Fast Casual: New Report Forecasts Road Ahead for Food Service Market

A new analysis of the food service industry by Technavio shows that over the next four years the food service industry will grow almost 3.5 percent overall largely due to a whole lot of action in the market around the fast casual restaurant sector, according to a news release.

The new report does a deep dive into the data about today's food service operations in two categories: Retail food service, like quick-serve and fast casual restaurants, as well as a second analysis of the non-commercial or largely institutional food service sector that serves organizations like hospitals and educational institutions.

Overall, Technavio's analysts forecast that food service in the U.S. will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.33 percent between now and 2020. The market's size is calculated in the research by revenue generated from the sales of food and beverages.

The news release said that the company used a number of industry experts to analyze the market landscape and determine growth prospects over the next four years. A discussion of key market vendors is also included in the report, as well as a look at each brand's key strengths and weaknesses. The key vendors discussed, include:

Aramark; Compass Group North America; Domino's; McDonald's; Restaurant Brands International; Starbucks; Subway; and Yum! Brands.

Other prominent vendors included in the report are Chick-fil-A, Dunkin' Brands and Wendy's.