NPD: Foodservice Down Internationally

Global foodservice visits fell in 2008, except in Canada, according to a new NPD report tracking numbers in France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, Canada and China. The fourth quarter was the largest contributor to the drop. According to the report, "Italy and Spain had relatively steep traffic declines, and the United States, compared to other countries was relatively resilient [up2.1%] and ended the year slightly up from prior year." Consumer spending in restaurants in Canada grew at a healthy pace of 5.3% (combining check spending and traffic).