Posts Tagged ‘restaurant’

Transparency Lends To New Mini Food Trends

March 16th, 2011 69 Comments

Published 3/4/2010

With the economy being in a slump, many in the restaurant industry continue to suffer losses. It is important for restaurants to come up with new ideas and products to bring customers in and keep them coming back for more.

You hear of “downsizing” occurring in almost every industry around the United States. One of the hottest food trends of late is the downsizing of food as well. As a result of new nutrition labeling laws, people will find more and more mini food selections popping up on restaurant menus. Consumers want value for their money, healthier menu choices, and now mini foods on restaurant menus.

Nutritional labeling of foods provides total menu transparency. It allows consumers to make educated choices on what exactly they are consuming. Food consultants agree that this new food trend will help restaurants be able to make their bottom line look nicer and provide customers with exactly the food they want on their plate.

Mini burgers (a.k.a. sliders) were the number one mini food item that was added to restaurant menus last year. It seems that fast food restaurants are giving the mini world a chance as well. Jack in the Box is currently testing the market for their new 2 pack sirloin mini burgers in San Diego, California. Just this week, fast food giant Burger King, added mini-burgers called the BK Burger Shots to their menu. These burgers come in either a 2 pack or a 6 pack. The burgers continue to have that delicious charbroiled taste that everyone loves, while offering less calorie consumption and less costs. Mini desserts are also beginning to gain popularity.

Nutritional labeling on restaurant menus has naturally sparked healthier foods being added to menus as well. Offering mini foods and healthier choices is a win win situation for both consumers and restaurateurs alike.

Posted in: Food Trends, Restaurant Industry, small plates

Living in a Super-sized World

March 16th, 2011 55 Comments

Originally published 3/4/2010

My earliest memory of anything being “super-sized” was the Big Gulp from 7-11. As a teen, I thought paying a couple of pennies more for a fantastically sized Diet Coke was the best treat in the entire world. Much to my childish delight, in a very short time everywhere I looked; food and drink items were super-sized. There is no doubt that American’s love getting more bang for our buck, especially where food is considered.

In 2004, a national restaurant chain wanted to be recognized as a “healthy chain restaurant” by cutting back on serving sizes on some of their dishes. They even went so far as to print the nutritional information of their food on their menus, which was completely taboo for the time. The end result was that customers hated the new campaign. Within a matter of months, the menus returned to their previous state and those small portion sizes where thrown out the window.

In today’s world, some food portion sizes have been transitioning back towards what we should really be consuming. There are several theories as to the current shift in the tide in the food industry. Some believe that our ever expanding waistline has caused restaurants to want to help return our bodies back to normal sizes. Others believe that the shift is because of the state that our economy is currently in. It would stand to reason that restaurants would also want to cut back and trim the fat whenever possible. Let’s face it; we all need to save a buck wherever
we can these days.

Regardless of the spin you might want to accept, the end results are good for consumers. Many restaurants are now offering smaller portion sizes on their menus. The great news is that this new food trend will do more than help the belly bulge. Along with the smaller sizes have come reduced costs for consumers. Of course food business consultants are hoping that restaurants are on winning side of this new trend. They are hopeful that consumers will be hungry and thirsty enough at the end of their perfectly portioned meals to want to order dessert and cocktails; which holds a great profit margin for businesses.

You would be hard pressed to find a restaurant that did not offer nutritional information about the products that they sell in today’s market.

Posted in: portion size, Restaurant Industry
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