Limited-service Restaurants Research Articles

Geographic scale matters in detecting the relationship between neighbourhood food environments and obesity risk: an analysis of driver license records in Salt Lake County, Utah

ObjectivesEmpirical studies of the association between neighbourhood food environments and individual obesity risk have found mixed results. One possible cause of these mixed findings is the variation in neighbourhood geographic...

Economic Impact of a Noncomprehensive Smoke-Free Air Law

Many stakeholders were interested in the potential economic impact of Pennsylvania's 2008 Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA). This study focused on the examination of economic change subsequent to CIAA and, because CIAA allows certain venue exemptions among eating and drinking establishments, if the allowance of exemptions influenced that impact. Policy analysis. Prais-Winsten regressions were employed to assess effects of CIAA and law exemptions on county-level quarterly taxable sales in restaurants and drinking establishments. Regressions controlled for general economic activity, trends in eating/drinking establishment sales, seasonality, and county characteristics. Across models, CIAA had no significant negative effects on taxable sales in full-/limited-service restaurants or drinking establishments and some positive effects. CIAA exemptions for drinking establishments do not offer a clear economic benefit. Restaurant and drinking establishment taxable sales were strongly related to overall economic conditions and seasonality. After controlling for confounding factors, and consistent with the weight of the evidence from literature on the economic impact of smoke-free policies, our study concludes that the Pennsylvania CIAA had no negative effects on per capita restaurant and drinking establishment taxable sales. High rates of drinking establishment exemptions were not economically beneficial. This study can inform efforts to make smoke-free laws more comprehensive.

Predicting restaurant financial distress using decision tree and AdaBoosted decision tree models

The restaurant industry has been facing tough challenges because of the recent economic turmoil. Although different industries face different levels of competition and therefore the likelihood of financial distress can differ for firms in different industries, scant attention has been paid to predicting restaurant financial distress. The primary objective of this paper is to examine the key financial distress factors for publicly traded U.S. restaurants for the period from 1988 to 2010 using decision trees (DT) and AdaBoosted decision trees. The AdaBoosted DT model for the entire dataset revealed that financially distressed restaurants relied more heavily on debt; and showed lower rates of increase of assets, lower net profit margins, and lower current ratios than non-distressed restaurants. A larger proportion of debt in the capital structure ruined restaurants' financial structure and the inability to pay their drastically increased debt exposed restaurants to financial distress. Additionally, a lack of capital efficiency increased the possibility of financial distress. We recommend the use of the AdaBoosted DT model as an early warning system for restaurant distress prediction because the AdaBoosted DT model demonstrated the best prediction performance with the smallest error in overall and type I error rates. The results of two subset models for full-service and limited-service restaurants indicated that the segments had slightly different financial risk factors.

Econometric modeling of the U.S. restaurant industry

Predicting future sales in the restaurant industry and its subsegments is a critical activity for companies who seek to plan and control for what lies ahead. In this study, an econometric model was used to demonstrate its potential for such forecasting. Using aggregated data from the past 41 years, the model appears to have reasonable utility in terms of forecasting accuracy. Moreover, the fit across subsegments is consistent, except in the case of limited-service restaurants. As such, an underlying discussion regarding the limited service segment is offered and a rationale explaining why an alternative model should be used for this subsegment is presented.

USE OF NESTED CASE-CROSSOVER STUDY WITHIN A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY TO EXAMINE BOTH FIXED AND TRANSIENT RISK FACTORS FOR SLIPPING

BackgroundSlips and falls are one of the leading causes of injury.ObjectivesUsing a nested case-crossover study within a prospective cohort study, we examined the associations between fixed factors (floor surface characteristics,...

Telephonic interactive voice response and internet-based questionnaire for longitudinal injury and near-miss reporting

BackgroundTelephonic interactive voice response (IVR) systems and Internet-based surveys have provided new methods of collecting longitudinal data for injury researchers. A choice of multiple survey modes has been shown to...

