The Excitement of the Holidays and 3rd Quarter Data
No time of year is more exciting than the holidays. As Thanksgiving gives way to Christmas preparations, Black Friday warriors line the sidewalks combating fellow shoppers and tryptophan, seeking out deals and looking to stain department stores’ balance sheets black with profits.
Though I don’t participate in the Black Friday festivities, they are a welcome reminder of the season and that, although the economy is certainly still rebuilding, savvy consumers will find deals and kick off the gift buying—and giving—season.
Not surprisingly, the increased retail consumerism leads to the 4th quarter routinely being the most successful quarter for the restaurant industry. But before we get to that, I want to call your attention to NCCO’s Quarterly Industry Analysis for the 3rd quarter. For the last few years NCCO has put together this report in an effort to explore and dig deeper into some of the “whys” regarding the health of the Restaurant and Foodservice Industry. Sometimes the data lines up and makes perfect sense; sometimes things are a little more complicated than that.
And as I go through our 3rd Quarter Industry Analysis I see the best 3rd quarter sales totals since 2003. Yet we also notice data showing significant volatility as expressed in the gyrations of the Nation’s Restaurant News’ Restaurant Stock Index showing industry decline and growth at different points in the quarter. These insights and much more can be found in the report, so take a look at our 3rd Quarter Industry Analysis for yourself. You will gain some deeper insights into the restaurant industry.
How did the 3rd quarter finish for you and what are your expectations for the last month of the year?