Home   FAQ   Search   Memberlist   Usergroups    Register   Profile   Log in to check your private messages   Log in

glutenfree.com - Celiac Disease Forums - Forum Index -> Dining Out

View previous topic :: View next topic
Author	Message
aklap Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8787 Location: WI, USA	Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 8:26 am    Post subject: Research indicates GF guests can boost restaurant revenues From Glutenfreeda... Research indicates GF guests can boost restaurant revenues Quote: By Kim Koeller and Robert La France Approximately one-third of the US population, over 100 million Americans, are managing gluten-free or allergen-free diets, according to global research by GlutenFree Passport®, an internationally recognized consulting firm. For this significant portion of society, eating out is one of the most frequently cited concerns. In the unprecedented and soon-to-be released 2008 benchmarking study, Understanding Gluten and Allergen-Free Experiences of Guests and Hospitality Worldwide, over 70% of the consumers surveyed indicate that social gatherings and eating out with special diets impacts their quality of life on a daily basis! Additional empirical research data indicates that almost half of the individuals following gluten-free diets eat out weekly close to home. Yet, over 75% of these guests eat out less than they did prior to diagnosis due to concerns about the safety of their meals, and lack of knowledgeable personnel in restaurants and other eating establishments. 65% of individuals feel safer finding new restaurants based on the recommendation by another on a gluten-free diet and the availability of gluten-free menus. Approximately 40% find a restaurant mentioned in the media or listed in on-line gluten-free meal databases, such as Glutenfreeonthego.com. The pioneering and innovative database is a one stop solution; expanding daily for gluten-free guests searching online to find places they can trust either close-to-home or on-the-road. With the dramatic expansion of North American establishments between October 2007 and March 2008, sponsored by GlutenFree Passport®, over 4300 global listings are currently available throughout the US, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Mallorca, New Zealand and the UK. Since eating out is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures, it needs to be enjoyed by all; regardless of whether one is following a special diet. Restaurant operators who agree with this guiding principle have benefited greatly by taking the extra steps to cater to guests with special dietary needs. Recent research also supports this growing movement since gluten-free and allergen-free guests are viewed as a new profitable market by 62% of the restaurant study respondents. What food service providers across the globe are realizing is that gluten-free guests are extremely loyal, travel long distances, typically control the destination decision of their party, and spread the word about their experiences. If an establishment makes one gluten-free person happy, hundreds, if not thousands, will follow in their footsteps! With growing consumer sentiment towards operations with special diet programs and food safety legislation continuing to spread; in time, gluten-free and allergen-free lifestyles will become universally understood and supported ways of living on a worldwide basis. It appears that we are being heard when it comes to dining out. But the question will become...will the restaurants be catering to us because they care and want help...or...will it be just to add to their bottom line. Granted, I know that a business' purpose is to make money, but if they are not going to take things seriously when it comes ingredient and food prep what's the point? I would love to see this Understanding Gluten and Allergen-Free Experiences of Guests and Hospitality Worldwide study when it comes out. _________________ Al “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa
Back to top
celiacmaine-iac Joined: 19 Dec 2007 Posts: 836 Location: Maine	Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 8:59 am    Post subject: That's pretty interesting. Especially in light of the conversation we had about FALCPA and the potential profitability of the GF market. http://forums.glutenfree.com/topic6637.html Al said: Quote: Granted, I know that a business' purpose is to make money, but if they are not going to take things seriously when it comes ingredient and food prep what's the point? You've got a point there, but the same 'word of mouth' advertising they talk about in the article could work in reverse if people get sick, so there would be an incentive to get it right. However, a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, which is why I rarely eat anything I don't prepare anymore. Steph
Back to top
cruelshoes Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 2682 Location: Washington State	Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:35 am    Post subject: Re: Research indicates GF guests can boost restaurant revenu aklap wrote: It appears that we are being heard when it comes to dining out. But the question will become...will the restaurants be catering to us because they care and want help...or...will it be just to add to their bottom line. Granted, I know that a business' purpose is to make money, but if they are not going to take things seriously when it comes ingredient and food prep what's the point? We can only add to the bottom line if we keep coming back. When restaurants look at the GF market as one with money to spend (over and over again), they might have even more incentive to get it right. We almost never eat out, but would be inclined to do so more often if we could be assured of a safe meal. _________________ -Colleen Dx 8/05 via bloodwork/biopsy 10-YO son Dx 11/05 via bloodwork/biopsy Daughters (12 and 2) have neg. bloodwork A woman is like a tea bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt
Back to top
ostrich Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 4289 Location: Nebraska	Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:19 pm    Post subject: Plus we're the type of people who will keep going to the same restaurant over and over again if we know the food is safe. Awesome customer loyalty. _________________ Ostrich :>--O==={ Did you think that your feet had been bound By what gravity brings to the ground?
Back to top
luvscowznh Joined: 23 Dec 2004 Posts: 328 Location: Groton, MA	Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:36 am    Post subject: ostrich wrote: Plus we're the type of people who will keep going to the same restaurant over and over again if we know the food is safe. Awesome customer loyalty. Not only that, but we post about our experiences on forums like this or review sites - giving free publicity. (Or a kiss of death if we got sick...) They may be motivated by the bottom line, but as long as we don't get sick, I think it's a good thing. Especially when traveling - I can go to the usual places (Outback, Carrabba's, PF Changs), but also a few local places that cater to the GF diner. --Manda _________________
Back to top
Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First

	glutenfree.com - Celiac Disease Forums - Forum Index -> Dining Out	All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

forums.glutenfree.com is graciously sponsored by: