TRENDS: ‘Unpleasant’ Parisian diners; Drinkers R Smart-n-Rich; (Food) price isn’t right

A compendium of food, dining and beverage trend information from the U.S. and the world

Legendary chef and restaurant owner Alain Ducasse talked about New Yorkers in Time Out New York magazine:

“What makes them the most difficult?… They’re like spoiled children. A spoiled child is never happy. They’re a very demanding clientele. There’s a sense of struggle; it’s not a quiet relationship. There’s a certain rush to have to satisfy their demands. That’s a positive facet to it. New Yorkers are demanding but all the while still pleasant. In Paris, they’re demanding and unpleasant.”

Reported by HealthDay News: 

 Close to two-thirds (61 percent) of American adults consider themselves drinkers, a new U.S. government report “Health Behaviors of Adults: United States, 2005-2007″ finds, but almost one-quarter of U.S. residents say they’ve abstained their whole lives. Men are more likely to drink alcohol than women. Higher education boosts the likelihood of alcohol use. Richer people drink more: Just 45 percent of adults in families with incomes below the poverty level reported drinking, compared to 73 percent of those who have incomes four or more times the poverty level.

Reported at tastingtable.com:

Amorin, the world’s largest maker of natural corks, created ReCork America to collect and recycle corks. To date, the program has salvaged more than 6 million corks, which have been incorporated into useful goods, including shoe soles and flooring. Eco-minded wine shops and restaurants from coast to coast are contributing corks. To find a collection spot near you, check http://recork.org/. 

Reported by Reuters.com:

“We have beef, pork, and dairy prices all increasing substantially since December, in the area of roughly 10 percent,”  said Bill Lapp, economist and president of Advanced Economic Solutions. “Because food manufacturers and restaurants tend not to be philanthropic organizations, they are going to pass those costs on to their consumers.”

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US FOOD TRENDS: For whom the cheap burger tolls

A sea change in burger consumption patterns has already hit, according to the Wall Street Journal:

“Burger King doesn’t disclose traffic by demographic group, but said in its last quarterly earnings release that the decline was “driven by continued adverse macroeconomic conditions, including record levels of unemployed and underemployed workers, especially super fan customers.” On average, 18- to 34-year-olds went to fast-food chains about 13 times per month from January to September 2009, down from almost 19 times per month in 2006, says market-research firm Sandelman & Associates. … People 18 to 34 cut their consumption of fast-food meals from November 2006 to November 2009 while increasing the number of meals they ate at fast-casual chains, says Bonnie Riggs, restaurant industry analyst at market-research firm NPD Group. “Young people are looking for healthier options, or what they perceive to be healthier options,” she says. “Do I think they’ll come back to fast food when the economy improves? Yes…but will they visit as often? I’m not so sure.”

-  Michelin-starred chefs at the recent Madrid Fusion gastronomy fair are turning their attention away from cutting edge experimental techniques and focusing instead on ingredients and producers, according to www.independent.co.uk:

– “For me there are limits to culinary expression. That is to say, you can only go so far in transformation and expressing yourself as a chef.” – Michel Troisgros, Maison Troisgros restaurant, Roanne, France.

–  ”I stopped using bluefin tuna in my restaurants three months ago. I started making a point of buying fish that are not in danger of extinction a long time ago, and buying them from small producers.” – Chef Alain Ducasse, with a total of nine Michelin stars for his restaurants in London, Paris and Monaco.

 - Finally, chef Mary Sue Milliken writes in the Los Angeles Business Journal:  “Embracing sustainable business practices feels like a natural and responsible evolution as business leaders, as chefs who create food consumed by the public and as citizens of a community where our customers are our neighbors. We also hope that when it comes to dollars and cents, the decision to go green is good for business.”

JohnLehndorff.com

Eat In Eat Out: Food trend forecast 2010: http://americanforecaster.com/