A new category of higher-end fast casual restaurants, fast casual 2.0, is further blurring the line between limited and full service restaurants. The big selling point of all fast casual, including this newer subcategory, is value. Most consumers are not deterred by the higher price point because they feel it is justified by the quality of the product and dining experience. the fast casual 2.0 subcategory is pushing the market by investing more in products, focusing on more expensive from scratch prep and offerings not available in quick serve or more traditional fast casual. Even with some fast casual moving toward offerings, like alcohol, that keep patrons in restaurants longer, they haven’t moved toward the full service that would move them into fine dining.
Read more: The Value-Driven Equation of Fast Casual
Kombucha brews customer appeal
What started in health food stores a few years back is now in mainstream markets across the country. Whole Foods dedicates shelves in its refrigerator cases for GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha and Synergy, the juice varieties of the tea. Coca-Cola Co. owns part of Honest Tea which has a line of Kombucha products, and Celestial Seasonings recently announced its plans to introduce a new line of flavored kombucha beverages that are fortified with functional ingredients, including B vitamins, vitamin C and spirulina. There are kombucha martinis and kombucha smoothies
Key Takeaways:
“The beverage has a reputation — still largely unsubstantiated by science — for improving digestion, boosting the immune system and generally energizing those who drink it.”
Read more: http://www.restaurant-hospitality.com/drink-trends/kombucha-brews-customer-appeal
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