Eight hot concepts: Are they fads or trends, and why?
Separating flash-in-the-pan fads from long-term trends can spell the difference between success and failure in any business. In the restaurant business, where food is fashion, a sudden shift in style can force even the most artfully designed operation to beg for patrons. In a report to the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) last month, researchers from Technomic Consultants Inc. examined eight of today’s hottest restaurant concepts, passing judgment on each format’s prospects. “The difference between a trend and a fad is how long it lasts,” said Ron Paul, president of Technomic Consultants, who factored consumer lifestyles and demographics into a formula for longevity. Here are Technomic’s sometimes provocative conclusions: Diners: The new breed of dining-car restaurants has beatified yesterday’s greasy spoons into today’s icons of camp by tapping a deep vein of nostalgia for supposedly simpler times. The ersatz diners offer starchy, unadorned foods in large, in