Perception of slipperiness and prospective risk of slipping at work

ObjectivesFalls are a leading cause of injury at work, and slipping is the predominant cause of falling. Prior research has suggested a modest correlation between objective measures (such as coefficient...

Management commitment to safety vs. employee perceived safety training and association with future injury

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to explore and examine, specific to the restaurant industry, two important constructs emerging from the safety climate literature: employee perceptions of safety training and management commitment to safety. Are these two separate constructs? Are there both individual- and shared group-level safety perceptions for these two constructs? What are the relationships between these two constructs and future injury outcomes? MethodsA total of 419 employees from 34 limited-service restaurants participated in a prospective cohort study. Employees’ perceptions of management commitment to safety and safety training and demographic variables were collected at the baseline. The survey questions were made available in three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. For the following 12 weeks, participants reported their injury experience and weekly work hours. A multivariate negative binomial generalized estimating equation model with compound symmetry covariance structure was used to assess the association between the rate of self-reported injuries and measures of safety perceptions. ResultsEven though results showed that the correlation between employees’perceived safety training and management commitment to safety was high, confirmatory factor analysis of measurement models showed that two separate factors fit the model better than as two dimensions of a single factor. Homogeneity tests showed that there was a shared perception of the factor of management commitment to safety for the restaurant workers but there was no consistent perception among them for the factor of perceived safety training. Both individual employees’perceived management commitment to safety and perceptions of safety training can predict employees’ subsequent injuries above and beyond demographic variables. However, there was no significant relationship between future injury and employees’ shared perception of management commitment to safety. Further, our results suggest that the variable of employees’perceived safety training could be a proximal predictor of future injury outcome which mediated the relationship between employees’perceived management commitment to safety (a distal predictor) and injury outcome. We propose that when employees perceive their management as having a high level of commitment to safety, they will also perceive that the safety training of the organization is good, which will then further predict future injury experience of the employees.

Supervisor vs. employee safety perceptions and association with future injury in US limited-service restaurant workers

ObjectivesMany studies have found management commitment to safety to be an important construct of safety climate. This study examined the association between supervisor and employee (shared and individual) perceptions of management commitment to safety and the rate of future injuries in limited-service restaurant workers. MethodsA total of 453 participants (34 supervisors/managers and 419 employees) from 34 limited-service restaurants participated in a prospective cohort study. Employees’ and managers’ perceptions of management commitment to safety and demographic variables were collected at the baseline. The survey questions were made available in three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. For the following 12 weeks, participants reported their injury experience and weekly work hours. A multivariate negative binomial generalized estimating equation model with compound symmetry covariance structure was used to assess the association between the rate of self-reported injuries and measures of safety perceptions. ResultsThere were no significant relationships between supervisor and either individual or shared employee perceptions of management commitment to safety. Only individual employee perceptions were significantly associated with future employee injury experience but not supervisor safety perceptions or shared employee perceptions. ConclusionIndividual employee perception of management commitment to safety is a significant predictor for future injuries in restaurant environments. A study focusing on employee perceptions would be more predictive of injury outcomes than supervisor/manager perceptions.

