The document provides a summary of various food and beverage trends from 2012, including the growing popularity of Moscato wine and gluten-free diets, as well as trends in social media marketing, hot beverages, bargain hunting, and pay-what-you-can restaurants. Key highlights include the 73% sales increase in Moscato wine in 2011, steady growth in the global hot beverage market projected to reach $69.77 billion by 2015, new ways retailers are encouraging bargain hunting and savings, and the success of Panera's pay-what-you-can nonprofit cafe model.

1. 1/12
Pin It & Cook It
Wine Has Never Been So Sweet
Caffeine Addicts, Unite
Bargain Hunting
Pay-What-You-Can?
And more

2. Pi It & C
in Cook It 1/12
Pintterest is possib the most po
bly opular new soci media webs
ial site. From
recipes to home décor, it gives you an organize way to colle and sort
y ed ect
uniq ideas from all of its users After signing up, you create your own
que s. e
boaards and pick w which of the website’s photos you want to dis splay. The
pictures contain lin to recipes, DIY instruction where a pro
nks ns, oduct can be
foun blogs, or websites. “Pinne say one of the website’s best attributes
nd, ers”
is how visual it is.
Recipe are one of the most
es
popula items to “re-pin”.
ar Surpr
rise, Su
urprise
Some are from cook king There are ssome days whe deciding wh
ere hat
websit and others are from
tes to have for lunch can be a stressful as
as
users themselves. A food work. In New York, Brookl lyn-based
board serves as an o online rvice takes awa the stress of
delivery ser ay f
cookbbook of sorts for those overwhelming menus by d deciding for you
u.
wantin to keep tabs on good
ng s
recipe they have found. This
es Order online two days in a
e advance and
new w to share an
way nd Randwiches will deliver a random $7
s
resear recipes, cra
rch afts, sandwich. N tips accepte just social
No ed,
fashio and so many other
on, media referrrals. This servi is not
ice
subjec is growing
cts recommend for picky ea
ded aters, but those
e
tremendously. who enjoy t element of surprise will lik
the ke
Foo and restaura marketers should conside the opportuni
od ant s er ities to engage
e it.
this audience with recipes, nutritional tips, food art or other no promotional
on
content, together w sampling offers. While W
with o Whole Foods an Better
nd Will the randomness be en nough to keep
Hom and Garde are two of the top brands on Pinterest, t
mes ens t there is plenty this small se ervice in busine
ess? Only time
e
of ro
oom for other b brands to expand their marke eting techniques and build
s will tell, onc again throwing in the eleme
ce ent
ationships with consumers.
rela of surprise.
Sou
urce: mashable
e.com Source: iconoculture.com
Flexib Foo
ble od
Gluten-F
Free Cra
aze Before our rrecession hit, c
consumption of
breakfast an comfort food was on the
nd ds
f
One of the most re
e ecent diets that seems to be c
t catching on is t gluten-free
the rise. But wit the economic downturn,
th
diet From multiple celebrities en
t. e ndorsing the die to the increase of gluten-
et quick-serve restaurants ha experience a
e ave e
free products on s
e shelves, this die is no longer for those who a
et actually need decline in breakfast demand as many
it. consumers are making the own at home.
eir
Nummerous people trying to
lose weight or be m
e more
The next ev volution of dinin out should b
ng be
hea conscious h
alth have
flex-casual, fast eateries that offer counter
jumped on this ban ndwagon.
service for a three meals and snacks. T
all This
But eliminating gluuten from
would give t customer c
the complete flexibility
daily regimens has not
y s
in what and how much the would like to
d ey o
prov to really be
ven enefit
eat. A variety of choices, e even ones that it
thos who do not h
se have
is not “time” for, will increa the popular
” ase rity
celia disease. In f
ac fact, lack
of Flex Casual Format.
of w
wheat can caus deficits
se
of p
proteins, nutrien or
nts
Source: Iconoculture Advisory Brief
vitamins. Some gluten-free
prodducts made wit potato
th
and tapioca can ac ctually
cause weight gain over
timee.
It’s hard to tell whe
ether people will stick with the gluten-free cr
w e raze or miss
their breads and le eave the diet fo those who ac
or ctually need it. Gluten-free
food makers need to focus on pr
d d roducts with au uthentic gluten--free
ingrredients. Mimic cking food that is not originally gluten-free w not allow
y will
prod ducts to mainta popularity once the gluten
ain o n-free mania en nds.
Sou
urces: mediapo
ost.com, cnn.co Image: ma
om andiberg on Flic
ckr

