Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

It’s the time of year when small businesses who want to sell food to consumers must come up with new marketing angles. Foodservice operators have been challenged by tough economic conditions in the recent past and hope to be on the road to recovery next year. While it’s too soon to tell what 2012 has in store, foodservice marketers can improve their chances of increasing sales by promoting the ways their offerings tie into the latest trends.

Younger consumers are more likely to use limited-service and snack and beverage restaurants than average, and likely to use them more often–and Hispanic consumers are no exception. For example, Hispanics age 18-24 are about 25% more likely than Hispanics in general to use both limited-service and at least 14 times per month. While non-Hispanic usage similarly tilts to youth, the prevalence of younger consumers in the Hispanic population makes Hispanic youth that much more important to the restaurant industry.

The family orientation of U.S. Hispanics extends to restaurant dining, according to The NPD Group. Slightly over 40% of restaurant visits by Hispanics include children compared to 30% of non-Hispanic visits, based on the latest findings from NPD’s “CREST Hispanic foodservice market research. Hispanic restaurant consumers indicate they would visit restaurants more often if their children are made to feel welcome.

Numerous studies have been published this year on the daily deal format to determine whether it’s really working out for marketers. The restaurant industry has been very willing to use daily deals to try to improve customer traffic. This sector has been hit hard by the economic slowdown. And the latest research from Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research suggests that, despite some bad press, daily deals can work for restaurants.

Local restaurant operators might not realize it yet, but the consumers most likely to dine out are the same people who spend a lot of time using social media. New research from the National Restaurant Association finds that social media users represent the kind of patrons these establishments want: The ones who return frequently. Restaurants who haven’t taken the plunge into social media are likely to start doing so soon.

The lunch market in the restaurant industry is worth about $114 billion. Depending on the sector a restaurant operates in, lunch can comprise between 20% and 40% of revenue. Consumers say they eat out for lunch more than for any other meal – an average of 2.6 lunches a week when both carryout and dining in are counted. But many operators would still like to boost their lunch traffic.