There's no question Americans love beer. But now, it seems,they've taken a shine to a spirited newcomer, alcoholic cider.Call us stir crazy, if you must. But judging by the current demandfor "hard cider"-which typically packs an alcohol contentof 4 percent to 6 percent-we expect more pubs and supermarkets tojump on the cider bandwagon.
"We're kind of tagging onto the microbreweryscene," says Kevin Settles, 37, president and founder ofSelkirk Cider Co., a Sandpoint, Idaho, company that sells apple,pear and raspberry cider under the Seven Sisters label."There's not a whole lot of radically new items that cancome out on the beer scene, and people don't want to drink thesame thing for very long. They're always looking for somethingnew, and we really fit that category."
Settles, who launched Selkirk Cider nine years ago, took thebeverage road less traveled after learning of the tremendouspopularity of hard cider in Europe. The risk paid off: SelkirkCider is projected to ship 40,000 cases of cider in 1996-triplelast year's production.
Generation Xers, according to Settles, form the core market forhard cider. We'd be willing to bet this same group will also bethe ones downing the next up-and-coming drink: alcoholiclemonade.
To Die For
In an effort to leave no tombstone-er, stone-unturned in thepursuit of trends, we feel compelled to report on the increasingpopularity of "vanity tombstones."
"We [take inspiration] from a hobby or maybe anoccupation," explains Leland B. Longstreth of tradeassociation American Institute of Commemorative Art. "Forinstance, for an attorney, we might use the scales of justice. Ifwe're doing something for a fisherman, we may [depict] a manstanding in a trout stream with a flyrod. When families look atthese monuments, they remember the things the person loved inlife."
Although some folks have grave reservations about such tributes,many others are far from dead-set against showcasing, say, fishingstreams or golf courses. "People see [vanity tombstones] andgo, 'Maybe I want something like this also,' " saysDonna Jones of trade association Monument Builders of NorthAmerica.
According to Jones, more advanced technology is the forcedriving this trend. "As technology has made available moreintricate means of carving, the public has taken advantage ofit," she says.
Then again, technology is no substitute for creativity. To wit:One enterprising individual purchased two parking meters for histombstone. Upon his demise, the meters were placed in theirdesignated spot, and-you guessed it-they read "expired."Who says dead men tell no tales?
Wrap It Up
They came, they saw, they wrapped. Burned out on the usualgreasy fare of hamburgers, tacos and the like, an increasing numberof fast-food patrons are opting instead for the latest creation:wrap food.
Essentially, "wraps"-probably most easily thought ofas a variation on the classic burrito-are flavored tortillas orpitalike flatbreads wrapped around ingredients as varied as Thaichicken, Peking duck, steak and vegetables.
"We've taken the burrito and made it into a worldtraveler," says Will Weisman, 27, one of the four foundingpartners of San Francisco-based World Wrapps. "It'sprobably the hottest thing happening right now in quick-servicefood."
Of course, World Wrapps isn't the only wrap act in theindustry. In addition to forays by such restaurant giants as KFCand Chevys, the Atlanta-based Great Wraps! chain offers its ownversion of wrap food-crepelike pita bread wrapped around meat andvegetable fillings. With 50 units, Great Wraps! claims to be thelargest chain of its kind in the nation.
"Probably everyone thinks their product or service is goingto be around forever," muses Weisman. "But I believe[wrap food] has a lot of staying power."
Just For Kicks
This time it's for real . . . we think. Although soccer hasalready captured the hearts and feet of the nation's athleticyouth (it's the number-one supervised team sports activity forplayers under age 18), it's long been a question mark as towhen professional soccer would enjoy the mainstream popularitythat-until recently, at least-has seemed so elusive. Oh, sure, theWorld Cup competition of two years ago generated headlines andincreased awareness of the sport. But that particular strain ofsoccer fever cooled once the fields were emptied.
Enter Major League Soccer (MLS). The 10-team professionalleague, which debuted in April and concludes its season in October,hopes to take soccer's popularity to a whole new level in theUnited States. And with its first few games drawinglarger-than-expected crowds, MLS definitely seems to be a kick inthe right direction.
"It's a tough row to hoe for a new sport coming on likesoccer is," says Sandy Briggs of the Soccer Industry Councilof America. "But certainly, the initial results [from theleague] are quite encouraging."
Our advice to retailers and manufacturers: Keep your eye on theball. In a recent survey conducted by Sporting GoodsBusiness magazine, more than half the sporting goods and soccerspecialty retailers polled predicted at least a 10 percent jump insales for soccer products this year. Really.
Catered Affair
An open invitation to caterers: Your services are cordiallyrequested by dinner party hosts throughout the nation. Menuselections vary, but your clientele will generally be upscaleconsumers. No RSVP required.
Hungry for more information? We're happy to dish it out:Small dinner parties are enjoying increasing popularity of late,and caterers are enthusiastically satisfying the demand. Indeed,the National Restaurant Association is projecting a sizzling 5.3percent increase in such catering this year.
What's cooking? Michael Roman of the Chicago food-serviceconsulting firm CaterSource points to rampant anti-smokingregulations in restaurants as a key ingredient in the dinnerparty's resurgence. Rather than sit through yet another mealwith the lights out, plenty of puffers-and their friends-are optinginstead to host their own catered affairs.
"People are taking the easy way out and bringing [theparty] back into their homes, yachts or whatever," Romanobserves.
No-nicotine policies aren't the only reason for thepopularity of small dinner parties, however. Roman also citespricey restaurant-mandated gratuities and the desire forconversation-friendly atmospheres as other factors.
"It's very hard to converse in a restaurant in somecases-it's just too noisy," he notes. "The idea [now]is, Let's eat and let's talk."
Just don't do both at the same time.
Animal Magnetism
Animal Magnetismoes it surprise you to learn cats outnumber dogsin the nation's pet population? Maybe not. But even if you hadan inkling that felines had clawed their way to the top of the petparade, you probably wouldn't guess that devoted pet ownersshell out more than $7 billion a year to feed their furry friends.And we're not talking about the animal kingdom's equivalentof meatloaf, either: According to research by Bates USA in New YorkCity, the trend is toward premium and superpremium pet foods. Now,that's more than enough reason for tail-wagging, wouldn'tyou say?
Bingo
Bingo! If you were to venture inside a nightclub or bar cateringto twentysomethings these days, you might be surprised to witnessnot drunken debauchery but a spirited round of-how wholesome canyou get?-bingo.
"It's unlike any other gambling game," says RogerSnowden of the Vashom, Washington-based Bingo Bugle NewspaperGroup, speaking of bingo's appeal. "The social aspects ofbingo are what lead people to play it. The camaraderie [iskey]."
And camaraderie, without question, is a goal of savvy bar ownersattempting to lure in a contemporary crowd with too manyentertainment options and too little appetite for the hard-drinkingdays of old.
"There's just so much competing for the customers'attention now," says Rick Hynum, editor of Nightclub & Barmagazine, citing video games, home satellite dishes and cyberspaceas distractions du jour. "There's not necessarily as muchreason to go out. Plus, people aren't drinking as much as theyused to."
Which explains why bingo is taking off in a select number ofGeneration X clubs. It also explains other crowd-pleasingpromotions such as Brady Bunch lookalike nights, marshmallowstacking games, performances by KISS tribute bands andbaby-food-eating contests.
Baby-food-eating contests? Well, nobody said entertainment waspretty.
