Top Consumer Trends News

LYFE Kitchen announced the launch of the world-class LYFE Kitchen Wellness and Health Advisory Panel, composed of some of the foremost authorities in wellness and healthy lifestyles. Members of the blue ribbon panel will lend their voices and recommendations on issues relating to wellness, health, and lifestyle to the transformational, socially-responsible "lyfestyle" brand that will […]

Battling with low operator and consumer confidence, rising food costs, and a lack of corporate support, independent restaurants can be especially hard hit during poor economic times. However, recent Mintel research reveals that indies may have some advantages over their competition, as 43 percent of American consumers who have visited one in the past month […]

The recession may have put a crimp in consumer spending, but most Americans are still letting the good times roll in restaurants, according to the results of the first LivingSocial “Dining Out” survey of consumer behavior. The survey, conducted last month among 4,000 online Americans by Mandala Research, discovered some surprising facts about eating habits, […]

Research proves that as unemployment rises, so does coupon use. But for operators who think slapping a coupon on Facebook counts as social media, Erika Brookes and Jason Poinsette, panelists at this year’s Dine America conference, have a few tips to enhance their game. Brookes is vice president of marketing at Vitrue and Poinsette is […]

Is America ready for montaditos? The specially baked rolls filled with 100 ingredients fuel the success of 100 Montaditos, a chain of 207 cafes throughout Spain. And now they’re open in the U.S. and primed to expand: One outlet opened in Miami in January 2011, a second is due there in September, and three are […]

Quaker Oats hit the quick-serve market Monday with Burger King’s addition of Quaker Oatmeal to its breakfast menu. The whole grain oatmeal is available nationally in all Burger King stores in two flavors. The timing of the announcement is prudent. Competition has soared in 2011, as McDonald’s launched its breakfast oatmeal at the beginning of […]

Black Box Intelligence LLC (BBI), Consumer Edge Research LLC (CER), GuestMetrics LLC (GM), and People Report announced the formation of a joint venture that will capture the combined product offerings of the four companies and provide revolutionary foodservice industry data and analytics. Together the four firms track the financial, consumer, and human capital metrics of […]

PowerDirect Marketing today announced increased client demand for its innovative front-door marketing capabilities in engaging the culturally-diverse Hispanic marketplace. Recent Hispanic front-door marketing campaigns have been deployed by PowerDirect for clients including Clorox, Hillshire Farms, and Fingerhut. Front-door marketing represents an uncluttered, highly-visible avenue for message placement – and provides a vast and largely untapped […]

It’s finally here! After many repeated requests from thousands of fans on Facebook and Twitter, Red Mango is introducing its newest frozen yogurt flavor, mango, in stores nationwide. “I’m very excited to finally introduce our very own mango frozen yogurt to all our fans,” says Dan Kim, founder and chief concept officer of one of […]

The past 30 years have seen an increase in immigrants from Asia, Latin America, Central America, and South America come to the United States. A new study by Technomic and C3 finds that regardless of ethnicity, moms are the most likely members of their families to make decisions on restaurant patronage and that, despite their […]

With smartphones penetrating more of the consumer market every day, one upstart company is helping quick serves and other businesses optimize their websites for mobile devices through a process that takes just a few minutes. Web2Mobile’s new product, FiddleFly, offers a customizable template that businesses can use to adapt their existing websites to mobile-optimized ones. […]

Most consumers look to avoid total added sugars, not high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) specifically, according to a recent study designed and executed by Mintel Research Consultancy. In the study, more than 2,000 consumers were asked a series of questions about their dietary habits. By asking participants unaided (or open-ended) questions, the survey helped determine […]

Caribou Coffee announced today its partnership with CROSSMARK, a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, to assist Caribou with the expansion of its packaged coffee business. "Growing our CPG business remains a top priority, as we continue on our path to becoming a leading, multi-channel coffee company,” says […]

As a response to customer demand, Charley’s Grilled Subs will debut its Spicy Asian BBQ Chicken sandwich nationwide this week, capitalizing on the trend of Korean-inspired flavors. The sandwich, offered for a limited time only, is grilled-to-order and is prepared with all-natural chicken,grilled onions, creamy white American cheese, crisp cucumber, and Charley’s signature Spicy Asian […]

Hosted by Salem, Oregon-based Truitt Bros. on August 14-16, the fourth annual “Northwest Discovery Tour” will go straight to the source of the sustainable movement—the Pacific Northwest—to demonstrate how responsible foods can lead to menus that are more wholesome and healthful to the consumer. From a base of Portland, Oregon, a series of keynote presentations, […]

Portion control is a tenet of healthy eating, and it appears that consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of managing the portion size of the foods they eat, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company.  For a recent report entitled Healthy Eating Strategies by Generation, NPD compiled a list of 30 […]

Smoothie King, the 1973 creator of the nutritional smoothie, in partnership with Nutrition53, unveils its new smoothie designed specifically to help lose fat, curb hunger, and tone muscle, with the debut of its new Lean1 Smoothie. Created to satisfy the increasing demand for accessible weight loss solutions, the nutritious Lean1 Smoothie is formulated with Nutrition53's Lean1 […]

A technology start-up hopes its new iPhone and Android app will piggyback on the popularity of restaurant review sites like Yelp, but by focusing not on the restaurant but on the food itself. Nosh, an app released by Firestarter Labs last week, lets users rate and review individual menu items within a restaurant and share […]

The decline in seafood servings at U.S. restaurants has less to do with natural and man-made disasters such as the Gulf Oil spill and more to do with the economy and price, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company. NPD’s foodservice market research finds that total seafood and fried seafood servings have been declining for several […]

Which sandwich meat is most popular? What breads are customers scrambling to buy? How much more will guests pay for a branded condiment? SandwichPro.com, powered by Unilever Food Solutions, features insightful tidbits based on the company’s years of experience and product offerings, making it easy to find the sandwich information you need. The research tab of SandwichPro.com brings […]

This summer, Dunkin' Donuts is once again celebrating the flavorful fun of "Mixology" by adding to its menu an exciting array of new and refreshing Coolatta flavor mixes. The Coolatta drink flavor combinations have expanded with the recent introduction of Dunkin' Donuts' new Cherry-flavored Captain America Coolatta, which offers more variety and endless combinations.   […]

Whether it’s hard-boiled, over-easy, or poached; used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; or in baked goods or sauces, the egg is truly the MVP of the kitchen. Not surprisingly, penetration is extremely high and egg use remains steady at 94 percent of all U.S.households, according to a recent Mintel report. A whopping 92 percent of […]