What's The Hot...

As the median age of society approaches 40, specialty food retailers are reaping big rewards. "People have upgraded their taste levels," says restaurant marketing consult Raymond Coen.

"Just as we're appreciating art more, we [baby boomers] are also upscaling our tastes--whether it's microbrews or brick-oven pizzas or just higher-quality food," agrees Gerald Celente, author of Trends 2000 (Warner Books).

The trend is fueling sales from coast to coast. Showing up in the sweets category, gelatos that boast Tahitian vanilla and European chocolate are desserts with distinction. For lunch and dinner, foodies are flocking to upscale sandwich shops and cafes that offer to-die-for flatbreads and international recipes they'd never try at home.

Jay Wainwright, 28, and his brother Shep, 25, have watched sales heat up at their Cosi Sandwich Bars, a high-end lunch concept based on their favorite Paris restaurant. Launched in 1996, Cosi's 12 Manhattan locations (and one in Boston) ring up annual sales of more than $1 million apiece.

It's not just the affluent's wallets that are opening. Consumers with less discretionary income may dine upscale less often, but when they do, they order what satisfies them. Says Coen, "Why spend less money and not get what you want?"

Contact Source

Trends Research Institute, (800) 25-TREND, http://www.trendsresearch.com

This article was originally published in the January 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: What's The Hot....