Fast Casual Restaurants - US : Market Research Report

Fast Casual Restaurants - US

Published by: Mintel International Group Ltd.

Published: Sep. 1, 2009 - 113 Pages

SCOPE AND THEMES: What you need to know; Definition; Figure 1: Fast casual companies comprising market size, by segment, 2009; Changes to 2009 fast casual market size; Data sources; Sales data; Mintel Menu Insights; Consumer survey data; Advertising creative; Abbreviations and terms; Abbreviations; Terms
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The challenge of a recession; Fast casual same-store sales trends suggest trade out/trade down pressure; Tapered growth still cause for celebration; Competitive context; Segment performance: Bread-based, ethnic, and traditional; Restaurant brand qualities; Panera Bread; Chipotle; Steak ‘n Shake; Boston Market; The united colors of fast casual; Menu innovation; Open the door wider: Ethnic is not just Mexican or Chinese; Fast casual restaurant usage and usage frequency; Fast casual restaurant selection factors; Consumer healthfulness self-perceptions; Quality, healthfulness and proximity comparisons to fast food; Fast casual restaurant use by beverage attribute
MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST: Key points; Tapered growth still cause for celebration; Same-store sales trends suggest trade out/trade down pressure
COMPETITIVE CONTEXT: Key points; Can I have premium with my value?; Premium and unexpected food items; Breakfast, please; QSR and coffeehouse beverage menus flex premium muscles; And about that value…; Responding in kind; While lines may be blurring, clear differences remain; First things, first—a price difference, while smaller, still exists; And fast casual leads on quality and healthfulness—at least its users think so; As for food and drink differences, the facts speak for themselves
SEGMENT PERFORMANCE: Growth on the menu—whatever the cuisine
SEGMENT PERFORMANCE—BREAD-BASED RESTAURANTS: Key points; Oh, to be a bread-based chain; Au Bon Pain takes private equity money to the bank; Jason’s Deli adds its voice to healthful marketing; Einstein Bros. Bagels; Bruegger’s on the upswing; Cosi and Atlanta Bread on the downswing
SEGMENT PERFORMANCE—ETHNIC RESTAURANTS: Key points; Approaching Hispanic cuisine from the inside out, and from the outside in; Qdoba continues growth plans despite same-store sales declines; Taco Cabana and Pollo Tropical: Hispanic brands with Hispanic intentions; Pollo Tropical; Taco Cabana; Going forward; Pei Wei—the Pan Asian alternative; Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill: more than fish, but fish remains the core; Going forward; Moe’s Southwestern Grill
SEGMENT PERFORMANCE—TRADITIONAL RESTAURANTS: Key points; Old traditionalists versus new traditionalists?; Buffalo Wild Wings floors the gas; Zaxby’s stays true to roots
MARKET DRIVERS: Restaurant industry recession continues, but the bottom may be in sight; Consumer confidence undermines willingness to spend at restaurants; Aggressive expansion plans a recession gamble; The united colors of fast casual
RESTAURANT BRAND QUALITIES: PANERA BREAD: Performance summary; The environment; Panera users more apt to value healthfulness, quality, and customization “important” in an LSR; Panera users skew to affluence, female, suburbia, and blue-collar singles and couples; On the menu; Bakery items, sandwiches, soups and salads rule the menu; Growth trajectory: positive; conservative
RESTAURANT BRAND QUALITIES: CHIPOTLE: Performance summary; The environment; Chipotle users more apt to value a variety of restaurant attributes “important” in an LSR; Youth, ethnic/racial diversity, and affluence are hallmarks of user base; On the menu; Growth trajectory: positive, with slightly positive same-store growth and solid expansion
RESTAURANT BRAND QUALITIES: STEAK ‘N SHAKE: Performance summary; The environment; When choosing an LSR, it’s more about the finding a specific kind of menu item; Steak ‘n Shake: Racial and economic diversity at the table; On the menu; Leveraging the drive-thru; Goodbye to 24/7; Growth trajectory: Better days ahead?
RESTAURANT BRAND QUALITIES: BOSTON MARKET: Performance summary; Important LSR factors: finding specific menu item and lower prices for group purchases; Blacks drive usage; leading usage economic and educational backgrounds vary widely; On the menu; Growth trajectory: Positive, but conservative
ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION: Overview; Value message; Baja Fresh definitely makes the “fresh” point; Fazoli’s stakes brand image on anti-fast food; Fuddruckers—burgers “stacked high”; Steak ‘n Shake introduces low cost meals options, supports with taste satisfaction; Zaxby’s lures with informal humor and relaxation; Boston Market extols the value of chicken; No low-cost proposition, just a quality message; Jason’s Deli; Panera Bread; Qdoba Mexican Grill; Branding excitement
INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS: ON THE MENU: Key points; Sophistication and healthfulness marketed hand in hand; If traditional American is the hub, ethnic/world flavors are the spokes; New menu introductions reflect trends afoot; Drilling down: Trending specific food menu introductions; Growing breakfast; Building out from breakfast; Adding a twist to traditional; Going “mini”; Comfort/hearty fare; Going upscale; Health and “unhealth”; Au Bon Pain has been actively experimenting with “petite portions”; Doing good: Bruegger's goes cage-free in D.C. and Corner Bakery stays local; A decidedly diversified beverage selection
RESTAURANT USAGE OVERVIEW: Key points; Restaurant usage; Restaurant usage, by segment; Demographic analysis; Addendum: Consumer question explanation
FAST CASUAL RESTAURANT USAGE AND USAGE FREQUENCY: Key points; Overview; Demographic analysis
FAST CASUAL RESTAURANT USAGE—RACE AND ETHNICITY: Key points; Fast casual usage by race/ethnicity; Acculturated versus non-acculturated Hispanics
FAST CASUAL RESTAURANT SELECTION FACTORS: Key points; Section methodology; 2008 versus 2009; General food attributes; Value and variety; Where and what?; Specific food choices; General food attributes; Value and variety; Where and what?; Specific food choices
CONSUMER HEALTHFULNESS SELF-PERCEPTIONS: Key points; Health: consumers’ perceptions
QUALITY, HEALTHFULNESS AND PROXIMITY COMPARISONS TO FAST FOOD: Key points; Attitudes toward fast casual restaurants
APPENDIX: TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

Abstract

Entertainment on the menu

Note: section content has been excerpted and adapted from Eating Ethnic: Trends in Ethnic Cuisine on the Menu, a May 2009 Mintel Menu Insights Trend Report, which offers additional insights on fast casual dining trends.

The fast casual segment has thrived because—in a nutshell—it enhanced the fast food experience. It grew by giving patrons more: more choice (cuisines, flavors, beverages, and customization), more quality, and more atmosphere. To continue to differentiate itself from fast food competitors that are creeping up on them with improved but competitively priced products, the segment needs to continue innovating on the very things that brought them success in the first place.

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Fast Casual Restaurants - US

Table of Contents

Abstract