3. 1/12
Wine Has Never Been So Sweet
Moscato is finally getting recognition as a good sweet wine and more and more
people are flocking to it. One wine analyst says this boom has become one of the
stronger trends and is propelled by affordable California varieties. 2012 Social Media Strategies
Moscato used to be considered an obscure Over the past few years, marketing has
integrated with social media, a combination
product, but not anymore considering sales
that’s a must-have for any brand that
were up 73% in 2011. Moscato looks to be wants to be successful. Restaurants are
one of the most promising wines of 2012. It now making big plans for 2012’s social-
basically sells itself; it is a good wine, media strategies.
usually at a great value price, which is
Pita Pit has found a successful way to
something in today’s economy you can’t develop their brand on Facebook. They
beat. Wine labels will want to explore how have not tried to sell anything, but rather
to market and sell for the Moscato boom. have had contests and focused on
Discovering the best way to capitalize on continuing their interaction from the stores
this trend will assist it in continuing. and have found Facebook is the best way
Sparkling wine has gained momentum to stay connected.
against champagne for various Other brands are still trying to figure out
celebrations. Due to the economy and which social media site works best with
other factors, there has been a large their specific needs. Checkers Drive In is
demand for value wines as well. Value already utilizing Facebook and Foursquare
wines do not mean cheap, but affordable to reach and advertise to their customers.
and an excellent value for their price. Their goal for 2012 is to bring more
Regions from Chile, Australia and Spain leverage to Twitter because of usage by
offer this value versus the higher priced their customers.
regions of Italy and even California.
2012 will bring brands more expertise and
understanding of how to thrive in our
society, which is practically controlled by
Image: tjstaab on flickr Source: jamaicaobserver.com social media. Understanding why social
media is important and using it to its full
potential should be the goal of every
restaurant and food marketer.
Caffeine Addicts, Unite Relationships with consumers via social
With our addiction to coffee, it’s no wonder that the hot beverage market is media have proven to be a great
one of the few markets that has seen continued growth over the past four foundation for building loyal customers and
years. Even though more than two-thirds of coffee consumption is out of a powerful way to amplify your message
home, quick-service restaurants are trying hard to get in on the hot beverage across the social network.
action by upgrading selections. McDonald’s is one example, with their wide
variety of McCafé choices. Source: nrn.com
By 2015, the global hot beverage Image: Rosaura Ochoa on flickr
market is forecast to reach
$69.77 billion in value. There is
only room for future growth in this
market. Three main factors for
hot beverage demand are quality,
health and convenience. Despite
the economy, gourmet coffee
continues to be a significant
portion of total coffee consumed.
There is a solid customer base
for growth due to the younger
drinkers’ strong category loyalty.
Hot tea, with its health benefits, is
driving the popularity of the
product right up there with coffee.
Statistics show that there has been a steady increase in consumption of hot
beverages that will keep rising, no matter the state of the economy.
Apparently, caffeine and a steaming cup are something we cannot seem to
part from.
Image: Lara604 on flickr Source: chd-expert.com

