A sore subject in present times, the economy has managed to spare the foodservice industry. A 2002 study recently released by Technomic Inc. (Chicago), a foodservice consultancy firm, has shown that despite a sluggish economy and fears about an imminent war, the top 100 leading chains managed to grow 4.7% last year (individual results varied).
As a country, our dining patterns have changed. While Baby Boomers grew up eating a solid three meals a day (and no snacking in between), today's young persons (Generation Y) “graze” all day. This constant eating has contributed to the increasingly overweight American, and made a success of retailers who tapped into the trend.