Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2011 | Page 51

tive vice president of Technomic, a research
company that tracks the food industry.
“Customers are dining out less and being more conservative when they spend,”
agrees Steve Romaniello, managing director
of Roark Capital Group, the Atlanta-based
private equity firm invested in 19 different
franchise brands, and always on the lookout
for more. “Perhaps more importantly, I think
this could be the start of a longer-term trend
that consumers are becoming more selective
in their spending and more aware of value.”
Essentially, he