In the foodservice channel, 46.8 percent of companies are in the quick-service restaurant business, according to the 2012 Chain Restaurant Report published by Chain Store Publishing Corp. The segmentation breaks down further with approximately 30 percent of the businesses specializing in casual dining, 9.2 percent in fine dining, 6.5 percent in fast casual, 5.5 percent in family restaurants and 1.7 percent operating in-store feeders, the report states. One segment, however, stands out above the rest.
Fast-casual chains account for only 14 percent of quick-service restaurant sales, but the segment has grown 11 percent in the last five years, says David Henkes, vice president of Technomic Inc., Chicago. By comparison, the quick-service segment has grown 1.4 percent in the last five years, he adds.