2015 Restaurant Industry Forecasts

The National Restaurant Association’s comprehensive, annual outlook for and overview of the U.S. restaurant industry, covering national and state-by-state sales and employment forecasts, as well as workforce, segment, consumer, technology and menu trends.

Driven by an improving economy, restaurant industry sales are expected to hit a record high of $709.2 billion in 2015. Although this will represent the sixth consecutive year of real growth in restaurant sales, the gains remain below what would be expected during a normal post-recession period due to a range of challenges. However, the restaurant industry will remain the nation’s second-largest private sector employer with a workforce of 14 million.

2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast

SUBWAY in the Top 10 Franchises of 2015

The results of Entrepreneur's 36th annual Franchise 500 published in Dec, 2014 reveal that franchises of all stripes are continuing to rapidly expand, with these top 10 franchises leading the pack. Here, is a quick look at the SUBWAY's strategies for success and goals for the upcoming year.

SUBWAY has 43,664 restaurants across 110 countries as on today. The company says there’s still room for another 8,000 in the U.S. (on top of the nearly 27,000 currently open). If it seems like there aren’t enough available strip malls or street corners left for that, you may be right: Subway’s growth is chiefly in international markets and nontraditional spaces. The company has more than 1,900 units in Walmart stores and put its emphasis in 2014 on moving into hospitals (about 300 across the globe so far).

But Subway is not trying to dominate the franchise world by sheer unit numbers alone; it’s also going after consumers with all-day options. New breakfast items were rolled out a few years ago, and the Flatizza, a small flatbread pizza, represents Subway’s entry into the fast-growing snack category. While the company’s $5 Footlong

has become an iconic promotion, it’s hoping its new Simple $6 Menu—featuring a choice of six 6-inch subs, plus chips and a drink—will become a fast-food staple in 2015.