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The restaurant industry is growing rapidly. According to the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Industry Forecast 2000, total sales for the industry are expected to reach $376.2 billion in 2000, representing a 5 percent rise over 1999 performance. This forecast also reported that the quick servce meal ("QSM") category, in which JUICE STOP is positioned, is expected to comprise approximately $114.7 billion, or more than 30 percent, of the total restaurant dollars in 2000.
"Retail sales of smoothies have reached $500 million a year from virtually mothing five years ago," according to the article "In Search of the Next Hot Dog, Smoothie Barons Dream of Building Fast Food Empires," which appeared in the August 6, 1999 edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Americans crave their fruits and vegetables! According to a report titled "American's Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences," published April, 1999, and other studies done by the Economic Research Division of the United States Department of Agriculture, in 1997 every American consumed, on average, 57 more pounds of commercially grown fruit than in 1970, an increase of approximately 24%. Over that same period, per capita consumption of vegetables increased by 81 pounds, an increase of 24% as well. In addition, these studies revealed that per capita consumption of fruit juice increased by almost 4 gallons over that same time period, and increase of nearly 61%.
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