Restaurants are a Dairy Driver 
Each year more than 4.6 billion pounds of cheese are consumed through restaurants and food service. Cheddar and mozzarella account for 42 percent of all cheese used in restaurants and Wisconsin leads the U.S. in production of cheddar and is the second largest producer of mozzarella. Unequivocally, food service is important to Wisconsin dairy farmers.  

Did you know? 
  • Food service accounts for 38 percent of total domestic cheese use 
  • Mozzarella alone accounts for more than 25 percent of cheese in food service 
  • Combined, mozzarella and pizza cheese account for 41 percent of total food service cheese use 
 
Wisconsin leads the U.S. in production of cheddar and is the second largest producer of mozzarella. That’s why food service is important to Wisconsin dairy farmers.  
 
Consumers continue to be adventurous and look for new items on menus. DFW helps facilitate limited time offers, so new types of Wisconsin cheeses are added to menus to help drive incremental volume.
 
Any way you slice it, shred it or grate it, cheese usage in food service is game changer for Wisconsin dairy farmers.
Wisconsin Cheese Adds Quality and Taste to Menus
When restaurants and foodservice operators partner with DFW, The Proudly Wisconsin® Cheese badge is a way to immediately communicate superior flavor and craftmanship for any menu item that includes Wisconsin Cheese.

Food Service utilizes about 60 percent of all the cheese produced in Wisconsin. Of course, our goal at DFW is to grow volume usage of Wisconsin Cheese and continue to incorporate the Proudly Wisconsin® Cheese badge and Wisconsin Cheese messaging as opportunity to promote the award-winning quality cheese with food service customers especially in the pizza, burger, and sandwich sector.

Adding the Proudly Wisconsin® Cheese badge to menus can help drive sales:
  • 71 percent of consumers would be more likely to order an item with cheese if they see the Proudly Wisconsin® Cheese badge.
  • 88 percent of consumers say that the quality of cheese affects their impression of a restaurant’s menu.
  • Restaurants that include Wisconsin Cheese on a menu are able to experience a 5-10 percent increase in check average.
Foodservice & Retail Trends Forecast 2022
The Insights & Information team at DFW gathers and analyzes data related to retail sales of dairy products, restaurant trends, consumer behavior, and production of dairy products. Trend forecasting enables dairy to innovate today, to develop the products that our consumers will want to eat, drink and experience for years to come, with the most accurate forecasting in consumer, lifestyle and product trends.
In Case You Missed It!
Restaurants Drive Cheese Sales and Usage

Why do restaurants in the pizza, burger, and sandwich sector matter so much to dairy farmers? They are key partners in marketing an immense volume of cheese, especially staples like mozzarella and cheddar. Hoard's Dairyman recently shared the tremendous importance and interest DFW has to drive demand for milk, building stronger relationships with restaurant and food service partners as we strive to differentiate ourselves with quality menu options like Wisconsin cheese.
Upcoming Industry Events and Activations 
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is committed to sharing the impact that promotion, research and education has in our state and beyond our borders. If you have questions or would like someone to present to your dairy organization, please connect with us.
hello@wisconsindairy.org | 800.373.9662