4. Bargain Hunting
America is now used to searching for the best deals and bargain shopping for
absolutely everything. We have found inventive ways to shave off a few dollars and
have even gone to extreme couponing to make sure we get enough bang for our
buck. Some consumers have decreased the amount of expensive meats and
seafood they buy and are using non meat proteins in their recipes instead.
Social networking has also impacted how
people are shopping and saving. Searching Whopper Delivery
for coupons and deals online has become Burger King is now trying to make its way into
almost an art form. Calculating and keeping the realm of home delivery. Pizza and some
track of spending is a way of life to many sandwiches are obviously common delivery
shoppers. They go in with a budget and items in our society. Will fast-food burgers
calculate on their phones as shop. soon be too? Burger King is testing the
service at four of its restaurants in the
As more and more retailers and brands Washington, D.C. area.
are adjusting their sales to show
consumers they are the place to shop for great deals, in 2012, look for Special packaging technology is being used
supermarkets to do the same. Be on the look out for “lay-away” plans for holiday to ensure food is delivered hot, fresh and
meals and other larger purchase and even bringing a bargain bin similar to those crispy. There are quite a few stipulations with
in department stores. Although there are no promises of food prices going down the delivery process however: a $2 delivery
anytime soon, there will be more ways to save a few bucks and better knowledge fee, minimum order, 10-minute-drive rule, soft
of how to smart shop. drinks in bottles, no breakfast items and
delivery hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. This
This next year will bring shoppers many new ways to save and with the addition of convenience could prove to be
advancement of social media, better ways to get those messages of savings out. great or a little too much for a fast-food chain
Supermarkets should target the smart phone population and come up with easy, to handle.
creative ways to save. Offering more options than clipping coupons is going to be a
must for the emerging generations of grocery shoppers. The small experimentation is a good way to
see if fast food could be delivery-ready.
Image: sgrace on flickr Source: consumergoods.edgl.com Domino’s spokesman said, “We wish them
luck. There is a reason that not all pizza
places deliver: It isn’t easy.” It will be very
interesting to see whether Burger King is
starting a trend that will soon catch on or if
Pay What You Can? they are jumping ahead of their time.
About a year and a half ago, Panera came up with an idea to help feed the
needy and raise money for charity work. This idea, a “pay-what-you-want” or
“pay-what-you-can” non profit restaurant, allows customers to pay what they
want for anything on the menu. Located in Clayton, Mo., the restaurant’s menu
lists “suggested funding levels”, not prices. Patrons put payments in a donation
box, and cashiers handle change and credit card transactions. But how in the
world does this kind of place stay open? Community support. Some who cannot
afford a meal will donate a small amount of money and also time and work at
the restaurant.
Rough statistics show that about 60% of
customers pay the suggested amount, 20%
leave less and 20% leave more. However,
you have the rare customer who will pay Image: J. Stephen Conn on flickr
$500 for a meal. The cafe brings in a Source: usatoday.com
revenue of about $100,000 a month, which
leaves around $3,000-$4,000 to be used
for a job training program for at-risk youth.
Some graduates of this program have
already begun jobs at other Panera
locations. The success of the pay-what-
you-can Panera cafes has led to openings
of two other locations in Michigan and
Oregon, and the plan is to open a new
location every three months. This type of
program may not work for every restaurant,
but Panera has used the right tools to make
it happen.
Image: Samantha Celera on flickr Source: usatoday.com

5. Previous editions of this newsletter can be downloaded
at www.luckie.com .
If you wish to be added to the monthly distribution list for this newsletter,
please send an email to Jay.Waters@luckie.com and include Restaurant
Trend Tracker in the subject line.
For further insight, you can follow Luckie on Twitter
www.twitter.com/luckieandco .
Luckie and Company is a full-service fully-integrate advertising
agency offering all the capabilities a marketer needs to succeed in
today’s dynamic marketplace. Luckie is one of the top independent
advertising agencies in the US with a diverse client portfolio: AT&T,
Little Debbie, Chick-fil-A, McAlister's Deli, Regions Bank, Schick,
Mercedes Benz, to name just a few. What makes us different is our
ability to tell a great brand story that sells. We use the science of
data and the art of marketing to fuel the magic of storytelling. And we
do it with a diligent eye on marketing and financial performance. We
create and share stories in surprising and innovative ways across all
media traditional, digital, social, mobile, owned, paid and earned,
with the power to increase sales, improve ROMI and grow loyal fans.
Stories that engage. Stories that entertain. Stories that share.
Stories that build brands.
For more information contact:
John Heenan
CMO
205-879-2121
john.heenan@luckie.com