biz.yahoo.com
Friday April 17, 5:20 am Eastern Time
Survey: Bottled Water Sales Up Sharply in Restaurants; Five-City Survey Shows 17 to 28 Percent Jump
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 17 -- Increasingly, when diners ask the waiter for ''a bottle of your finest'' they're referring to water, not wine, according to a new five-city survey of 100 restaurant owners and managers conducted by the International Bottled Water Association. In the survey, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Orlando and Seattle area restaurateurs report that bottled water sales have surged from 17 to 28 percent.
Rise Attributed to Lifestyle Changes
More than half of the owners and managers contacted for the survey say that their patrons are ordering bottled water as an alternative to caffeinated sodas and alcoholic beverages -- a lifestyle change driving nationwide growth in bottled water sales.
Reflects A Nationwide Trend
Findings from the five-city survey reflect a larger national trend, according to John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, ''In the beverage business, bottled water is one of the fastest-growing categories.'' By contrast, Sicher notes, ''Beer is down. Coffee is down. Milk is down.''
Greatest Sales Increases in the Crescent and Windy Cities
New Orleans and Chicago restaurants tally the greatest rise in bottled water sales, at 28 and 20 percent, respectively. Following closely behind with double-digit gains are Boston and Orlando at 18 percent and Seattle at 17 percent. |