Improving Data Accuracy of Commercial Food Outlet Databases

PURPOSE. Assessing food environments often requires using commercially available data. Disparate methods used for classifying food outlets in these databases call for creating a classification approach using common definitions. A systematic strategy for reclassifying food stores and restaurants, as they appear in commercial databases, into categories that differentiate the availability of healthy options is described here. DESIGN AND SETTING. Commercially available data on food outlets including names, addresses, North American Industry Classification System codes, and associated characteristics was obtained for five New Jersey communities. ANALYSIS. A reclassification methodology was developed using criteria and definitions from the literature to categorize food outlets based on availability of healthy options. Information in the database was supplemented by systematic Internet and key word searches, and from phone calls to food outlets. RESULTS. The methodology resulted in 622 supermarket/grocery stores, 183 convenience stores, and 148 specialty stores in the original data to be reclassified into 58 supermarkets, 30 grocery stores, 692 convenience stores, and 115 specialty stores. Outlets from the original list of 1485 full-service restaurants and 506 limited-service restaurants were reclassified as 563 full-service restaurants and 1247 limited-service restaurants. Reclassification resulted in less than one-seventh the number of supermarkets and grocery stores, more than three times the number of convenience stores, and twice as many limited-service restaurants-a much less healthy profile than the one generated by using exclusively the commercial databases. CONCLUSION. An explicit and replicable strategy is proposed for reclassifying food outlets in commercial databases into categories that differentiate on the basis of healthy food availability. The intent is to contribute towards building a consensus among researchers on definitions used in public health research for characterizing different types of food outlets.

Factors associated with use of slip-resistant shoes in US limited-service restaurant workers

ObjectivesSlips and falls are a leading cause of injury at work. Several studies have indicated that slip-resistant shoes can reduce the risk of occupational slips and falls. Few studies, however,...

Estimating Cashflow-at-Risk (CFaR)

Of the many risks faced by restaurants, a shortage of cashflow is among the most damaging. This study introduces an effective tool to estimate the cashflow risk of restaurants, so that firms can be ready to address the potential risks. Using a comparables approach to Cashflow-at-Risk (CFaR), the study analyzes cashflow data from publicly listed U.S. restaurant firms from 1988 to 2007. The study found that estimated cashflow shortfalls were larger for small and medium-size firms than for large firms. Also, full-service restaurants’ cashflow shortfalls were larger than those of limited-service restaurants, suggesting relative cashflow risk positions for different restaurant segments. This study provides nonfinancial firms such as restaurant firms with a practical tool to estimate cashflow risk, which could mitigate the probability of financial distress and improve the financial health of firms.

Neighborhood Restaurant Availability and Frequency of Eating Out in Relation to Dietary Intake in Young Japanese Women

Exposure to food service establishments is considered to encourage consumption and contribute to poorer diet quality, and hence adverse health profiles. However, empirical verification of these links remains rare, particularly in young adults and non-Western populations. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to test the hypothesis that neighborhood restaurant availability and frequency of eating out are associated with unfavorable patterns of dietary intake and thus possibly higher body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in young Japanese women. The subjects were 989 female Japanese dietetic students 18 to 22 y of age. Dietary intake and frequency of eating out (i.e., consumption of commercially prepared meals) during the preceding month were assessed using a comprehensive, self-administered diet history questionnaire. Neighborhood restaurant availability was defined as the number of restaurants within a 0.5-mile (0.8-km) radius of residence (i.e., full-service restaurants, limited-service restaurants, and cafeterias). Increasing frequency of eating out was associated with higher intake of meat, confectionery and bread, and dietary fat, lower intake of fruit and vegetables, rice, and dietary fiber, and higher dietary energy density. However, neighborhood restaurant availability was not associated with either the frequency of eating out or any of the dietary variables examined. Further, frequency of eating out and neighborhood restaurant availability were not associated with BMI or waist circumference. In conclusion, although frequency of eating out was positively associated with unfavorable dietary intake patterns in a group of young Japanese women, neighborhood restaurant availability was not associated with frequency of eating out or dietary intake.

Rushing, distraction, walking on contaminated floors and risk of slipping in limited-service restaurants: a case–crossover study

ObjectivesThis nested case–crossover study examined the association between rushing, distraction and walking on a contaminated floor and the rate of slipping, and whether the effects varied according to weekly hours...

