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When customers can pay quickly and without friction, it enhances their experience and shortens wait times, leading to improved customer satisfaction—particularly in fast-casual settings where speed is essential. According to Statista , the global online food delivery market size was valued at $151.5
Fast food and casual dining are currently seeing higher traffic. With dining out becoming more of an occasional treat, it's very important that guests have a great experience – whether that's at an upmarket restaurant or a fast food outlet. When they do eat out, they're often choosing cheaper options.
The hospitality industry has always been about delivering great service—but today, that means more than just good food and friendly staff. For years, restaurant technology has been about speed and efficiency—faster orders, better scheduling, streamlined payments. Contactless ordering and AI powered recommendations.
Food that naturally travels well—chicken wings, burritos, Chinese food—was bound to have a leg-up. Smart QSR and fast casual chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack reconfigured their strategies to lean heavily into delivery apps, digital ordering, and loyalty programs.
“Through expansive experiences that inspire our guests paired with the ambiance of the space and the food on the plate, we’re setting new standards for the industry and creating truly spectacular moments for all who enter our restaurants and bars.” That’s where the NEXT Flavor Report comes in.
A third of diners said their favorite restaurant changed in the past 12 months, with “better food” (46 percent) and “better value” (40 percent) cited as the leading reasons, according to Tillster’s 2025 Phygital Index Report. The survey of 1,500 U.S.-based For the third year in a row, consumers want more kiosks.
Although dynamic pricing is a staple in industries like travel and hospitality, its application in fast food is uncharted territory. They were asked to place an order from an online restaurant. Key Study Insights As participants placed orders from identical menus, RMS used eye-tracking technology to track where they focused.
These features include tableside mobile ordering, NFC contactless payments, and direct online ordering. They also have the choice of using the MarketConnect app to order and pick up from a designated shelf onsite, avoiding interactions and maintaining necessary social distancing.
This represents a larger increase than those increasing visits to fast-casual (14 percent) or full-service (11 percent) restaurants and is on par with those visiting QSRs more frequently (24 percent) ( RMS Q1 2025 Dining report ). The 2,000 U.S. Grocery and c-store competitors recognized the opportunity.
So much data is generated at every point within a restaurant, whether fast casual or fine dining. Restaurants are already experimenting with using AI to handle drive through orders to allow human employees to focus on customer interactions in the restaurant.
“AI should be introduced where it adds the most value—fast food and fast casual restaurants can benefit from kiosks and automated ordering, while full-service restaurants should focus on enhancing hospitality and personal service rather than automation,” said Fink.
White-centered food narratives appear most often at major chains. I’d eaten my fair share of “barbacoa” at Chipotle, where its shredded-beef burrito was my splurge order. This is not to say food can’t, or shouldn’t, evolve. It’s time to hold them accountable. I thought I did. Where have you been eating barbacoa?”.
After successfully opening a second location in Kernersville, NC, and planning for a third one, the fast-casual gourmet slider brand has started franchising and plans to grow strategically in the Southeast region. AI-powered chatbots and ordering systems streamline customer interactions, speeding up service while maintaining a personal touch.
In recent years, the food service industry has undergone a rapid transformation of automation and increased technology usage. This has led to many perks for consumers, such as reduced wait times, contactless ordering, and more personalized offers and rewards. Perkins American Food Co. percent from 2025 to 2033 and reach US$ 345.6
Businesses have been forced to pivot away from on-premises dining to offer on-line ordering and take-out services. Whether fine-dining or fast casual, great service now revolves around the customer experience you bring to every interaction. The people that answer the phone for takeout orders are now your frontline for customers.
In today’s fast-paced dining world, guest satisfaction goes beyond just great food—it’s about delivering a seamless experience. Clear signals (verbal or non-verbal) between the kitchen, servers, and hosts help reduce wait times and missed orders. Speed of Service This measures the time from order to delivery.
Todays diners scroll before they order, and your restaurants social media presence can make or break their decision to visit. Look for creators who already engage with your local food scene. A trendy, fast-casual spot will likely need very different content than a fine dining experience. But not all creators are the right fit.
Rising labor and food costs, along with the ongoing struggle to recruit and retain employees, remain among the top concerns for both fullservice and limited-service operators. "The This is especially important to 90 percent of fine dining operators and 87 percent of casual dining operators.
Here are a few examples of tech-centered solutions to ease the ongoing labor crisis in restaurants by putting more functionality directly in the hands of customers: Digital Tableside Ordering to Support Service Staff. Enter digital tableside ordering. For fast-casual or QSR brands, digital tableside ordering is equally beneficial.
A spike in food costs, a drop in sales volume, or one slow season can wipe out months of hard work. They tell you how much money your restaurant keeps after paying for everything from food costs to labor expenses to utilities and rent. There are two kinds of margins you need to know. Why are restaurant profit margins so thin?
“We are seeing sign-on bonuses at fast food and fast casual locations, something never seen before in the industry. Some operators are willing to have you work today, get paid tomorrow in order to get people in place to handle their minimum requirements. 200 online orders a month with one to two people.
In particular, supply chain disruptions and staffing shortages – whether due to resignations or illness – are forcing quick service and fast casual restaurants to adapt quickly to changing conditions. Increased Emphasis on Online Ordering. Former competitors are now part of the same umbrella company. Final Thoughts.
