Source:  Dani Friedland, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 12/3/10

With growth in both unit counts and menu offerings, Canadian foodservice grew more quickly than its American counterpart in 2010, according to market research firm Technomic.

The higher rate of growth is expected to continue in 2011, with new restaurants and competition sparking a boom in product innovation.

Trends forecast for Canadian foodservice include farm-to-table fare with increasingly local ingredient sourcing, northern expansion of U.S.-based food chains, food trucks setting trends for restaurant menus, healthier spins on indulgent dishes and accelerated growth in the fast-casual sector.

“The Canadian foodservice industry is full of opportunity right now,” Technomic EVP Darren Tristano said in a news release. “U.S. operators are certainly looking at Canada as an area for potential growth. But to be successful they will need to do more than take a cookie-cutter approach to the Canadian marketplace. There are distinct differences in consumer attitudes and behaviors between the U.S. and Canada, and those play out every day in the way that trends take shape and establish themselves in each country.”

Chicago-based Technomic based the predictions on data from its Canadian trend-tracker and industry database.
 

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