Consumers pulled back from visits to midscale and casual dining restaurants in the April, May, and June quarter continuing a four-year streak of visit losses for the full service segment, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company.
However, foodservice eater checks rose an average of +2 percent in the second quarter despite slowed traffic growth.The check increase for the past two quarters lagged behind inflation for food away from home (+2.9 percent), but it was still the strongest rate of increase in over two years. Although some of the check increase can be attributed to price increases, foodservice visits on a deal were soft and full-priced visits posted growth, which would also drive checks up.
Consumers spent more in the second quarter, but it appears that price points come into play when consumers are choosing restaurants. With the $9.66 average check at midscale nearly twice that of quick service resturants ($5.18) and casual dining at $13.31 two and a half times quick service restaurant’s average check, consumers may feel they have some room to experiment with QSR offerings.
Posted by Lauren Grelle
11/02/2012