From full service to fast-casual to legacy fast-food brands, the one constant was disruption. Many brands were able to turn a profit from the lockdowns and social distancing orders by shifting operations toward drive-thru, delivery, pick-up, and curbside models. Just as one issue seemed fixed, another presents itself.
The food service industry is forecast to reach $1 trillion in sales this year. We’re seeing younger buyers investing in dining experiences that blend food, convenience, and atmosphere with their values as shoppers. Take fast casual and drive-thru for example. For drive-thrus or call ins, can you accurately hear the order?
And no, increasing restaurant sales doesn’t mean turning your restaurant staff into pushy upsellers trying to squeeze a few extra dollars out of every order. Create Limited-Time Offers That Drive Action Limited-time offers (LTOs) give potential customers a reason to order now, not later.
As a step further, offering a flexible menu catered to solo diners – with smaller portions to reduce food waste and allow the diner to taste more dishes – provides waiters with an additional opportunity to make personalized recommendations specific to these menu offerings. Cuisine type?
They are top spots for the best food in France. In cities like New York, you’ll find eateries that mirror the bistro’s casual sophistication, while Tokyo’s intimate wine bars reflect a similar ethos of warmth and simplicity. Tech-savvy tools: Online reservations and ordering streamline service for busy guests.
As consumers have come to rely on their cell phones in virtually every aspect of their lives, restaurants should consider letting guests order via mobile rather than at a counter. Contactless Ordering. This can be done by making interactive menus available online or in an app. Contactless Payments.
Erling Wu-Bower, chef partner at Maxwells Trading in Chicago, describes his food as city food by city kids, a swirl of influences and fun that shouldnt resemble any sort of European tradition. Okay, so his menu still has Beginnings, which he says are more casual bites meant to be eaten with your hands and with a cocktail.
Of course, delivery also spiked, but the underlying thread between each of these dining preferences is the use of mobile for ordering and pick-up. In fact, according to a report by Bluedot , 86 percent of respondents surveyed said they have ordered directly from a restaurant app since the start of the pandemic. million new downloads.
Over the next decade, a generation passionate about health and wellness will demand restaurants be transparent about food from farm to table. Guests will expect to know every aspect of sourcing and meal preparation, which will disrupt traditional back-of-house systems with technology that connects the farm to the food.
While consumers might seek culinary experiences they can’t have at home, they have vastly different expectations for how they engage – whether via phone, app ordering, third-party take-out, or dining in, they want the same seamless interactions they’ve come to expect in all areas of their lives. ” It gets better.
percent) than they do in casual restaurants (16.5 Takeout tips are down : Tips for online orders and delivery dipped slightly, falling from 8.83 Diners are going out more often : People are dining out more frequently at both fine dining and fast casual restaurants, with the total number of transactions rising 3.60 percent to 8.07
Looking ahead, we predict a day when cultivated meat will find its place as a default choice -on menus, because it delivers on taste, nutrition, and food safety, in addition to environmental sustainability and animal welfare. Beyond the realm of food, a similar shift has occurred with electric cars.
Some of those challenges, particularly for smaller, local restaurants, include implementing online ordering, creating a digital presence, and offering delivery for the first time. Even before current events arose, online ordering capabilities and digital touchpoints were becoming nearly ubiquitous. Update Online Ordering Technology.
It blends sales data, food cost, and menu psychology to help you stop guessing and start making decisions that grow your margins. Real menu engineering efforts are grounded in hard numbers: data, food cost percentage, and how much profit each dish actually brings in, so you know exactly what to promote, rework, or cut.
Climate & Seasonality: Does the weather impact what people order or when they dine out? Ask yourself: Dining Preferences: Do they prioritize health-conscious options, indulgent comfort food, or trendy dishes? Lifestyle Choices: Do they prefer fast, casual meals or long, social dining experiences?
Fast casual restaurants are popping up faster than you can say "build your own grain bowl." " They're somewhere between a full-service casual dining restaurant and a quick-service restaurant or fast food chain. Looking for tips on starting your fast casual restaurant?
For example, if you run a social media campaign or pay for online ordering integrations, all of these contribute to your overall marketing expenses. Imagine you own a café, and you’ve just run a campaign to boost your online ordering. You spent $800 on Facebook ads and in-store promotions over a month.
It’s the foundation of knowing your actual food cost. When done correctly, dish costing helps you control food costs, reduce food waste, and price items in a way that supports your restaurant’s financial health without alienating guests. Accuracy matters, especially when food prices fluctuate.
The food delivery company said Wednesday that it has acquired Symbiosys, an ad tech company, in a deal valued at $175 million. These ads will direct back to a restaurants’ DoorDash ordering page. In the future, they could also link to a restaurants’ own website if they use DoorDash’s Storefront online ordering system, Samolis said.
Everything from food to labor is getting more expensive, which means restaurant margins are tighter than ever. The right marketing strategy helps you get the most out of every dollar by increasing customer retention , boosting order volume, and encouraging repeat visits. Even if your food is incredible, youre not operating in a vacuum.
Casual Dining velocity has grown by 158 percent over the same period, suggesting many of the Casual Dining business models were able to maintain sales to some degree through pandemic restrictions. In fact, 30 percent of recent casual dining visitors think there is an opportunity to improve the quality of the beverage offer.
We’ve been crayon pros for over 30 years, ever since we started partnering with the fast-growing casual dining restaurant chains of the 90s. Read on to learn more about crayons—the unsung heroes of casual dining. They are easily ordered, shipped and stored, and have a long shelf life. How do crayons save the day?
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