CHICAGO -- Beyond having the opportunity to hear from potential presidential candidate Fred Thompson, the nearly 73,000 attendees of the National Restaurant Association Show also got glimpses of the latest in kitchen technology, franchise opportunities, new products and new ideas from some old products.
While trends as varied as sustainability, smoothies and upscale sodas were evident during the show, which ended Tuesday, Chris Weinberg, president of the hospitality consulting firm The Barfly Group, noted that new directions in the restaurant and retailing [image-nocss] industries generally are not driven by a change in consumers' needs, but rather in the way those needs can be met.
Folks' general needs do not change over time, but they can be newly serviced, Weinberg said during a workshop session titled What's the Trend?. Noting that most consumers now desire control over the decisions they make, Weinberg said, Folks want to drive their own decisions and feel like they're in control of their [opportunities].
Thanks to the Internet, PDAs and wireless connectivity, Weinberg said all channels of foodservice are dealing with the most sophisticated market we've ever seen, leading to high expectations, sophisticated palates, a penchant for indulgence and, luckily, more disposable income than in past generations.
Thus, what foodservice consumers ultimately crave these days is more reasonably priced food for away-from-home consumption with new flavors and new tastes. He added that consumers have changed the way they define convenience to mean the quality of the product is suitable to one's needs. In other words: Is it easy for me to use you [regardless of the location or price]?
Meanwhile Nancy Kruse, president of the consulting firm Kruse Co., Atlanta, cited upscale coffee, fresh-brewed teas and sandwiches at dinner time as foodservice trends right now.
Her message, offered during a session titled On the Menu: What's Hot, What's Not and What's Next, ultimately urged restaurateurs to constantly remind consumers of all the things they do for their customers. She suggested using this advice for things as subtle as a little extra something in a recipecall it tortilla-encrusted tilapia rather than fried tilapiaor an environmental effort toward sustainability or recycling.
Let the customer know everything that you do for them, she said. Use your menus as your No. 1 marketing tool.
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