Consumers are hungry for mozzarella, and operators are ready to satisfy their appetite. According to Datassential, 76% of restaurants feature traditional mozzarella as a menu mainstay; another 11% offer it as a seasonal item or special. When it comes to fresh mozzarella, 41% offer it all the time, and 24% do so on a limited basis.

From the frothy crown on a chocolate milkshake to a topping that takes a Belgian waffle to the next level, whipped cream is having a moment.

It’s interesting to know how mozzarella is made. For the industry, however, what’s even more compelling is how mozzarella is consumed.

Its history in Italy and the United States underscores an important fact about mozzarella cheese: Although they all share the name “mozzarella,” there are actually several different varieties of the beloved Italian cheese, each with its own unique characteristics.

By summer, after shelter-in-place guidelines were lifted, indoor dining had resumed around the country (with restrictions varying by state). But with infection rates rising, a number of regions are again significantly restricting or shuttering dine-in service, forcing many restaurant operators to focus on outdoor dining as an alternative.

Digital food orders have grown at an average annual rate of 23% since 2013, so it isn’t surprising that some restaurants have found fulfilling the constant influx of delivery requests challenging.

Nine in 10 consumers consider cheese an essential pizza ingredient, and traditionally, one type has ruled the pizza realm.

How can operators alleviate consumer concerns over returning to restaurant dining? Learn more here:

Is third-part delivery right for your operation? Learn more here:

People are relishing normalcy wherever they can find it these days. For some, that means sipping a fruity drink under a patio umbrella at a restaurant that not very long ago wasn’t open for in-person dining. Although the signs of the coronavirus are ever-present—waiters wearing masks, tables spaced 6 feet apart—diners once again have the ability to eat a meal they didn’t cook themselves, surrounded by more than just the people they live with.