Bold flavors are the key to strengthening weak restaurant sales, according to new data from The NPD Group.Consumers may be cash-strapped, but operators can prompt spending by appealing to consumers’ desire for stronger flavor profiles and giving...

From Ginsu knives sold via infomercials in the 1970s to the fast-food combo meals first introduced in the early 1990s to today’s telecommunications “triple plays” in which Internet, cable and phone services are bundled together, Americans have...

Quick-service chains that have attempted to strike a balance between value offerings and premium menu items likely are positioning themselves for success in the post-recession recovery, experts say.Consumer research has shown that perceptions of...

With consumers cutting back on visits and spending in response to the ongoing economic downturn, the global foodservice industry has been under the weather for some time.But the industry’s health, at least in some countries, began to show some...

In these tough times, consumers are slashing their budgets and learning to do without—a strategy that likely will keep many Americans afloat until the economy recovers...

With prices for supermarket foods continuing to fall and those for restaurant meals continuing to rise, many economically humbled consumers are cutting back on dining out and rediscovering the joy of grocery shopping.The U.S. Labor Department’s...

From mom-and-pop shops and venerable independents to new outposts of proven chains, in the last year restaurants have been dropping like flies.But while it might seem that closure after closure is an indication that the entire industry is about to...

As the recession lingers, the types of deals prompting consumers to eat out at restaurants are changing, according to new data from The NPD Group.Once content to nab a fast-food double cheeseburger for a dollar, a daily special at a discount or a...

When times get tough, Americans get snacking.Amid the country’s worst economic crisis in decades, consumers are finding comfort in eating between, or perhaps in lieu of, main meals—and it’s a trend that may continue well beyond the recession as...

Operators may be consumed right now with putting butts in their dining room seats, but they should be figuring out how to get their food into the hands of consumers sitting at home, according to The NPD Group.The number of restaurant meals eaten...