April 15, 2021 By Mischa Young To say it’s been a rough year for the restaurant industry is an understatement. Restaurants across Canada have suffered immensely from stay-at-home orders, strict in-person seating capacity restrictions, and other lockdown measures induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten per cent of Canada’s independent restaurants have already permanently shut down in light of pandemic-related ... Read more about this post
April 12, 2021 A new report from digital restaurant platform BentoBox and restaurant discover platform The Infatuation suggests many consumers, particularly the younger demographic use low delivery fees and the offer of promotions and discounts as major deciding factors when it comes to choosing a delivery service. Firstly, the report notes that 74 per cent of U.S. diners cite ... Read more about this post
April 12, 2021 New data from the Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA) and The Good Food Institute (GFI) shows that U.S. retail plant-based food sales grew 27 per cent to US$7 billion in 2020. The growth in plant-based food sales was consistent across the nation, suggests the report, with more than 25 per cent growth in every U.S. census region. And ... Read more about this post
April 5, 2021 The 50 largest restaurant chains were able to withstand the pandemic far better than smaller chains or independents, according to Technomic’s 2021 Chain Restaurant Report. Sales at the 500 largest restaurant chains in the U.S. declined more than eight per cent last year, according to the report. Chain restaurants closed fewer locations than expected and gained ground ... Read more about this post
March 30, 2021 Many new pandemic food trends have been formed during COVID-19. But how of them will be sticking around? Data and tech company Numerator has tried to assess just that in a new COVID Buyer Habit Index aimed at understanding the “stickiness” of new consumer buying behaviours. The analysis examines pandemic food trends in major categories including alcohol, baking ... Read more about this post
March 29, 2021 Canadian foodservice sales are expected to rebound somewhat in 2021, albeit still remaining way below pre-COVID-19 levels. Commercial foodservice sales in Canada are forecast to improve to $61.4 billion in 2021, says a new report from Restaurants Canada. This would represent an 11.8-per-cent increase compared to 2020 but would still be 20 per cent below pre-pandemic ... Read more about this post
March 26, 2021 By John Kelly There’s no question that the coronavirus pandemic — along with the accompanying lockdowns and restrictions — forced brick-and-mortar businesses, from retailers to restaurants, to find new ways to serve their customers and spurred a wave of innovation across many industries. As the coronavirus vaccine rollout expands, COVID-19 cases and deaths largely continue to drop, and U.S. ... Read more about this post
March 25, 2021 By Katie Belflower In the latest edition of Concept Watch, RestoBiz and Technomic highlight three standout restaurant concepts on show in Canadian foodservice. This month, the focus is on Farrow, Streats, and BlackBall and how their restaurants are broadening the horizons of Canadian foodservice. Farrow Farrow’s Chili Ray Cyrus sandwich features chile pulled pork, refried beans, shredded cheddar, onion, sour cream, ... Read more about this post
March 23, 2021 Chipotle is launching a Canadian expansion which will see it open its first new stores in Canada since 2018 and bring its “Chipotlane” drive-thru digital order pickup lane north of the border. The chain’s new location in Surrey, B.C. is scheduled to open on March 30. The restaurant will be Chipotle’s first new Canadian location since its Markham, Ont. restaurant ... Read more about this post
March 19, 2021 Quick Service Restaurants face an uncertain future. Here’s how they can win in a digital marketplace with customers staying at home. By Peter Klayman With the pandemic altering the definition of “normal” across industries, Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) have been amongst the fortunate few able to stay afloat. While foot traffic to fast food and casual dining ... Read more about this post
March 18, 2021 Many foodservice trends have emerged or at least accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and among them is the increasing volume of contactless transactions. As consumer behaviour has dramatially shifted in line with both preference and necessity over the last 12 months, far more Canadians are shopping online. Those who are still heading to bricks-and-mortar establishments are ... Read more about this post
March 15, 2021 The hot restaurant concept of ghost kitchens are spreading like wildfire. By Tom Nightingale It’s well-established by this stage that ghost kitchens are the new hot concept born out of — or at least accelerated by — the COVID-19 pandemic. The first ghost kitchen appeared in New York in 2013. It was already growing steadily but, ... Read more about this post
March 10, 2021 By Tom Nightingale The need to pivot and progress in foodservice has rarely been clearer than it is during the COVID-19 pandemic. Much has already changed. Takeout, already a prominent trend, has exploded in popularity and prominence; more operators have embraced online and mobile ordering and operational technology; and the concept of virtual or ghost kitchens has ... Read more about this post
March 4, 2021 The debate around third-party delivery apps is intensifying amid the economic impacts of COVID-19 By Tom Nightingale For the foodservice businesses and restaurants that have been able to survive the last 12 months of COVID-19 pandemic, keeping up with the fast rate of change has been vital. In particular, operators across the country have had to lean ... Read more about this post
February 22, 2021 Another official indication of just how badly the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Canadian foodservice and restaurant sales has emerged. A Statistics Canada report released last week shows that restaurants and bars across Canada reported their worst year for sales on record. The recent data from Statistics Canada shows that sales at eating and drinking establishments across Canada ... Read more about this post
