Operations

Rush Bowls founder reveals 3 ways for fast casuals to stay competitive

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May 9, 2023 | By Andrew Pudalov, Rush Bowls, founder

The state of the fast casual market is continually evolving, as it caters to customer preferences, food trends and innovative ingredients year-over-year. It's no surprise to industry leaders that healthy options have taken menus by storm. This noticeable shift can be attributed to a number of factors resulting from diet and lifestyle changes across the country, such as personal diet restrictions, the introduction of innovative and nutrient-rich ingredients, and more. Plus, the growth of the fast casual market as a whole is certainly not slowing down. According to Technavio, the industry's market size in the United States is estimated to grow by $28.8 billion from 2020 to 2025. So, it's important to stay competitive.

To remain relevant and successful, it's imperative that fast casual restaurants listen to their customers' wants and needs, while still staying true to their brand values. Thoughtfully evolving with those market expectations can push the restaurant's creativity and even make the menu more buzzworthy and exciting to target demographics. As innovative practices and ingredients are discovered and become more accessible, accommodating this approach becomes easier for the operator and paves the way for growth in the industry.

1. Hone in on the brand and its purpose
To uphold the foundation of a restaurant brand through the years, its leaders must keep the differentiating and success factors in mind whenever potential changes to the establishment are explored. Honing in on the purpose and passion behind the brand limits the opportunity for a skewed vision to take the menu off course. For example, if a restaurant is founded on the desire to bring healthy, fresh ingredients to the forefront in a fast casual setting, introducing certain food trends to the menu just because of cultural hype may not be beneficial in the long run. With any short-term or long-term brand changes, whether they relate to menu items, operations or a restaurant's visual identity, they should be viewed from the perspective of how the change will be perceived and appreciated by the customer.

Similarly, exploring new avenues to reach future goals does open the door for taking a fresh look at a brand's founding values. While it's important to stay true to why customers love and continue to return to a restaurant, some pivotal changes that may feel shocking do catapult a brand toward exponential growth. An example of this could be introducing a major shift in ingredients used to make popular menu items. When innovation calls, it's beneficial to answer and listen to how a new ingredient could make a menu item better in a variety of ways, such as cost-effectiveness, health for the customer, or time efficiency.

2. Examine current practices and potential improvements
From an operations standpoint, improvements may be encouraged by market demands or simply by the availability of new and improved tools. Although a process or device was instrumental to the restaurant's success for years, a better option will likely come along that is worth the hours of training and upfront cost. As some fast casual restaurants are drive-thru, dine-in, takeout, delivery, or all of the above, some brands have discovered that certain locations or markets call for a particular delivery method, or even an app. That may point toward completely upending the current way of operations at a restaurant and repositioning to serve customers in one way and not another.

Leaders in the industry aren't leaders just because people like their food. They are leaders because they make an impact in the way restaurateurs view and achieve success. That includes doing their research to learn about new industry tools and innovative strategies. So whether that means finding creative ways to incorporate a game-changing superfood or being the first to try out an operations strategy, brands and the teams behind them are constantly working hard to grow the fast casual industry in a positive direction. Both teaching and learning are all part of the process.

3. Stay up to date on innovative strategies and opportunities
Diving deeper into the menu side, say a brand opts to move forward with a new menu item. Will it be a limited-time offer? Is it worthy of a major campaign? Have any other fast casual destinations introduced something similar? It's key to consider how best to deliver a menu change or introduction. Sometimes, the restaurant's most loyal fans will be the first to notice and shout it from the rooftops. And, that's all the promotion that's needed. In other cases, launching a full scale marketing campaign is worthwhile considering the statement or impact that could be made. Just remember, stay true to what makes the brand, the brand.

Once it's time to move forward with an idea or make an announcement, be creative. Whether that means tying the introduction into a holiday or partnering with another brand or individual, this provides the opportunity to make a splash. Ultimately, getting customers excited, both new and loyal, is a great goal to keep in mind when planning promotions and restaurant news.

Looking ahead, the future of the fast casual industry is bright, particularly for those pushing healthy, fresh options and making the necessary changes from all angles to keep up with demand. For many communities across the nation, access is the largest barrier between healthy lifestyles and the individuals that crave them. It's often up to restaurateurs to help make the proper moves to both benefit their brand and the customers that support them. When industry leaders keep a few key components in mind — brand values, willingness to evolve and customer needs — they are headed in the right direction.