Restaurant guest shifting to other fresh food formats.

Restaurants are losing customers to non-traditional points of fresh food distributions.  Regular readers of this blog have been reading about the success Chain Drug Stores, Convenience Stores, Grocery Store Delis are having selling fresh prepared food. 

A new research survey conducted by Alix Partners highlights a dramatic shift in consumer spending patterns away from restaurants based on heavy user frequency.  

Food Segment       Q 4 2010                       Q 1 2012           Difference

Convenience               1.6                                2.0                    + 0.4

Fast Food                    4.8                                4.1                    -0.7

Fast Casual                  2.5                                2.2                    -0.3

Casual                         2.4                                2.2                    -0.2

Fine Dinning                1.0                                1.0                    Even

The grocerant niche is filled with ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh prepared mix and match meal component options.  7 Eleven has increased the number of fresh prepared foods nationwide since 2010, Wawa and Sheetz continue to expand locations and fresh food offerings.  Walgreens which this report did not include will alter the way consumer shop for fresh prepared food.  Walgreens was once the largest food ready-2-eat food retailer in America and they just might be again.

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