American sports fans are passionate about their teams. Because of this strong alliance between athletes and their admirers, restaurants have a great opportunity to partner with teams and leagues to create positive brand images that ultimately increase customer sales.

Several restaurant chains have already taken advantage of the benefits that come with team association. These partnerships have made a difference in restaurant brand exposure within their communities on both a national and local level, enabling increased awareness among sports fans.

Congress recently presented a bipartisan bill that is intended to reform the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

U.S. Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Steve Womack (R-AR) and Peter Welch (D-VT) came together to propose key changes to the RFS that has been in place for nearly a decade.

In today’s health-conscious world, people are trying harder to eat better. And restaurants have the ability to offer meal choices that are high in nutrients. It isn’t just about cutting calories anymore. Now restaurants should consider providing food items that use power-packed ingredients for the benefit of their patrons.

President Obama has proposed an increase to the minimum wage. And while the restaurant industry hasn’t issued a public response, foodservice businesses could suffer due to this recommended boost in hourly earnings.

A new feature on Facebook called Graph Search has the potential to be a big influence on restaurant referrals and word-of-mouth. While this Facebook function is still in the beta testing stage, experts believe it could be a powerful partner with search engine optimization strategies. Furthermore, Graph Search might even become a fierce competitor with Yelp.com.

With all of the anxiety related to the fiscal cliff, the payroll tax holiday has been given little media attention over the last few months. However, the fact that it quietly expired after 2 years could have a negative impact on consumer spending. 

Now that 2012 is over, 2013 is off to a very busy start. But Industry experts believe certain developments from 2012 will continue in the coming year. Yet new trends are also on the horizon and will influence the nation’s restaurant business during 2013 as well.

Many positive signs point to an end to the recession in the coming months. But since the economy is recovering at a very slow pace, it means that restaurants and foodservice operators may have to increase their own expenditures during the year ahead. According to the 2013 Restaurant Industry Forecast, this prediction is likely.

Menu Prices: Why They Matter More to Middle-Income Consumers

Many economic indicators signal that the recession is slowly improving. But despite these positive signs, middle-income consumers are still hesitant to spend a substantial amount of money on dining out. According to a survey conducted by Technomic, Inc., middle-income people continue to be conservative in their spending habits, even though the economy is experiencing a recovery. 

Deal-Driven Restaurant Traffic in Decline

One good indicator that the economy has improved is that consumers are not as concerned with discounts when choosing their restaurant meals. According to research by the NPD Group, people aren’t putting value menus over every other consideration when it comes to dining out now. In fact, for the 12 months ending in August of 2012, non-deal restaurant traffic actually increased 1 percent. For the second consecutive 12-month period of time, restaurant visitors are proving that they don’t feel the need to be as frugal as they did at the height of the recession in 2008.