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Sentiment Falls As Consumers Worry About Long-Term Outlook
Consumer sentiment fell sharply in the preliminary April reading by Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, surprising many economists. Combined with the decline in overall retail sales, the decline had forecasters worrying again about the negative impact of the payroll tax increase and the cutbacks in federal spending. The preliminary April Consumer Sentiment Index…
E&S Sales Growth Slowed To 2.4% In First Quarter, Reads MAFSI Barometer
Sales of foodservice equipment and supplies grew a modest 2.4% in the first quarter of 2013, versus the comparable quarter last year, according to the quarterly Business Barometer maintained by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry. It was the slowest growth in any quarter since the Barometer signaled recovery in the fourth quarter…
General Economic Forecasts Continue To Show Slow But Improving Growth
Since we’re in the middle of preparing our annual equipment and supplies market forecast, we thought we’d share the latest key macro-economic forecasts from Blue Chip Economic Indicators. In the latest survey of the 50 economic forecasting groups who participate in the newsletter, conducted July 2 and 3, the consensus forecasts slipped for 2013 and…
Wholesale Food Prices Drop Again, Menu Prices Up Slightly
Overall food prices at the wholesale level fell for the second month in a row, according the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index, released Sept. 13. While the index for so-called finished foods rose 0.6% in August, the index tracking prices of intermediate foods and feeds dropped 2.3%, while the…
Wholesale Food Prices And Retail Gas Prices Trend Lower
Wholesale food prices fell 0.5% in September, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while gasoline prices at the consumer level continued to fall. Both trends typically are positive for foodservice. In other economic news, consumer food and menu prices rose only slightly while eating- and drinking-place sales hit a new monthly record…
NYC Resumes Inspections In Operations Hit By Hurricane Sandy
Hundreds of New York area restaurants estimated to have been damaged by late October’s Hurricane Sandy were granted a two-month respite from the city’s letter-grade inspections. But on Jan. 2, the New York City Department of Health began sending out inspectors to perform letter-grade inspections in city neighborhoods affected by the storm. During the two-month…
The Details (And Delays) Add Up In Menu Labeling Law
It looks like it’s going to be a while until chain operators have to follow the mandate to post calorie counts on their menus. The Food and Drug Administration says it’s finding the task of writing up menu-labeling regulations to be a very tricky one. The requirement to include calorie counts on menus and in…
Chains Getting Shown The Exit Door In Many Communities
Are quick-service and fast-casual restaurants becoming as frightening and onerous to vacation communities as the shark in “Jaws” was to Amityville’s image? In March, the Town of Eastchester, N.Y., amended its zoning regulations to ban restaurants with 15 or more locations, a stand-up counter or menus on the wall. City officials disparaged quick-service outlets’ cookie-cutter,…
Forty-Hour Workweek Bills Introduced In Congress
Congress has adjourned for the next month, but left behind in both houses are bills that seek to establish the Affordable Care Act’s definition of full-time as 40 hours per week. The ACA currently establishes that businesses with more than 50 full-time workers must provide health insurance for full-time employees who work either 30 hours…
Austin Considers Ban On New QSRs
Austin, Texas—home to great music, great food and FER‘s own MUFES program—is considering a ban on the building of new quick-service restaurants. The Austin city council is considering a resolution that, if passed, would “restrict fast-food restaurants from locating near areas that children frequent.” Those areas would include schools, municipal parks, child-care centers and libraries.…
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