Food for thought

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan, 1994

Foodservice share of the food dollar: 43.1 percent

Projected foodservice sales, 1994 (in billions)

Commercial Foodservice Eating places $182 Drinking places 9 Foodservices contractors 16 Hotel/motel restaurants 15 Other: vending, retail 22

Institutional Foodservice Businesses, schools, hospitals, nursing homes $30

Military foodservice Base exchange, officers' and NCO clubs $1

Total $275 billion

Foodservice -- An integral part of our nation's economy

* Foodservice industry sales were projected to advance 3.9 percent from 1993-1994 and account for 4.3 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.

* The compound annual growth rate for foodservice sales at eating and drinking places between 1991-1994 will hit 4.1 percent.

* In 1993 the foodservice industry's food and beverage purchases exceeded $100 billion.

* One of every four retail outlets is an eating or drinking establishment.

* Eating and drinking places are first in the number of establishments and number of employees among all retailers.

* Nearly 5 percent of all employed peo le age 16 and older were employed at eating and drinking places in 1991.

Eating and drinking places are mostly small businesses(1)

* Nearly three of four (72 percent) eating and drinking places recorded annual sales of less than $500,000 in 1987.

* Three of four restaurants are single-unit operators.

* More than four of every 10 eating places are sole proprietorships and partnerships.

* Average unit sales in 198 were $428,928 at restaurants and lunchrooms and $411,790 at fast-food restaurants.

* In 1987 more than 143,000 eating and drinking places were owned by women (91,000) and minorities (52,000).

Foodservice -- First in daily customer contact(2)

* Almost one-half of adults were foodservice patronw on a typicaf day during 1991.

* Fifty-two percent of men ate out on a typical day in 1991 compared with 47 percent of women.

* The typical person -- 8 years and older -- consumed an average of 3.8 meals per week or 198 per year away from home.

* Per-person checks averaged $3.94 in 1991.

Foodservice -- First in training

The foodsgrvice industry hires the largest number of entry-level employees and as a result invests vast amounts of dollars training them.

Foodservice -- The No. 1 retail employer

* More than 9 million people are currently employed in the foodservice industry, with total foodservice employment expected to reach 12.4 million by the year 2005.

* Total annual wages and benefits equal $29 billion for restaurants and lunchrooms and $23 billion for fast-food establishments.

* Almost six of 10 of those in foodservice occupations currently are women, 12 percent are African American and 12 percent are Hispanic.

* The typical employee in a foodservice occupatiwn in 1991 was:

-- Femalee (59 percent)

-- Under 35 years of age (71 percent)

-- Living in a household with relatives (76 percent)

-- Unmarried (67 percent)

-- A part-time employee working an average of 25 hours per week.

Foodservice is a ladder to management opportunity(3)

* Foodservice and lodging managers will number 793,000 in 2005, up 33 percent from 595,000 in 1990.

* More than seven out of 10 suoervisors in food preparation and service occupations in 1991 were women.

* Of the 321,000 supervisors in food preparatio and service occupations in 1991, nearly one in five was African American or Hispanic.

* Of minority-owned eating and drinking places, one-half were owned by Asians and Pacific islanders, 27 percent by Hispanics, 23 percent by African Americans and 1 percent by Native Americans and Alaskan natives.

The National Restaurant Association's ongoing consumer research reveals(4):

* Italian, Chinese and Mexican are the most popular ethnic foods in restaurants.

* More than three out of four adults have eaten meals from the drive-through or carryout froM fast-food restaurants within the past year, while four of 10 have used carryout from table-service establishments.

* Households in Miami ranked first in per-capita expenditures on food-away-from-home during 1990 ($986) followed by those in San Francisco $978) and New York City (963).

* Pies, tarts and cheesecakes top the list as the most popular desserts with customers at table-service restaurants, according to operators.

* Half of parents report their children influence the decision to eat in a specific table-service restaurant.

* Saturday is the most popular day to eat out, followed by Friday and Sunday. Monday is the least popular.

* Pizza, french fries, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, chicken and Mexican are the most popular foods for off-premises dining.

Foodservice -- First in number of units

1994 Commercial foodservice 553,739 InstitutionaL foodservice 175,625 Military foodservice 1,256

Source: National Restaurant Association

(1) Figures are from Retail Trade Survey conducted every five years. The 1992 survey will be out in 1994.

(2) Most recent figures available from the NRA's meal consumption behavior study.

(3) Most recent research available from Bureau of Labor Statistics.

(4) Bureau of Labor Statistics study commissioned by the NRA.