In this article It shows how even the trendiest Restaurants are giving prefix menus, offering gourmet food at a very reasonably fixed price.

school cafeterias

This article is about how school cafeterias are aiming more towards feeding the children healthier meals that also are cost effective. Schools are concerned about the recent studies in childhood obesity, which have been linked to poor eating habits, and are trying to combat that with making their menus healthier. Ways that they are combating this crisis are to change the amount of sugar or salt in many of their recipes.
I have heard of the childhood obesity scare but not to the extent as to how much work that the government and school cafeterias are putting towards making children healthier. This article has put into perspective what has to be done in order to make the nation healthier.

Johnny Rockets Plans

In a recent class, we talked about food trucks and interestingly enough Johnny Rockets is planning on expanding into the mobile food market segment. Recently, Johnny Rockets presented there plans to expand into new market segments. Along with opening a mobile kitchen the company also plans on introducing sports bars and fast-causal establishment. By entering into these new markets Johnny Rockets hopes to appeal to a more diverse consumer base.

Last week, Johnny Rockets opened their second sports lounge themed restaurant in the upper east side. Unlike their traditional 50's diner concept the, sport lounge features televisions, a full bar, and new appetizers. The bar includes their famous milk shakes with an alcholic addition. Along with the development and opening of the sports lounge, Johnny Rockets has recently introduced Johnny Rockets Fast. Johnny Rockets Fast is a fast-casual restaurant which will offer a limited menu and fit in small spaces such as mall food courts. Unlike the $750,000 investment needed to open a traditional Johnny Rockets the new fast-casual concept will be much cheaper.

In the next few years, Johnny Rockets hopes to expanded upon each of these 3 new concepts. With each of these concepts, Johnny Rockets hope to expand their customer base while still appealling to their current diners. With the recent economic crisis many companies are looking for new innovative ideas to help expend their brands, and by introducing these new concept I believe Johnny Rockets will see continued success.

food and beverage trends

I found this interesting article about beverages trends. The article in titled "Beverage trends all about health and variety," starts off with disscussing that we as consumers are looking past the soda, ice tea and coffee drinks options. We are becoming bored of the same old choices and are looking to add that spice back to the beverage section. Coca-cola is looking to include minute maid products into some of their new products. The new trend? Smoothies, Lemonades, and energy drinks.

Smoothies are now becoming a popular item because of their convience to consumers. The amount of shops that are springing up are increasing every year and its really bringing in revenue. Smoothies have always been health options that is why they have been put to the back burner several years ago but in this health crazy demand they are making their return. They can also serve as replacements to meals.

Lemonades and Teas are popular because of their versitility. They can be fuzed with almost anything and will meet the flavor needs of the costumer. People are becoming familiar with different types of teas because of their antioxidants powers.

Energy drinks are a huge market in todays age. People are sleeping less and working more to support for their families. They choose to replace and hour or two of sleep for one or two energy drinks to keep them going.

I found a very interesting article about how one of the current trends are that most restaurants, especially the quick service restaurants, are gearing more towards consumerism than other years. Other trends mentioned are that the consumers are more concerned with herbal supplements the growing use of functional or convenient foods. People are moving more towards going out to eat rather than staying in and cooking a meal and most times then not they will go to a fast food restaurant, which leads towards something mentioned in this article called "McDonaldization". With the rapid growth of people eating out, the number of people in the age group 18-34 has declined when it comes to a sitdown restaurant. All of the statistics leads to the growing epidemic of obesity in the united states, which is another trend, the concern for the health and happiness of the consumers of america. Another trend is the growth of the ethnic fast food restaurants, people may go to taco bell instead of going to McDonalds or Wendys.

This article has given me the chance to think of ways that maybe we could fix how we go about the nutrition in fast food restaurants. One solution may be to bring in healthier choices, for example have the meat patties at Burger King or McDonalds be a lower fat percentage.

Post 1

Since the start of the new year, there have been numerous lists and articles written each trying to predict what the newest trends in the food service will be for 2010. Trends such as "going green", using organic products, and "going local" showed up in a number of the articles, which was not surprising to me. One trend, which I was not expecting to see mentioned in so many lists was breakfast. Experts are predicting that breakfast in both fine dining and quick service restaurants will be on the rise. as consumers become more health conscience experts believe that consumers will recognize the importance of breakfast in their diets. Along with that, the recent economic crisis has left consumers trying to find alternatives to going out for an expensive dinner. With more diverse breakfast menus, going out to breakfast with a group of friends may can become a cheaper option. With the talent and creativity that today's chefs are putting into their breakfast menus, breakfast may become just as grand as a fancy lunch or dinner.

In the article,"The Breakfast Trifecta" author Marc Halperin examines the different types of breakfast consumers and divides them into three very different categories. The first of these categories are the A.M. Pit stop. The a.m. pit stoppers are those consumers whom are looking for a quick bit to eat that will fill them up with having to waste time. This category of consumers lends themselves nicely to the quick service industry which can offer customers a quick meal for a great price. Some establishments who have noticed the demand for quick, easy to eat breakfast option are McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts, whom in recent months have started to expand their breakfast offerings. In the article, Halperin suggest developing original smoothies and breakfast type wraps to accommodate the pit stop breakfast consumer.

The second group of breakfast consumer are those how see breakfast as a "Getaway Break". This group sees breakfast as a necessary part of their day and a time to relax and prepare for the days coming events. Halperin suggest that consumers in this group enjoy eating foods that are comforting and familiar to them such as breakfast sandwiches and pastries. To appeal to this group he suggests adding different types of hot cereals and bread puddings to a menu to separate from the crowds. This is an idea that many small establishments like diners and local bagel shops can expand upon.

Those who see breakfast as a "Personal Oasis" make up the final category of breakfast consumers. People who belong to this group usually make more time for their breakfast and eat a complete meal. To appeal to these guest the article suggests allowing the customer to make their own personalize breakfast combos. Although he also mentions the use of a swipe card, I believe that would require more money and training that some businesses may not be able to afford. The idea of the personal breakfast combo is something I believe many chain restaurant who are wanting to add breakfast to their menu could utilize.

Breakfast often becomes the over looked meal of the day, but by utilizing some of the tips from this article and really getting to know your client base it can become one of the most profitable meals. I have already seen quick service restaurants such as Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's expand their breakfast menus and I am sure that many more will follow in their footsteps. The idea of breakfast becoming a trend surprised me at first, but after researching the topic it is easier for me to understand appeal and the profitability it can have.

First Article Posting

Mc Donald's new Big Mac Snack Wrap.