Moet Hennessy and nonprofits are working together to provide assistance to help restaurants in the New York City area safely transition to outdoor dining throughout the city.

Buoyed by positive same-store sales and customer traffic results, the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) rose in November. The RPI, a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry, stood at 99.9 in November, up 0.5 percent from October. However, November marked the second consecutive month in which the RPI stood below 100.

Chicago-based Technomic Inc.’s Beverage Consumer Trend Report found that beverages sales could help restaurants to boost check averages.

 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.  

In its “Breakfast Consumer Trend Report,” Chicago-based research firm Technomic notes that coffee is playing an increasingly important role in consumers’ breakfast purchasing decisions. Thirty-three percent of consumers who drink coffee at breakfast say they are loyal to a coffee brand or restaurant that serves their preferred coffee, which is an increase from 25 percent who reported loyalty in 2009, it states.

The National Restaurant Association (NRA), Washington, D.C., will debut a new Healthier Kids Fare pavilion at its 2012 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, May 5-8, at Chicago’s McCormick Place.