"The sheer number of restaurants now with a presence in the catering
space is amazing," says Technomic's Melissa Wilson, pointing out that it is a $33 billion opportunity for restaurateurs.
Catering large orders of 100 wings or more could be Wingstop's major growth initiative in the coming year, according to CMO Andy Howard. But, in some cases, restaurants aren't just in make-a-buck-any-way-you-can mode. Panera Bread, which has had a good year, as Timereported yesterday, is catering to help drive awareness of new products such as its Cobb salads and macaroni-and-cheese dish.
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