| Item: On any given day, customers at Fresh Fields | | | | period. |
| grocery stores across the country havea choice of 35 | | | | ``Oriental and Mexican restaurants still head the list (in |
| to 40 varieties of fresh pasta, ranging in flavor from | | | | numbers of ethnicrestaurants), but Italian restaurants |
| squid ink to garlicparsley. If none of those is suitable, | | | | are increasing more rapidly,'' says Millie |
| special orders can be made from a list of a whopping | | | | Lemajich,director of information services for the |
| 208 pasta varieties. | | | | Evanston group. |
| Item: The average American consumer ate 18.4 | | | | Nationally, the ubiquitous Olive Garden chain, which |
| pounds of pasta in 1990, up from 12.9pounds in 1982 | | | | started with two restaurants in |
| for help visit The National Restaurant Association | | | | 1982 in Orlando, now has 432 and is averaging 50 |
| estimates that by the year 2000we'll be eating 30.6 | | | | openings a year. A new kid on theblock is Macaroni |
| pounds. | | | | Grill (owned by Brinker International of San Antonio, |
| Will we ever get our fill of fettuccine with | | | | owner of the |
| pesto,ricotta-stuffed ravioli, linguine in clam sauce or | | | | Chili's restaurant chain), which has 27 outlets nationally. |
| just plain spaghetti and meatballs? Isthere a saturation | | | | ``We opened June 2, and we were having two-hour |
| point, when we finally say basta (enough already)? | | | | waits right away,'' said David |
| Not anytime soon, according to the folks who track | | | | Hyre, general manager of the Wheaton, Ill., restaurant, |
| America's eating habits and also | | | | which offers a variety of pastasand sauces for help |
| (not surprisingly) those who market Italian foods. A | | | | visit ``We did research before we came here, but |
| study last year by the NPD Group | | | | business is better than we everanticipated.'' |
| Inc., a Chicago research firm, shows that pasta ranks | | | | One reason the love affair with pasta should continue |
| second among the top five growthfoods in the last | | | | is its vast variety--spaghettiand meatballs will forever |
| five years. The study tracked eating habits of 2,000 | | | | be dear in American hearts, but pasta lovers today |
| households over fiveyears, and compared 65 foods | | | | have anever-widening choice. |
| and beverages to determine which have grown | | | | Macaroni and cheese becomes penne con cinque |
| fastest inconsumption. Soft drinks led the list, followed | | | | formaggi (tube pasta with fivecheeses). |
| by pasta, chips, turkey sandwiches andready-to-eat | | | | Spaghetti with red sauce can be tagliatelle al ragu |
| cereals. | | | | (ribbon pasta with meat sauce). |
| Consumers cited two main reasons for their | | | | ``It's a food that people are familiar with, but at the |
| enchantment with noodles: Pasta is easyto fix and it's | | | | same time, customers arebecoming so aware of the |
| healthful. Digging into a bowl of complex carbohydrates | | | | different kinds of pastas, of all the different shapes |
| is good for thebody (unless, of course, those noodles | | | | and theway pastas can be prepared,'' says Paul |
| are covered with such less-than-healthful butdelectable | | | | LoDuca, chef/owner of Vinci, and the new |
| items as cream, prosciutto and/or Gorgonzola). | | | | Italianseafood restaurant Mare in Chicago. ``Between |
| ``Not only is it convenient to prepare, but it is | | | | both restaurants, we're serving 18 or 19types of pasta.'' |
| considered quite good for you,'' said | | | | Jonathan Fox, executive chef of Maggiano's Little Italy |
| Harry Balzer, NPD vice president when he presented | | | | in Chicago, refers to some ofthe unusual shapes as |
| the five-year study last April in | | | | ``designer pastas.'' |
| New York. | | | | ``For example, radiators (radiatori, which resemble little |
| And a Gallup survey last May of more than 1,000 | | | | heaters), and little Christmastree (shaped) pastas; there |
| grocery shoppers found that 52percent said they | | | | are a lot of interesting shapes. But pasta is pasta, and |
| were eating more pasta than in the previous year. In | | | | moreimportant than shape is how it's prepared.'' |
| that same poll 92percent said pasta was ``convenient''; | | | | Cathie Weinberg, media communications manager for |
| 93 percent said it was good for them. | | | | the Olive Garden chain, alsoreports a large increase in |
| ``I love it, I try to eat it at least three times a week,'' | | | | pasta varieties and toppings in the last decade. |
| says Sharon Stilwell, managerconsultant for Relcon Inc. | | | | ``We've seen tremendous changes. We're adding |
| in Oak Brook, Ill. ``It's a food that instantly rejuvenates | | | | ingredients we didn't offer before,like capers, chopped |
| me. | | | | olives, sliced peppers. There's so much of a variety |
| When I'm at home, I fix it simply, with just a little olive oil | | | | that I don't seethe market becoming saturated for a |
| and Parmesan cheese. | | | | long time. There's room for lots of restaurants.'' |
| Maybe I'll add chicken if I have leftovers. When I eat | | | | Macaroni Grill pushes the envelope when it comes to |
| out, I'll be more extravagantalthough I try to stay away | | | | offering new and differentpasta dishes. One of its |
| from heavier sauces.'' | | | | biggest sellers, according to manager Hyre, is fried |
| Italian restaurants continue to proliferate. It's the No. 1 | | | | pasta; he callsit ``an Italian nacho.'' |
| ethnic category in the United | | | | Value is another attraction. Ninety six percent of the |
| States, according to the National Restaurant | | | | shoppers surveyed in last year's |
| Association. Excluding pizza places, Italianrestaurants | | | | Gallup poll said they liked the cost. When it comes to |
| increased 135 percent between 1985 and 1993, from | | | | eating out, a bowl of pasta iscertainly cheaper than a |
| 4,438 to 10,435, according to the Restaurant Consulting | | | | steak or most French food. And portions often are |
| Group in Evanston, Ill. This compares to an increase of | | | | staggeringlylarge. |
| only 12 percent for all restaurants during the same time | | | | |