Fast-Food Cities

In 2006, 59% of fast-food users in Greenville, N.C., patronized a quick-service restaurant 12 or more times a month (nearly three times a week), making it the No. 1 market for frequent fast-food users in the U.S. Portland, Maine, ranked last, with only a 27% incidence of heavy QSR users.

Notably, three of the Top 10 markets are in the Carolinas and three are in Texas. The remaining leaders are located in the southeast United States and Oklahoma. Indeed, none are north of the Mason-Dixon line.

The average of all 61 markets studied was 42%. Here are the cities that ranked above 42%:

City	%
Greenville NC	59
McAllen TX	58
Memphis TN	55
Oklahoma City OK	55
Charleston/ Huntington WV	55
Greensboro NC	54
Columbia SC	54
Birmingham AL	52
El Paso TX	52
San Antonio TX	52
Dallas TX	51
Charlotte NC	50
Knoxville TN	50
Louisville KY	49
Lexington KY	49
Houston TX	49
Indianapolis IN	49
Raleigh/Durham NC	49
Nashville TN	48
Atlanta	48
Columbus OH	48
Waco TX	47
Baton Rouge LA	47
Greenville/ Spartanburg SC	47
Kansas City MO	47
Los Angeles	46
New Orleans	46
St. Louis MO	46
Fresno/Visalia CA	45
Austin TX	45
Savannah GA	44
Jacksonville FL	44
Las Vegas	44
Chicago	44
Phoenix	43

Source: Sandelman & Associates' Quick-Track

Turn Customers Into Guests Says Hotelier Tisch

Jonathan Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, says the most basic lesson he learned is applicable to all marketers in the business of attracting and keeping customers: Turn customers into guests. Tisch recently published "Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough" with co-writer Karl Weber.

The book salutes Urban Outfitters for harnessing "the power of welcome to attract customers." The retailer, for example, doesn't limit its offerings to clothes. The managers start with what interests their customers and assembles a collection of items that will appeal, such as furniture, jewelry, housewares and music.

To keep people interested, the look of a store is constantly tweaked with daily shipments of new merchandise and twice-monthly store redesigns. Other organizations might want to consider fresh Web site content every week, a regularly updated newsletter or even a redesign of their logo. Tisch and Weber also offer short profiles of Commerce Bank, In-N-Out Burger; and Duke University Medical Center.

 

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