September 28, 2022 We’ve seen many changes to consumer preferences since the pandemic, and beverage demands are the latest addition to this list, driving a shift in restaurant delivery and takeout menus. With the growth of third-party takeout and delivery orders up 63 per cent from pre-pandemic days, this is an important market to consider. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic ...Read more about this post
September 27, 2022 If your restaurant doesn’t already have a marketing strategy that targets Gen Z customers, it’s time to shift your focus. Making up 28 per cent of the population, with 20 per cent of their income going towards food, Gen Z is an important part of your restaurant’s customer base. With a reputation for being technology-driven, eco-conscious, ...Read more about this post
September 23, 2022 As the foodservice industry sees a gradual increase in traffic and sales, what does the road to recovery look like? It’s been a tough few years, with rising food costs, labour shortages, and new work-from-home patterns impacting restaurants’ return to pre-pandemic standards. In a recent webinar, Chris Elliott, senior economist at Restaurants Canada, took a look ...Read more about this post
September 20, 2022 In today’s crowded foodservice climate, offering a robust loyalty program is a must. Loyalty members visit more, spend more, and provide your business with vital insights into customer behaviour. Those were some of the key conclusions of the new Paytronix Loyalty Report 2022, which found that the top loyalty members are foundational to a restaurant’s bottom ...Read more about this post
September 15, 2022 As labour shortages and inflation continue to rise, is the foodservice industry bouncing back? Full patios, large takeout lines, and long reservation lists seem to indicate that we are back to business as usual, but the numbers tell a slightly different story. In a recent webinar, Chris Elliott, senior economist at Restaurants Canada, took a closer ...Read more about this post
September 15, 2022 Prices may be up, cost of living may be up, but indoor dining is nevertheless back on the menu big time. The recent TouchBistro 2022 Diner Trends Report released Wednesday and based on surveys conducted in June and July found that 44 per cent of consumers are now indoor dining at a restaurant at least once ...Read more about this post
September 7, 2022 As restaurateurs continue to struggle with post-pandemic labour shortage, business owners are looking for new recruiting strategies and ways to combat employee turnover. According to David MacDonald, senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, it’s not a labour shortage we’re facing, it’s a wage shortage. Competition for good candidates is fierce, and restaurateurs ...Read more about this post
September 7, 2022 As the cost of living continues to rise, gratuity rates are also rising, due to what experts are calling “tip-flation”. Even though restaurateurs feel that conditions are worse now than they were three months ago, a Restaurants Canada survey found that 44 per cent of Canadians are tipping more than their pre-pandemic rate when dining out. ...Read more about this post
September 1, 2022 As restaurants try to return to “business as usual” while battling labour shortages and supply chain delays, beer sales are on the decline. Total beer sales are down over seven per cent across Canada, dipping over eight per cent below pre-pandemic numbers. By province, beer sales have decreased by 12.6 per cent in Saskatchewan, 10.7 per ...Read more about this post
August 31, 2022 Rising food costs have been in the news for months, with consumers, grocers, and restauranteurs continuing to feel the pinch. In an effort to combat the continued inflation and offset restaurant costs, U.S. menu prices jumped 7.6 per cent in July, just a slight decrease from June’s 40-year high. Though there has been a recent dip in ...Read more about this post
August 22, 2022 The pain of the height of the pandemic may be behind us, but the trauma continues for foodservice. U.S. restaurant operators are getting less and less confident about the future of the industry, according to new data from the National Restaurant Association. A new survey from the association found that nearly half (46 per cent) of ...Read more about this post
August 17, 2022 With plant-based protein gaining momentum in the marketplace, retailers have got their eye on product performance. Studies show that plant-based diets are gaining popularity, with retailers struggling to catch up with growing demand. Plant-based eating is rapidly becoming the norm, with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) predicting that total protein production will double, ...Read more about this post
August 16, 2022 Two of Canada’s biggest fast-food restaurants are finding their sweet spot, adding some new and exciting items to the most important meal of the day. With the $27 billion fast-food industry ranking second in the Canadian market, and up to 40 per cent of Canadians eating on the go, this trend could prove to be ...Read more about this post
August 16, 2022 New Consumer Price Index data from Statistics Canada released August 16 reported that Canada’s inflation rate saw its first monthly decline in a year, and food inflation also appears to finally be tailing off. Inflation slowed to 7.6 per cent in July, largely driven by a decline in gas prices. The rate of change had hit a ...Read more about this post
August 15, 2022 By Riana Topan Plant-based purchases may be the key to cost savings for restaurants. With food prices alarmingly high and threatening already-narrow profit margins, food service owners and operators are struggling to find ways to contain costs. According to Restaurants Canada, the price of food at grocery stores rose by 10.1 per cent between June 2021 ...Read more about this post
