Technomic, Inc.

Casual dining is struggling, but Texas Roadhouse is thriving. How? By nailing the basics, standing out with bold moves (no delivery!) and meeting diners’ needs. Want insights into why they win and how you can too? Explore Ignite Consumer. https://bit.ly/3VE1PVR

Get the latest from Ignite Menu with our most recent Menu Quick Bites, from Katie Belflower, manager of menu research and insights at Technomic. https://bit.ly/3ZaKczk

Looking ahead to spring? Our recently published Season’s Eatings report explores some themes for innovative and refreshing spring flavors in the coming year. Explore Ignite Menu for more: https://lnkd.in/gU5uVc8R #menudevelopment #menutrends #foodtrends #foodbusiness

It’s the season of tasty treats! Which of these dessert trends has your mouth watering? #desserts #foodtrends #foodindustry

For Day 6 of #12DaysOfConnect, we have an exclusive 10% discount on Technomic, Inc.'s Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. Gain access to performance, rankings, and forecasts for the U.S. restaurant industry! Technomic's report provides the insight needed for operators and suppliers to develop sales and marketing strategies, identify growth opportunities, and monitor segment and menu category performance. Access the report here: https://lnkd.in/g4Fx3knE #Technomic #LifeAtInformaConnect 

Looking for your next great food story? With data from 140,000+ menus, Ignite Menu reveals the trends, pricing insights, and consumer preferences shaping the industry. Use our insights to uncover the narratives your readers crave. Download a free sample report: https://lnkd.in/gU5uVc8R #industryinsights #consumertrends #foodconsulting #restaurantoperations

Unlock deeper insights into the foodservice distributor landscape. Ignite Company Distributor provides data on the leading 500 distributors, economic trends and address-level facility insights to refine your strategy. Request a demo and let’s discuss how we can support your goals. https://bit.ly/3NKU5NJ

Chipotle Mexican Grill's recently announced 2% increase will maintain a strong value position for the brand. According to data from our Ignite price pulse tool, even with this price increase, Chipotle’s average chicken burrito will cost roughly $9.60, keeping the important entree below $10 in nearly every state in its operating system. Prices will range from a statewide average of $10.77 in New York to $8.79 in North Dakota.   https://lnkd.in/gp3CufE2   Interested in more granular pricing data by brand, menu item or region? Learn about price pulse here: https://lnkd.in/gxWZBQfW Restaurant Business Online

Are ordering kiosks as consumer-friendly as they seem? While they help cut labor costs and promise ease of use, data shows guests aren’t always impressed. #restaurantindustry #hospitalityindustry #foodtech

The owners and employees of NORTHWEST MEAT COMPANY had a daily task that they dreaded for years: taking orders from their restaurant clients. The orders would come in from dining spots throughout the city: Lonesome Rose in Logan Square and The Bellevue in the Gold Coast, as well as catering companies, pizza joints and taverns. An employee at one of those restaurants would place an order for their chicken breast or sirloin steak for the next day. Then someone — usually co-owner Andrew Neva, his father or one of their employees — would plug those orders into their own system to be filled by their West Loop warehouse. It took hours. It required intimate knowledge of the meat company’s 1,300 different products. And it usually happened in the evening, when few employees are keen to sit back down at their computer. Recently, however, Northwest Meat started using artificial intelligence to streamline that process. The technology, called Choco AI, reads the restaurants’ orders — placed via email, voicemail or through an app — and spits out a concise sales order that Neva hands over to the warehouse. On a recent afternoon, catering company Jordan’s Food of Distinction called in and asked for 15 pounds of sirloin; Northwest Meat sells three different types. The AI, which had learned from Jordan’s past orders, populated the order with the specific type of sirloin: beef top butt, center-cut, prime. “How is somebody who’s been here three months supposed to know (that)?” Neva said. It's been two years since consumers became acquainted with generative artificial intelligence through the introduction of ChatGPT. Many laud its potential to boost productivity, and talk abounds about science-fiction solutions like AI-powered, burger-flipping robots. But where theory is becoming practice — particularly at small, family-owned hospitality businesses — is in the mundane, daily tasks that eat up increasingly expensive employees’ time. “When you talk about AI, everybody’s mind immediately goes to these really futuristic usages,” said David Henkes, senior principal at market research firm Technomic, Inc. “But, frankly, what you’re seeing with this butcher is really what’s happening with AI. It’s being used as a labor optimization tool.” Business owners in the restaurant world tend to have a philosophical resistance to using technology to take away any human aspects, said Huy Do, research and insights manager at market research firm Datassential. Forty-four percent of respondents to a recent Datassential survey said they're worried incorporating AI could lead to the loss of the human touch that forms food service. That's why training these AI tools is vital, said Swami Chandrasekaran, a principal in AI and digital innovation at KPMG US. Like children, they learn through feedback and reinforcement. If the tools are not trained properly, they will not work.  Read more from Ally Marotti: https://lnkd.in/gRsrinri