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Over the past week, we surveyed California Pizza Kitchen locations to gauge trends in wait times, average billing and most popular menu items We asked the following questions:

    

1. Why do people eat here?

2. How is business compared to last month?

3. What is the most popular item on the menu?

4. What is the average bill for a party of two?

 

 

• 38% of respondents said that “atmosphere” was the reason that many customers came to CPKI. 25% said the menu was the key driver. 25% said they believed a combination of menu, atmosphere, location and prices.

• 42% of respondents reported that business in February was better than in January. 33% reported business was the same and 21% reported that business was slower.

• The most popular menu item was the Original BBQ Chicken pizza according to 46% of respondents. 13% of respondents cited the Buffalo Chicken Pizza.

• The average bill was reported as being $36.70 for a party of two with responses ranging from $12 to $75.

 

Conclusion of Channel Check: Based on the survey, the activity level at California Pizza Kitchen appears favorable, however the trends are less positive than recent survey data we found on the Cheesecake Factory.

 

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Ann Dykes at 978-358-7809 or ann@thechannelcheckers.com

 

Over the past week, we surveyed various Cheese Cake Factory locations to gauge trends in wait times, average billing and most popular menu items We asked the following questions:

1.What is the average wait time for a party of two?
2.What is the average bill for a party of two?
3.What is the most popular menu item?
4.Was this location busier this month than in January?

62% of respondents said that wait times ranged from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. 22% of respondents reported wait times of 20 minutes to 30 minutes while 13% of respondents reported now wait time at all.
The average bill was reported as being $49 for a party of two with responses ranging from $25 to $80.
The most popular items unsurprisingly was listed as Cheesecake by 39% of respondents. Respondents stated that customers order cheesecake 61% of the time they eat at the restaurant.
72% of respondents reported that their location was busier in February versus January. 24% reported that their locations was slower while 4% said that business was the same in February as in January.

Conclusion of Channel Check: Based on the survey, the activity level at Cheesecake Factory locations appears to be increasing. Average check size remains a little lower than what we might expect to see in a very strong environment but wait times and traffic levels look solid.

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Jason Katz at 415.867.0959 or jason@thechannelcheckers.com

Earlier this month we surveyed several Dominos restaurants around the US to gauge trends in performance. We asked the following questions:

1. What is the most popular pizza deal right now?

2. Are you busier, the same or less busy than last month?

3. Who is your primary competition?

 35% of the respondents replied the American Legends as the most popular deal right now. 35% of respondents replied the Three Medium Pizzas for five dollars each as the most popular deal right now. 30% of the respondents replied other(5 off when ordering off-line and individual Pizza types)

 68% of respondents replied business has been the same compared to last month. 16% of the respondents replied business has been busier then last month. 16% of the respondents replied business is slower this month compared to last month.

 45% of the respondents replied Pizza Hut as the primary competition to Dominos. 23% of respondents replied Papa John’s as the main competition to Dominos. 32% of respondents replied non chain Pizzerias as the main competition.

Conclusion of the Channel Checkers: For Dominos business appears to be the flat to down in August as we view responses “same” for business level as being slightly negative. The most popular deal at Dominos currently is the American Legends and Three Medium Pizza’s for five dollar deal. The main competitor to Dominos is Pizza Hut.

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Jason Katz at 415.867.0959 or jason@thechannelcheckers.com

Earlier this month we surveyed several Papa Johns restaurants around the US to gauge trends in performance. We asked the following questions:

1. What is the most popular pizza deal right now?

2. Are you busier, the same or less busy than last month?

3. Who is your primary competition?

 53% of the respondents replied the three medium pizza’s for seven dollars each as the most

popular deal right now. 13% of respondents replied the one large with three toppings as the

most popular deal right now. 34% of the respondents replied other(2 mediums & wings,

Individual Pizza’s buy one get one free and 2 for 2)

 60% of respondents replied business has been the same compared to last month. 40% of the

respondents replied business has been busier then last month.

 30% of the respondents replied Pizza Hut as the primary competition to Papa Johns. 40% of

respondents replied Dominos as the main competition to Papa Johns. 32% of respondents

replied non chain Pizzerias as the main competition.

Conclusion of the Channel Checkers: For Papa Johns business appears to be the same in early August as in July. Dominos remains the top perceived competitor to Papa Johns. The most popular deal at Papa Johns is the Three for Seven dollars each.

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Jason Katz at 415.867.0959 or jason@thechannelcheckers.com

Over the past week, we surveyed various Red Lobster locations to gauge trends in the casual dining business. We asked the following questions:

1. Is this location new? (One year or less)

2. How often is lobster being ordered compared to last year?

3. What are the most popular items on the menu right now?

4. What is the average bill size for a family of two?

• 100% of respondents said that Red Lobster had been in the locations we contacted for over a year.

• Compared to last year, order of lobsters has been the same according to 56% of respondents. 12% of respondents said more consumers has ordered it, while 32% of respondents said that there has been less consumers ordering lobsters.

• The Ultimate Feast was the most popular menu item according to 10 respondents or 40% of those surveyed. The Mediterranean- Grilled Lobster and Shrimp was considered the second most popular menu item by 12% of respondents.

• The average check size for a family of two is reported to be $42.76.

Conclusion of Channel Check: The results suggest that Red Lobster’s business has been fairly constant. According to the survey, more than 50% of respondents said that compared to last year consumers have been ordering the same amount of lobster. Red Lobster order patterns look steady, but the average check size does appear to be lower than in our previous surveys, suggesting that price cutting is being used to lure in customer. Impact to gross margins could be an issue for Darden in 2Q.

