流利阅读 2019.1.11 American chain restaurants had a tough year and 2019 looks worse

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American chain restaurants had a tough year and 2019 looks worse
美国连锁餐饮业经历了艰难的一年，而 2019 年也许会更糟

After facing stagnant sales and weak customer traffic in 2018, U.S. restaurants will encounter more headwinds next year, including rising food and wage costs, that may stall profit and hinder efforts to jump-start growth.
在经历 2018 年疲软的销售额和低迷的客流量之后，美国餐饮业在明年将会遭遇更多的挑战，其中就包括正在上涨的食材和工资成本。这些挑战可能会压低利润，并对促进增长的尝试带来负面影响。

Even the industry stalwarts are dealing with such issues in a fiercely competitive and increasingly crowded field. Starbucks Corp. is shuttering some U.S. locations amid over-saturation worries. McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant company, has been tweaking its value offering to stay relevant in the price wars and expanding delivery with Uber Eats to spur sales.
即便是行业里的佼佼者，身在这个竞争极为激烈并趋向饱和的领域，也正面临同样的问题。星巴克公司由于担心门店过度密集，正在关停在美国的部分网点。麦当劳公司——全球最大的餐饮公司——最近一直在改良它的低价菜单，以便在价格战中保持竞争力，同时还在联手优步 Eats 拓展外卖业务来促进销售额的增长。

It wasn’t all doom and gloom this year. Amid a stock market rout, restaurant stocks fared better than the broader market, bolstered by a couple of standouts like Domino’s Pizza Inc. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc…
今年也并不是一片萧条。在美国股市普遍大跌的局势下，餐饮业的股票跑赢了大盘，其中达美乐比萨公司和 Chipotle 墨西哥烧烤公司等“明星股票”起到了支撑性作用。

Here’s a look at issues—both obstacles and opportunities—facing the restaurant industry in 2019.
以下是餐饮业在 2019 年将会面临的课题——挑战和机遇并存。

• Delivery
• 外卖

Americans are demanding delivery, and it’s forcing big chains to get into the game. That can mean costly technology investments. Revenue from orders through third parties is often shared, making it more difficult to turn a profit on digital customers.
美国人对外卖服务有普遍的需求，这种趋势正在促使大型连锁品牌入局外卖业务。这可能意味着技术上的大量投入。来自第三方平台订单的收入，往往涉及分成，使得餐厅在互联网顾客身上的盈利空间更小。

• Customer Data
• 用户数据

Delivery, especially from third parties like Uber Eats and GrubHub Inc., is creating a massive log of diner data. More data means chains can carefully curate ads to lure customers back. The information may also lead to better menus as restaurants tailor their food according to “real-time shifts in eating patterns,” said RBC Capital Markets analyst David Palmer.
外卖业务——尤其是通过优步 Eats 和 GrubHub 公司等第三方平台产生的业务——正在积累海量的就餐者数据。数据增多，意味着连锁品牌可以通过精选广告来吸引顾客再次光临。这些数据也会帮助餐厅根据“饮食趋势的实时变化”来定制餐点，带来更好的菜单，加拿大皇家银行资本市场部门的分析师大卫·帕尔默如是说。

—————文章来源 / 华盛顿邮报

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重点词汇
stagnant/ˈstæɡnənt/
adj. 停滞的；不景气的

traffic/ˈtræfɪk/
n. 交通；人流量

• Traffic is heavy today.
• poor/low customer traffic

headwind/ˈhedwɪnd/
n. 逆风，顶头风

• headwinds = challenges

stall/stɔːl/
v. 熄火；使…熄火；（引申）压低

• The car stalled.
• I stalled the car by accident.
• stall profit = decrease/lower profit

jump-start/ˈdʒʌmp stɑːrt/
v. 借电发动（汽车）；推动，促进

• to jump-start the economy
• to jump-start the peace process

stalwart/ˈstɔːlwərt/
n. 忠实分子；佼佼者

competitive/kəmˈpetətɪv/
adj. 竞争的；竞争激烈的

• The College Entrance Exam is highly competitive.

shutter/ˈʃʌtər/
v. 关闭，关停

over-saturation/ˈoʊvər ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃn/
n. 过度饱和

• Starbucks is trying to prevent the over-saturation of its stores.

tweak/twiːk/
v. 略微改进，对…作微调

value offering
高性价比的商品；（麦当劳的）低价菜单

• These shoes are a great value at 100 yuan.

spur/spɜːr/
v. 促进，刺激

• = jump-start

doom and gloom
无望，前景不妙

fare/fer/
v. 表现；过得

• Farewell to you.

get into the game
入行；入局

• = get involved in sth.
• game = business

turn a profit on
在…上盈利

curate/kjʊˈreɪt/
v. 精选

• curated news

tailor/ˈteɪlər/
v. 量身打造；按需定制

• apps that are tailored for tablet screens