Despite the unprecedented challenges the restaurant industry faced in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic—including an estimated $255 billion sales loss1—franchising activity didn’t come to a complete halt.
Franchise Frenzy: The Boom in Fast-Casual Segment Franchise Opportunities
Topics: Quick Service Restaurant, Casual Dining Restaurant, Delivery, OREO, Cookies, Foodservice Industry, Menu, Menu Strategy, Food & Beverage, Sales & Profitability, Drive-Thru, Limited Time Offers (LTOs)
Not Chicken Feed: Burgers Still Beef Up Bottom Line More Than Chicken
The sky's the limit for chicken sandwich sales as restaurant chains peck and claw to meet market demand. But even as chicken sandwiches reach new heights of popularity and profitability, burgers remain the meat that can’t be beat.
Topics: Trends, Quick Service Restaurant, Menu, quick service restaurants, Flavor Profiles, Fast-Food Restaurants, Sandwiches/Burgers
Not Winging It: More Chicken Innovation, Higher Sales
The chicken sandwich wars have catapulted a menu staple to new heights of popularity and profitability. America’s insatiable appetite for chicken sandwich variations and a young market hungry for bold new taste adventures have dovetailed to create sky-high demand for chicken innovation. As a result, the stakes for quick-service chains clawing their way up the pecking order of chicken sandwich concepts continues to rise.
Topics: Millennials, Trends, Quick Service Restaurant, Menu, Sales & Profitability, Operations, quick service restaurants
Time-Tested: Which Pandemic Practices Could Become Permanent?
Over the past year and a half, operators have addressed emerging pandemic-related consumer preference, safety and other needs by introducing innovative menu and operational changes—and a number have shown some staying power.
Topics: Technology, Promotions, Marketing & Communications, Mobile, Independents, Family Restaurant, Takeout, Business & Industry, Quick Service Restaurant, Casual Dining Restaurant, Ice Cream/Yogurt Shop, Delivery, Meal Kits, Donuts/Pancakes/Waffles, Cookies/Bars/Snacks, Ice Cream Desserts, Cakes/Cupcakes, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack, Holidays, Chocolate, CHIPS AHOY!, OREO, Family, Cookies, Dessert Ingredients, Grab-and-Go, Labor, Convenience, Foodservice Industry, Menu, Creative Inspiration, Customer Experience, Consumer, Flavors & Ingredients, Menu Strategy, Food & Beverage, Sales & Profitability, COVID-19, Coronavirus, Curbside Pickup, Fast-Casual Restaurant, Off-Premises, Consumer Behavior, Value, Limited Time Offers (LTOs), Nostalgia, Digital/Online Ordering, Touchless, On-Premises, Foodservice, Sweet, Fresh
Functional Meets Flavorful: Plant-Based Concepts Keep Growing
As the chicken sandwich wars continue to reach new heights, it was inevitable that they would dovetail with another major foodservice trend: plant-based chicken. Protein alternatives in the category could rise fast in the pecking order of chicken sandwiches, given high demand for foods that are both flavorful and functional—a combination that COVID-19 has brought to the front burner of foodservice.
Topics: Quick Service Restaurant, Better-for-You, Vegan, Menu Strategy, Sustainability, Operations, COVID-19, Coronavirus, Functional, Plant-Based