The Ways We Dine:

  Ironically, surveys and studies show that, among other things, people still want to eat well - which doesn't necessarily mean healthy - and indulge in something that resembles a home-cooked meal. The current economic boom has allowed Americans to have the best of both worlds - not only can they afford the convenience of eating out more often, but they can do so in a foodservice environment where they get more bang for the buck.

  According to McDowell, who is also the editorial director for VerticalNet's foodservice and hospitality group, people are eating out now more than ever. Some 10 to 15 years ago, people were spending 25 cents of every food dollar on foodservice as opposed to retail grocery, he says. Today, that number has nearly doubled.

  But dining out ain't what it used to be, folks, and everyone from food manufacturers and restaurants to the local grocer must vie for more than just the customer's sense of taste. Dining out has become a multi-sensory event, the menu for which fuses the joy of cooking with the joy of sex to assure we get what we want, we get it fast, and we get it served up in new and exciting ways.

  "There has really been a revolution in the American restaurant," says Steve Ottmann, president and CEO of Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. (LEYE). "Twenty years ago, decent food and decent service was all you needed to do OK.

  "Then the bar was raised," continues Ottmann, "so that you also needed an exciting atmosphere, then raised again where it wasn't good enough to just have OK food, you had to have something special."

  The bar continues to rise, and the foodservice industry has had to meet the growing sophistication and demands of its patrons, forcing the industry to produce quality food at reasonable price points or face extinction. "How do we meet consumers' needs" and, more importantly, "what is it they want" are questions that the foodservice industry must constantly ask and continually reevaluate.

  Foodservice market-research firms such as Chicago-based Technomic, Inc. help the industry decipher what's hot and what's not. "The way we look at foodservice trends is to start out by looking at what's motivating the consumers. What are those macro elements - lifestyles or social interactions or politics - that drive them," says the company's Tom Miner, a principal whose role is to utilize trend information in the development of foodservice concepts and products.

  "We've identified six right now as being really key motivators," says Miner. These factors range from convenience and good-for-you foods to the relatively new concept of "eater-tainment."

  "But first and foremost is the idea that bold flavors are super important to consumers," adds Miner. "They've got to have that flavor pop. They like high spice profiles or a good strong flavor profile from the ingredients themselves."

  Whether the various research firms, critics and restaurateurs agree upon all the points and/or their appropriate order, most will agree that the sophistication of the American palate has increased substantially over the last decade.

  As technology and communication continue to bridge global gaps and the United States becomes an ever more global nation, the introduction of diverse cuisines has created a demand for heightened flavor profiles. This has become evident in the simple fact that salsa, for example, has consistently beat out ketchup as the leading condiment in sales dollars over the last several years.

  "That's pretty significant because it has a ripple effect in the kinds of flavor profiles that you have to add to dishes. You have a lot more dishes now that have a sharper flavor, are more complex," explains McDowell. "So what happens is, not only does the consumer become acculturated to accepting those flavors, but they begin to expect them."

  Among the secondary 100 chains (which account for a much smaller percentage of sales than do the top 100), casual-dining Asian grew 36.6% and QSR (quick service) Asian grew at a rate of 17.3%, just one-tenth of a percentage point behind fine-dining steak.

  "Overall, restaurant sales grew at a rate of about 5%. So we're talking four and five times the rate of growth in ethnic when compared to the whole of restaurant sales," notes Miner.

  Ottmann isn't surprised at all. Founder Rich Melman's Lettuce Entertain You empire has proven itself a foodservice trends leader, particularly in its home base of Chicago. LEYE introduced Spanish tapas to the city when it opened Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! in 1986, and continued to stay ahead of the curve with the introduction of its Big Bowl Asian restaurants and foodlife, a multi-ethnic food court in the heart of Chicago's downtown.

  With 12 different food kiosks and some eight different cuisines, LEYE geared foodlife toward consumers' increasingly diverse eating preferences and the growing demand for better food at reasonable prices. When foodlife opened in 1993, neither the traditional fast-food chains or casual-dining restaurants could meet both those criteria simultaneously.

  The more successful kiosks include the "big 3 ethnics" - Italian, Mexican and Asian. And while foodlife does offer something for the health-conscious, health food just doesn't rank with a steak fajita or a slice of pizza, says Ottmann. "People talk like they want to eat healthy, but they don't always follow up," he says.

  The low-fat/no-fat, low-cal/no-cal trend has never gained much of a toehold in the foodservice industry, but research does show that consumers want foods that provide some sort of health benefit, notes Miner. "Americans are not good at dieting, but they are good at eating for health," he says. "It's not the idea of taking away but rather, 'I'm going to eat something and my health is going to be better for it.' "

  Food researchers have recognized this dichotomy and have already begun work in the area of nutraceuticals and biotechnology, wherein science enhances and/or alters the health and shelf-life properties of specific foods. Despite the technological sour note the idea may leave on some delicate tongues, the foodservice industry would benefit from the ability to provide health betterments that don't get in the way of flavor.

  On a more immediate front, culinary schools have also become more attuned to teaching different ways of getting around the health vs. flavor dilemma. A new generation of chefs entering the industry understands that marketing health isn't always the answer. In fact, it is often the kiss of death, says McDowell. "So they're adjusting recipes to maybe lower calories, fat content or sodium. They're substituting ingredients and presenting it not as a healthy alternative, but as the dish," he adds.

  The taste buds aren't the only organs that require a little something more of the foodservice industry these days. It seems all of the senses need a good jolt as well. "It's very much a media generation now," says Ottmann. "There are so many sensory-oriented things that are put in front of us everyday that I think it gets carried over to food."

  After two decades of increased restaurant attendance, consumers are no longer stimulated solely by a beautiful cut of succulent filet or the extravagant presentation of pigeon under glass. They want, need and demand something new and exciting to enhance the overall dining experience and give a boost to their quality of life. Suddenly, entertainment becomes an important trend for restaurants to incorporate into their concepts, perhaps to the chagrin of every respectable chef.

  Early examples in the evolution of what Miner calls "eater-tainment" are Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood. These institutions moved the entertainment away from the food and focused on music and our fascination with cultural icons. Then there's the Rainforest Cafes of the world, which offer up the sights and sounds of mother nature in child-terrorizing proportions. All of which serves to illustrate McDowell's point that, while we are easily distracted, such endeavors, particularly when anchored around food, can hold our attention for only a short while. In other words, we get bored quickly and, in many cases, the ventures eventually fail.

  "So it really comes back to the food," says Ottmann. "Put something out there that is good, that is a value to the customer. Give it some pizzazz and serve it in an atmosphere that makes them feel like they're doing more than just eating - they need to be dining."

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