The fast-casual, Mexican quick-service and bakery/café segments provided bright spots in traffic during the third quarter ended September 30, when overall restaurant visits were flat, The NPD Group reported Tuesday.
Discounting helped drive traffic during the quarter, with visits based on deals or discounts rising 4 percent. Despite flat traffic, spending rose 3 percent, which NPD said was in line with the inflation rate of food away from home.
“Although total traffic is flat, the visit growth in fast casual, coffee/doughnut/bagel, and Mexican QSR shows that consumers still have an interest in going out to restaurants,” NPD restaurant analyst Bonnie Riggs said in a press release. “Those restaurant concepts that are meeting the needs of today’s foodservice consumers will win their visits.”
The hamburger, sandwich (quick service and fast casual) and Asian quick-service segments underperformed in terms of traffic during the quarter, NPD said.
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