While the restaurant industry as a whole spent 2011 in a recessionary slump, the family midscale segment has been the most negatively impacted and the next few years aren’t expected to show an upward swing. According to a recent Mintel foodservice report, 80% of family restaurant-goers who are eating out less in general are doing so because of budgetary reasons. Due to this and other challenges, family restaurant sales are expected to decline by 7% over the next four years.

“Playing the pricing game has not proved successful for family restaurants,” notes Eric Giandelone, foodservice director at Mintel. “Mintel believes that the greatest opportunity for the market to return to a path of growth is to employ a sustainable approach to value by promoting reasonable prices with value-added benefits like health and convenience.”