2009 - The Year in Full

2009 was a challenging year for the Foodservice industry. The effects of the global recession were wide spread, as low consumer confidence and high unemployment led to declining traffic and lower check averages across the industry.

According to The NPD Group, restaurant visit losses throughout 2009 contributed to a 3% decline for the whole year, compared to 2008. Traffic declines affected all segments of the industry, including Quick Service Restaurants, Midscale, Casual Dining, Non-Commercial, and Fine Dining.  

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The chart below shows the trends in check average and traffic between 2006 and 2009.

In terms of Real Sales Volume, the industry lost 12% between 2007 and 2010. Losses were experienced by all segments, except Education, where Real Sales Volume grew by 2% in this period. Numbers by segment are shown in the table below.

Source: Technomic, 2010

Other notable developments in 2009 included:

• The closure or bankruptcy of both chain and independent outlets.
• Continued innnovation by operators looking for new concepts to cut costs and drive traffic. This ranged from menu innovation to renegotiated leases.
• Increased use of social media applications. Some restarants introduced iPhone applications to faciltate ordering for their customers, while others turned to Twitter to stay connected.
• Changing legislation concerning menu labelling.

Click here to read about what is coming up in 2010, in our section "2010 - The Year in Progress".