With the recession in full swing, the casual dining sector has suffered across the board. Strategy has turned sharply from expanding capacity to stealing share from competitors. Unit counts for leading chains are on the downswing. In this report, Mintel examines the impact of recession on casual dining chains and how they are trying to stem further sales decline.
Analysis and insights offered include:
- Why profit margins are being squeezed - Which menu items are most often ordered at a leading casual brand - How leading chains are addressing the problem of differentiation - How the damage of price promotions to brand equity can be limited - Which demographics are most likely to be spending more than last year on casual dining - Which motivations for using casual restaurants are strongest - Which chains appeal more strongly to the wealthiest diners
