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Smart QSR and fastcasual chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack reconfigured their strategies to lean heavily into delivery apps, digital ordering, and loyalty programs. So, what can marketers of fastcasuals do to bring people back to their brick-and-mortar locations? But the platform is where the real winners shook out.
As digital transactions become ubiquitous, businesses across all sectors are embracing innovations that reshape the way they interact with customers. In 2025, the restaurant industry will continue to adapt to these payment innovations, with a focus on eliminating cash transactions and prioritizing seamless, digital payment methods.
. – Jackie Abril-Carlile, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Culinary Instructo r and Executive chef and general manager at North Mountain Brewing Everything Has Changed At the onset of COVID, most fastcasual restaurants went from primarily dine-in business to mostly takeout and delivery models.
According to a study conducted by Technavio , the fastcasual restaurant industry will witness a compound annual growth rate of over 12 percent from now until 2026. I believe that fastcasual continues to be a great place for savvy multi-unit restaurant franchisees to diversify. Here are three reasons why.
Since the acquisition, SALIDO has operated in stealth mode, strengthening its product team, focusing on product development, and introducing many key features. Additionally, SALIDO has launched integrations like Oracle OPERA to support the evolving needs of SALIDO’s hospitality operators during this challenging time.
Fast Food Flavor Report Fast food brands and restaurants are scratching their heads trying to figure out what flavors are a bonafide trend and which are just a fleeting fad. Expect to see functional plants like burdock, angelica, and osha root popping up more frequently, adding a fresh, innovative twist to dishes.
If you’re involved in any aspect of the FastCasual category, you don’t need me to tell you that labor and distribution issues are real. We all also know that there is no silver bullet that will course-correct the struggles faced by owners and operators. They are absolutely your most valuable resource.
But such is the world of giant quick-service and fast-casual business : Find interesting, “trendy,” flavorful ideas from any culture, dilute them into their most mass-marketable forms, and reap monetary gain without acknowledging the sources. To light the way , a new wave of fastcasuals is actively changing the status quo.
The owner of Delicious Raw, a healthy fastcasual concept launched in 2013, is looking to grow the brand and create a one-stop-shop for healthy consumables for a broad audience. We are also constantly working on ways to expand our menu, developing new recipes to offer innovative and delicious new options.
Recognizing this shift, Freshii , a fast-casual franchise with hundreds of locations globally, created a corporate partnership that enables companies to offer meal kits and market baskets at a discount to their employees. Strategies like those employed by Prairie keeps the supply chain moving, costs constant, and food waste limited.
While restaurants that successfully pivot to address this demand for value may grow or maintain their sales, these brands could find themselves making other cost-saving operational changes, like reducing portion sizes, to account for this trend. In this competitive environment, it’s clear that we must innovate to stay ahead.
Furthermore, CAD supports the design-build lifecycle and maintenance, ensuring continuity and precision from the initial concept to the daily operation of the completed restaurant. How Design Technology Improves Space and Guest Experience Every square foot counts when redesigning a fast-casual eatery or a fine dining venue.
Independent restaurants are at a pivotal moment, as the industry confronts multiple challenges including inflation, cost volatility, and extreme weather and adapts to an increasingly complex operating environment, according to the findings of the The James Beard Foundation® (JBF) 2025 Independent Restaurant Industry Report.
In fact, 45 percent of restaurant operators expect competition to be more intense than last year. Bank of America suggests that technological innovation is the real game-changer , and it could have a big impact on the overall bottom line for restaurants in 2024. So, what’s the solution? Food availability is often in flux.
Technology innovations offer the potential to bridge the gap between the need to keep their business running and deliver quality products and experiences to their guests. For fast-casual or QSR brands, digital tableside ordering is equally beneficial. The labor crisis has not been limited to just FOH or BOH operations staff.
In particular, supply chain disruptions and staffing shortages – whether due to resignations or illness – are forcing quick service and fastcasual restaurants to adapt quickly to changing conditions. Increased Emphasis on Online Ordering. Former competitors are now part of the same umbrella company.
Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine asked restaurant industry experts for their views on what trends and challenges owners and operators can expect to see in 2024. The artistry of chefs and the creativity of restaurateurs will continue to be at the forefront, while these tools become operational enhancers.
innovative and unique marketing strategies and 3. What are the operational challenges of pursuing international expansion? DG: I believe potential operational challenges could derive from keeping up with the ever evolving global policies and regulations. Strong business model 2. a clear identity.
In addition to the emergence of indoor dining, it explores rising competition between fast food and fastcasual restaurant brands with COVID restrictions loosening. “The data strongly signals long wait times are a vulnerability for fast food restaurants as they compete for customers. . Fast food reigns supreme.
However, operators are having to resort to short and long-term fixes to address the fact that they cannot find team members.” “We are seeing sign-on bonuses at fast food and fastcasual locations, something never seen before in the industry. This is what has been working for me.”
This migration could be a goldmine for casual/fast food brands if only they had the people to support them. It’s not unusual for a fast-casual restaurant with over 1,000 locations to manually save the recipes on these drives and then send them to the field teams, and hope they’re properly uploaded.
However, can innovation teach these old dogs new tricks, or will a post-pandemic environment sunset this trend? However, since many restaurant operators didn’t understand QR codes, they failed to implement them correctly or didn’t properly advertise them, so the trend quickly died. The Quintessential QR Comeback.
