Having problems gaining traffic in your restaurant? Although you may have the best food in town or the best deals in town no matter what you do your still struggling to get a crowd here are some tips to help you out. Be more innovative the world has changes and people like new. Offer delivery not everyone wants to go out to eat every night but they also don`t want to cook so what do they do? Delivery!

Key Takeaways:

• Last year, restaurants faced significant challenges in attracting consumer visits, and 2017 isn’t looking much different, according to The NPD Group, which forecasts little to no traffic growth this year.
• The world is changing — fast — and consumers expect restaurants to keep up, to provide innovation and to be relevant not only on the menu, but in the overall restaurant experience. Operators that fail to innovate risk being overlooked by a significant portion of consumers, according to NPD’s 2017 Outlook.
• As the marketplace continues to be highly competitive, NPD expects more operators to offer not only the foods customers crave, but also the option for customization. While fast-causal and casual-dining chains have already begun to develop customization, it’s starting to show up at traditional quick-serve chains as well, NPD found.

“Last year, restaurants faced significant challenges in attracting consumer visits, and 2017 isn’t looking much different, according to The NPD Group, which forecasts little to no traffic growth this year.”

http://www.restaurant-hospitality.com/consumer-trends/how-grow-traffic-2017

This just in and hot off the press you can now order wings from Wingstop using your Amazon Alexa. Wingstop says they are totally digitally driven and this is the next step in the future. Digital orders accounted for 19 percent of Wingstop’s total in the third quarter ended Sept. 24, the company said.

Key Takeaways:

• The 949-unit, Dallas-based operator allows customers to used the cloud-based Alexa service to place orders and re-orders, make payments and get estimated pick-up times.
• Wingstop is digitally driven, and the launch of voice-activated ordering is the next step in our commitment to providing the most convenient, engaging and cutting-edge brand experience for our fans.
• Wingstop pioneered social ordering on Facebook Messenger and Twitter last June, expanding on more traditional customer ordering or via mobile device.

“Amazon’s voice-activated Echo products and Google’s similar Home devices allow users to request and play music; find information, like recipes; set a timer and complete other tasks.”

http://www.nrn.com/technology/wingstop-teams-amazon-alexa-voice-ordering

did not know they were trying this were there trying to turn into bars that sell coffee? the group they were trying to market does not go to starbucks after work guess it was worth a shot though no pun intended just stay with coffee less of a problem for everyone.

Key Takeaways:

• The idea was to attract an after-work crowd looking to unwind with a drink instead of the typical morning rush hoping to rev up with a few shots of espresso.
• The program began ambitiously, with Starbucks stating in 2014 that it would sell alcohol at thousands, not hundreds, of locations.
• The Seattle Times reported that the chain’s sales of beer, wine, and small plates food was discontinued as of Tuesday at all company-owned stores in the U.S, a program that had grown to over 400 locations.

“The Seattle Times reported that the chain’s sales of beer, wine, and small plates food was discontinued as of Tuesday at all company-owned stores in the U.S, a program that had grown to over 400 locations.”

https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/alcohol-experiment-over-starbucks

The food industry this year exploded with new innovations, trends, and cooking styles that had never previously been considered. Taking a look back on the patterns that emerged, it is clear that the food industry is bound to spark fire again in 2017. The trends that these factors will take may still be unclear, but the reality of it is that we are in for a sure treat.

Key Takeaways:

• Ethnic foods and beverages are in high demand by college and university students. And this group of diners are particularly interested in less-common global cuisines such as Japanese, Thai, Indian and Greek foods.
• The pop-ups, which sell produce from the hospital’s farm, were introduced after the hospital learned that many of their patients didn’t have access to fresh produce and lacked knowledge about proper nutrition.
• While waiting for an appointment, patients are also able to select produce brought to them by medical assistants as well as view cooking demonstrations.

“Sustainability has been top of mind for restaurants for some years, but 2017 is going to see a universal move toward the more specific goal of food waste reduction. Almost every trend forecast includes zero food waste as the next iteration of sustainability.”

http://www.foodservicedirector.com/ideas-innovation/emerging-trends/articles/what-will-catch-fire-in-foodservice-year

The world of retail and restaurants are more integrated than many think, and the way that retail is looking in 2017 is sending an omen to restaurant owners. In the same way that retail locations had attempted to off-set negative trends by reinvesting and growing, restaurants need be wary of the difficulties and trends that are taking place that are sure to impact their revenue streams.

Key Takeaways:

• Consumers can easily shop for prices online, and can often find better deals. Traditional shops have higher capital and overhead costs.
• Over the years, retailers aggressively built new locations as developers opened up shopping malls and strip centers.
• Walk into a Sears at any particular moment and you wonder how that store remains open.

“Over the years, retailers aggressively built new locations as developers opened up shopping malls and strip centers. As demand for those locations waned, they’ve been slow to close them.”

http://www.nrn.com/finance/struggling-retailers-offer-warning-restaurants