Mushroom mentions on chain menus continue to multiply.The Mushroom Council has tracked mushroom mentions on the top 200 restaurant chain menus since 1998. Mushroom usage shows a steady increase. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Food Beat report released in September 2006 there were 973 mushroom mentions in the first half of 2006, up more than two percent since the first half of 2005. Of the top 200 chains tracked, 151 mentioned mushrooms on their menus in the first half of 2006, up from 147 in the first half of 2005. Bellwether Bellwether A leading indicator of trends. Notes: A bellwether stock is a stock that is used to gauge the performance of the market in general. General Motors was an example of a bellwether stock, hence the saying "What's good for GM is good for America. chains topped the list with the most frequent mentions: Noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. & Company (32), California Pizza Kitchen California Pizza Kitchen (NASDAQ: CPKI, known within the food industry as CPK) is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in California-style pizza. The restaurant was started in 1985 by attorneys Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax in Beverly Hills, California, (28) and Cheesecake Factory (25). Menu descriptions that include "mushrooms" with no further detail account for 53 percent of the mentions on chain menus, followed by 30 percent that specify "grilled or sauteed" mushrooms. "Portabellas" on menus are down slightly with 10 percent of mentions and "Shiitake shiitake, n See lentinan. " are up, accounting for three percent of mentions. The menu analysis also showed 43 chains used the word "fresh" with mushrooms, up 20 percent from the previous year. Savvy operators leverage consumer interest in fresh and the feeling that fresh means quality and healthy. Perkins notes that "fresh sauteed mushrooms" top their popular Down Home Meatloaf and Roman's Macaroni Grill Macaroni Grill (also known as Romano's Macaroni Grill) is a chain of Italian food casual dining restaurants in the US and Canada. The chain and brand name is owned by Brinker International. boasts "fresh Portabella por·ta·bel·la n. Variant of portobello. mushrooms" in its Veal veal, flesh of a calf from two to three months old weighing usually less than 300 lb (135 kg). The locomotion of the veal calves is often restricted, and they are fed a real or synthetic milk that is high in protein and low in iron; this produces the desired Marsala. Mushrooms appear across the menu in multiple meal parts, indicating that operators are taking advantage of this versatile pantry staple. Entrees lead with 36 percent, followed by sandwiches at 21 percent and pizza at 15 percent. While salads accounted for only five percent of mentions, the category saw a 42 percent increase over the past year, which tracks with consumer demand for fresh ingredients and healthier eating. Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of casual dining restaurants. It was founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, and their first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London, in a former Rolls Royce car dealerships showroom close to Hyde Park, where in 1979 they began to offered Tuscan Chicken Salad, Ruby's Diner enticed customers with Sweet 'N' Spicy Thai Salad with Shrimp and O'Hare's included mushrooms in its Cajun Chicken Salad. The Council added a review of Trendspotter menus to its report this year. Trendspotters is a group of 100 high-profile, white tablecloth independents in Food Beat's database. The report showed 369 mushroom mentions by 93 of these operators. Fifty six percent of mentions were associated with entrees while 20 percent were menued in an appetizer. The Council will use this intelligence to promote new usage ideas. Menu development teams at chain restaurants track these menus as well for flavor profiles and new application ideas. Food Beat, Inc. a company that collects and analyzes menu trends from the nation's top 200 chains completed the year-over-year analysis, as well as the Trendspotters report. Both reports are posted on http://www.mushroomcouncilorg Mushroom Mentions by Meal Part 1st Half 2006 Entrees 36% Sandwiches 21% Pizza & Pizza Toppings 15% Breakfast 7% Appetizer 5% Salads 5% Add-Ons Substitutions Options 4% Sides 3% Tacos/Burritos Enchiladas Fajitas/Tamales 3% Soups 1% Source: Food Beat[TM], Inc. Note: Table made from pie chart. |
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