixing It Up - Whether it’s the perfect ice selection to enrich a handcrafted soda, a blended beverage station with on trend mix and match flavor profiles or cold brew and/or nitrogenated drink options, we make it simple to take advantage of beverage trends with innovative equipment that is fits any operational need. Starbucks^® has seem huge success in its limited roll-out of cold brew nitro coffee . . . the frothy delight has quickly expanded in to a fan favorite.

Big Ideas, Small Bites - Arby’s^® and Sonic^® recently released their bite sized sandwich offerings at a value price. This new approach to size and value plays to a variety of consumer trends including trial/choice, smaller portions, customization and the snacking occasion. From breakfast-to-dinner or breakfast for dinner, sandwiches continue to be a staple for consumers, but their preferences are changing from traditional to upscale with new flavor profiles. The Merrychef eikon^® e2s offers operators to ability to create custom sandwiches, especially toasted panini sandwiches.

Indulge in Comfort - Comfort foods will continue to hold consumer’s hearts and build operators business. Per Technomic, Inc. 71% of consumers say they order indulgent items when dining out, creating a delicate balancing act for operators when developing new menu offerings.

Sharable - While consumers will continue to indulge, they will work to find a balance when dining out. That could mean ordering smaller plates to share, sharing larger portions with others in their group, choosing healthier entrée options in order to have an indulgent appetizer, dessert or beverage.

Local Love - Local has been part of consumer vocabulary for several years, but in 2017 it will become even more important and accessible in all foodservice segments and channels. According to Technomic, 70% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase food and beverages labeled as local, operators contract with local purveyors could see an increase in traffic and sales.

Join us for our CrossFit Training program at The NAFEM Show 2017 to learn more about how our equipment can help operators take advantage of consumer trends and grow their business.