The midscale/family dining segment of the restaurant market is frequently associated with lackluster innovation, drab décor and sales to match. While the midscale segment has been flat for some time, opportunities exist below the surface that can ignite change and growth.

In this report, Mintel conducts a thorough review of factors impacting growth among midscale operators. These include:

Staving off competition threatening to cannibalize sales during core/traditional parts of the day

Retaining core customers without violating loyalty

Attracting new customers without alienating the core customer

Throughout the report, Mintel compares and contrasts activity among operators in the midscale channel as well as activity in other channels. Readers are provided with multiple examples of menuing and consumer research to back up observations and to provide further guidance.

In the extensive consumer research section, readers will find useful summaries of research observations, as well as a summary of recommendations. These reference summaries allow you to quickly evaluate the implications of Mintel’s extensive research, as well as zero in on new marketing ideas.

This report focuses on family/midscale and casual restaurant chains with system-wide sales in excess of $100 million annually.