Change in Indoor Particle Levels After a Smoking Ban in Minnesota Bars and Restaurants

Smoking bans in bars and restaurants have been shown to improve worker health and reduce hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction. Several studies have also reported improved indoor air quality, although these studies generally used single visits before and after a ban for a convenience sample of venues. The primary objective of this study was to provide detailed time-of-day and day-of-week secondhand smoke-exposure data for representative bars and restaurants in Minnesota. This study improved on previous approaches by using a statistically representative sample of three venue types (drinking places, limited-service restaurants, and full-service restaurants), conducting repeat visits to the same venue prior to the ban, and matching the day of week and time of day for the before- and after-ban monitoring. The repeat visits included laser photometer fine particulate (PM₂.₅) concentration measurements, lit cigarette counts, and customer counts for 19 drinking places, eight limited-service restaurants, and 35 full-service restaurants in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The more rigorous design of this study provides improved confidence in the findings and reduces the likelihood of systematic bias. The median reduction in PM₂.₅ was greater than 95% for all three venue types. Examination of data from repeated visits shows that making only one pre-ban visit to each venue would greatly increase the range of computed percentage reductions and lower the statistical power of pre-post tests. Variations in PM₂.₅ concentrations were found based on time of day and day of week when monitoring occurred. These comprehensive measurements confirm that smoking bans provide significant reductions in SHS constituents, protecting customers and workers from PM₂.₅ in bars and restaurants.

A prospective study of floor surface, shoes, floor cleaning and slipping in US limited-service restaurant workers

ObjectivesSlips and falls are a leading cause of injury at work. Few studies, however, have systematically examined risk factors of slipping outside the laboratory environment. This study examined the association...

Transient risk factors for slipping in limited-service restaurants – a case-crossover study

This study examined the associations between rushing, distraction and walking on contaminated floors and the risk of slipping. Effect modification by hours worked per week, job tenure and use of...

Slipping as outcome: implications for epidemiologic research on fall-related injuries

One major challenge to the study of occupational injuries in active work environments is the rarity of the outcome. Slipping, tripping and falling are responsible for a substantial injury burden...

Workers’ Experience of Slipping in U.S. Limited-Service Restaurants

The leading cause of injuries among restaurant workers is same-level falls, a significant proportion of which result from slipping. This study examines the experience of limited-service restaurant workers with slipping, their use of slip-resistant shoes, and their floor-cleaning practices. A total of 475 workers from 36 limited-service restaurants in six U.S. states participated in a 12-week prospective cohort study on slipping in the workplace. At baseline, participants completed a survey that gathered information about their demographics, perceptions of floor slipperiness, use of slip-resistant shoes, floor cleaning practices, and number of slips experienced in the previous 4 weeks. During the subsequent 12 weeks, participants reported their slip experience weekly. Restaurant managers reported kitchen floor cleaning protocols and shoe policies. The overall rate of slipping during the 12 weeks of the prospective study was 0.44 slips per 40 work hours. The mean of the individual rate of slipping varied among the restaurants from 0.02 to 2.49 slips per 40 work hours, a rate ratio of more than 100 among the restaurants with the highest and the lowest rate of slipping. Such a large variation, which is unlikely due to chance alone (p < 0.05), suggests that some restaurants are better able to control slipping than others. The highest numbers of slips were reported in the sink and fryer areas, which were also identified by restaurant workers as being the most slippery. Liquid and grease were reported as floor contaminants in over 70% of the slips. In restaurants where slip-resistant shoes were provided by the employer, 91% of participants wore them; whereas if they were neither provided nor encouraged, only 53.5% wore them (p < 0.01). Use of enzyme-based floor cleaners was widespread (25/36). In these restaurants, however, 62% of the participants who were responsible for cleaning floors reported using hot/warm water, thus violating the manufacturer's cold water floor cleaning protocol. These findings suggest that focused prevention efforts based on practices from restaurants with low rates of slipping could decrease slipping hazards. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene for the following free supplemental resource: a pdf file containing key questions from the baseline and weekly surveys.]

Factors associated with worker slipping in limited-service restaurants

ObjectiveSlips, trips and falls (STF) are responsible for a substantial injury burden in the global workplace. Restaurant environments are challenged by STF. This study assessed individual and work environment factors...