In addition, 75 percent of restaurant operators say recruiting employees was their top challenge, the highest level ever recorded. As seen first with many fastcasual chains, we expect more differentiated benefits packages to continue to emerge as a way for restaurants to fill much needed open positions.
The old nursery rhyme, “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick” could sum up the actions of successful restaurant operators in 2020. Staying nimble will allow operators to respond with value-oriented menus to meet their customers where they are. 85 percent of millennials and Gen Zers have, too. In other words, you have to be quick.
When we asked about fast food: 29 percent said they eat fast food frequently. 46 percent said they occasionally dine at a fast-food restaurant. Only five percent said they never eat fast food. 29 percent said they rarely ate at casual restaurants. 29 percent said they rarely ate at casual restaurants.
Historically, restaurants have been slow to adopt innovative technology. Seven of ten restaurants are owned by individual operators, most of whom are independent, according to the National Restaurant Association. Operators will need to think locally. Innovators will find their own way. The pandemic changed that.
More than half of restaurant operators said it would be a year or more before businesses conditions return to normal with food, labor, and occupancy costs are expected to remain elevated, and continue to impact restaurant profit margins in 2022, according to the National Restaurant Association's 2022 State of the Restaurant Industry report.
The experience agency, who designed new restaurant prototypes for clients such as Burger King, Panda Express and Panera Bread, surveyed consumers to gain a better understanding of the current customer journey and what guests value most about the restaurant experience, particularly at casual dining and fastcasual restaurants.
With more states lifting sanctions on dine-in options, Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine reached out to Yelp's Small Business Expert Emily Washcovick to learn about ways restaurants can successfully make the transition and slowly ramp up operations, while keeping guest and staff safety top of mind. Emily Washcovick.
Although we are not having guests eat in our dining rooms, Teriyaki Madness is utilizing technology to combat the fallout through an emphasis on pickup and delivery, innovative curbside service and social media promotions across its website and mobile app.
Conducted in partnership with Teneo via online surveys between June 22 and July 2 in Florida, Washington and New York, the results offer insight into how the pandemic has impacted restaurants, how operators have adapted and what will bring diners back through their doors. Innovating During COVID-19.
Contactless ordering at the table, virtual host stands, and online staff wellness checks have all become standard operating procedures for us now. Innovative and inviting outdoor seating is going to be crucial in order for restaurants to survive. Now brands are trying to balance speed to market and operational readiness.
Connecting with the consumer through loyalty programs and better customer data is a key focus for operators – more than seven in ten restaurant leaders (71 percent) are planning to increase investment in their loyalty or reward programs to keep customers close over the next 12 months. Fast-casual visits overall were down 3.8
Although the land, labor, and creativity of farm-to-table sourcing is so exciting and delicious, considerable operational disruption, scheduling, and menu management is still required to make it all a profitable business model. If you think Uber Eats and Grubhub have already had a big impact on the way restaurants operate, just wait.
But there are also some areas where innovation is needed. This might mean weaving elements of fast-casual dining into your design. Yet another issue is trying to respond to operator demands for renovation. Investing in technology, staff, or new operational tactics can play a key part in helping you offer new services.
We appreciate how our team shows up every day with positive attitudes, ready for new challenges and open to all of the operational changes thrown their way. Operators that were already embracing an omni-channel approach have accelerated those efforts as a result of this evolving consumer behavior.
In other encouraging news, franchise operators believe that, although most restaurants are not fully staffed, the labor situation has stabilized. Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) in particular thrived during the pandemic, largely due to drive through capabilities and technological innovation. Are some doing well and others not so?
Who among us hasn’t ordered food through a convenient mobile application, with menu choices ranging from not just quick-serve or fast-casual restaurants, but convenience stores as well? through ghost-kitchen operator ChefSuite. Adding a splash of innovation to your offerings doesn’t have to be a daunting task.
Additionally, as a result of the ongoing labor shortage, we anticipate more automated chatbots to support on-site team members and help streamline their work as well as operators looking for locations with smaller dine-in square footage in favor of adding more drive-thru lanes.
Founded in 2006, Just Salad is the fast-casual restaurant industry’s leading proponent of zero-waste practices. Just Salad is the first restaurant investment for Closed Loop Partners, a New York-based investment firm and innovation center focused on scaling the circular economy in North America and beyond.
What issues have affected the industry over the last five years in the topics of marketing, design, operations, law, finance, technology and equipment? Tableside ordering via tablets, tableside payment, POS systems designed with mobility and flexibility in mind have dominated the market growing out of the fastcasual.
Among the findings: Casual experiential dining appeals on many fronts to consumers of varying ages in different parts of the country looking for affordable culinary experiences. Chef driven fastcasual restaurants feed consumers’ desires for high quality menu items delivered quickly and on the go.
Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine asked restaurant industry experts for their views on what trends and challenges owners and operators can expect to see in 2024. This trend reflects the growing popularity of drive-thru and fast-casual dining, coupled with the demand for digital technologies such as QSR digital signage and QR codes.
Customers shifted their purchases to off-premise dining suddenly, leaving many operators flat footed and ill prepared for seamless online ordering, contactless payment and curbside pickup. Third – and this is true of all industries, not just restaurants: being innovative and flexible has tremendous value.
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