So sorry it’s been a while since my last News Worth Reading post, but believe it or not, I took some vacation! Enjoy the following and I’ll do my best to stay on top of this moving forward.
- There is reason for optimism in the restaurant industry. Although this report only shows “some” optimism…any news of growth is a good thing.
- Debit card swipe fees are making news again. This report shows the fees costing merchants, including food operators, big money.
- An excellent article from Technomics on what people want out of their restaurant. I can relate to the bread part of this. I’ll only get a sub from this one pizza place near my house because their bread is the best around. I’m sure there are cheaper places to get a turkey sub, but I’ll pay more for the one that tastes the best.
- It’s official. Buying local, organic and natural foods at grocery stores is no longer considered a niche market. More people are looking for these traits now than those that do not. Also, I’ve seen more and more examples of “local” source foods on restaurant menus than ever before. It just makes sense I think.
- Technology is on the rise with quick service restaurants. I find this story interesting because it talks about placing QR codes on the food packaging, which of course is near and dear to my heart.
- Plastic cup sales are expected to be on the rise according to this piece. That would be okay with us as we have a full line of plastic cups and lids. On a side note, I bet the current mayor of New York isn’t thrilled that this growth is driven by larger size sales. See previous post on that one.
- Not only is their reason for optimism in the restaurant industry, but this report shows excellent growth in prepared foods at supermarkets as well. It’s all music to our ears, because it means more demand for food packaging.