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Jason Katz at 415.867.0959 or jason@thechannelcheckers.com

Over the past week, we surveyed various IHOP locations to gauge trends in the casual dining business. We asked the following questions:

1. How long is the wait for a table of 2?

2. What is the average check size for a party of two?

3. What is the most popular item on the menu?

4. Are you less busy these days compared to last month because of economy?

• 72% of respondents said there was on average no wait time for a table of two, while 28% of respondents said that average wait time was between 5-10 minutes.

• The average check size for a party of two is reported to be $23.85.

• Specialty pancakes was the most popular menu item according to 9 respondents or 36% of those surveyed. Country Omelet comes in second as the most popular menu item according to 2 respondents or 8% of those surveyed.

• 47% of respondents had felt that their location had been slower compared to last year because of the economy. 28% of respondents said that it has been the same, while 16% of respondents said it has been busier. The responses suggest that the economy have had a toll on the IHOP business.

Conclusion of Channel Check: IHOP locations look to be “slack” a term we use to mean that wait times are almost non-existent and the perception among employees is that business is slower than the year ago period with very few (16%) seeing business as up from a year ago. In a tip to the marketing department the most popular items match IHOP’s advertising campaigns strongly.

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Jason Katz at 415.867.0959 or jason@thechannelcheckers.com

Over the past month, we surveyed California Pizza Kitchen locations to gauge trends in the casual dining business. We asked the following questions:

1. How is business compared to last month?

2. What is the most popular item on the menu?

3. Is this location busier at lunch or dinner?

4. What is the average check size for a party of two?

• 57% of respondents said that business had increased in the past month. 23% said business was the “same” and 20% reported that business was down over the past month.

• 47% of respondents said that the Pesto Chicken was the most popular menu item. 33% cited the BBQ Chicken.

• 57% of respondents stated that dinner was the busiest time of day. 43% cited lunch.

• The average check size for a party of two was reported to be $32.37 with a range of responses from $10 to $60.

Conclusion of Channel Check: Tracking other recent restaurant chains we have surveyed California Pizza Chicken appears to be busier in the past month. The average check at $32 is comparable to the average bill at California Pizza Kitchen we have seen in previous surveys. The Pesto Chicken looks very strong as does a CPKI original menu item – the BBQ Chicken.

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Jason Katz at 415.867.0959 or jason@thechannelcheckers.com

Over the past week, we surveyed Cheesecake Factory locations to gauge trends in the casual dining business. We asked the following questions:

1. What is the average wait time for a party of two?

2. What % of people order the cheesecake?

3. What is the average check for a party of two?

4. Has this location been busier this month?

• 63% of respondents said that average wait time for a party of two was 10-20 minutes. 17% said 25-30 minutes while 20% said there was on average no wait time.

• Respondents reported that 60% of customers order the Cheesecake on their visits to the restaurant.

• The average check size for a party of two is reported to be $43.33 with responses ranging from $20-$100.

• 60% of respondents had felt that their location had been busier in the past month while 40% did not believe so.

Conclusion of Channel Check: Compared to our historical data on Cheesecake Factory wait times appear to be moving up, which would seem to be a positive. Average check size also appears higher. Finally, a small majority see business as being up in the past month which suggests at a minimum tht business is not getting worse for Cheesecake factory in the past month.

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Jason Katz at 415.867.0959 or jason@thechannelcheckers.com

Over the past week, we surveyed the 4 Woodgrill Buffet locations owned by Western Sizzlin in the United States to track sales trends of and business levels in March. We asked the following questions

1. What is the most popular menu item?

2. What is the price of those items?

3. Average bill for a party of two?

4. Do you offer carry out service? Is it growing in popularity?

5. Is this location busier than last month?

6. Is this a new location?

• At Woodgrill pork ribs (2), steaks (1) and fried chicken (1) were seen as the most popular menu items. At Western Sizzlin 23% said the Rib-Eye steak was the most popular menu item. 17% said that Steak and Shrimp were the most popular. 13% said chopped sirloin special while another 13% said the buffet was the most popular.

• The average bill for a party of two at Woodgrill is reported to be $31.00, including drinks, appetizers, etc. and is lower than the average bill we found at Western Sizzlin of $54.33 across that survey’s respondents.

• 3 out of 4 Woodgrill locations reported offering carry out service and these 3 out of 4 said carry out was growing in popularity. 90% Western Sizzlin locations reported they offer carry out service. 10% said they do not. 66% of locations report that carry out is growing in popularity.

• 2 Woodrill locations reported being busier in March compared to February, while 2 reported being less busy. 53% of Western Sizzlin respondents reported that there location is NOT busier than last month, while 47% report that it is busier. NOTE: Negative responses should be weighted more heavily be readers of these surveys.

• All four Woodgrill locations said they were new restaurants opened in the past year. 100% of the Western Sizzlin locations we contacted had been open more than one year (or were considered “not new”) according to our respondents.

Conclusion of Channel Check: The Woodgrill concept from Western Sizzlin is a new concept and it appears that its business trends are similar to the Western Sizzlin concept except in the average bill where Woodgrill (albeit a 4 store sample) has a much lower bill - $31 compared to $53 at Western Sizzlin. We will continue to track the trends among the different brand concepts managed by Western Sizzlin.

For access to the underlying survey or for more information, please contact Jason Katz at 415.867.0959 or jason@thechannelcheckers.com