TORONTO – Foodservice operators can look forward to more restaurant traffic in the next few years, according to a NPD Group study.
“A Look into the Future of Foodservice,” includes forecasts of restaurant segments, categories, visit situations and food and beverage products based on Canada’s aging population, the country’s population growth and recent national trends.
It suggests guest visits to restaurants will grow nearly two per cent per year over the next five years. The study also notes that the increase, which will reach 9.1 per cent in 2016, will surpass the projected 1.2-per-cent annual growth of Canada’s population.
“Some of the industry’s most frequent clientele, the ‘Millennial’ age group — those in their late teens and early 20s — is anticipated to account for the lion’s share of visits to restaurants by 2016,” explains Robert Carter, executive director of foodservice at The NPD Group, of the report that also encourages attention be given to baby boomers.
Meanwhile, with QSRs representing close to two-thirds of the foodservice business — a hike of five per cent in the past year — they have the clout to create a shift within the market.
