Pumpkin spice boosting sales at Dunkin', Starbucks

September 3, 2021

It's officially September and that means pumpkin spice everything is back at QSRs and fast-casual restaurants. Both Starbucks and Dunkin' are enjoying an…

Restaurant spending up in second quarter

August 20, 2021

Consumer spending at U.S. restaurants was up 32% in the second quarter compared to the same quarter last year, and for a pre-pandemic view, flat compared to…

The Evolution of Ghost Kitchens

We've all seen the increase in chatter around ghost kitchens and their impact. But do you know what the future of ghost kitchens may hold and whether you…

Presented by SynergySuite

Are smoothies finally growing up?

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Smoothie brands are adding green veggies, herbs and spices to meet customers' maturing tastes.

Will these LTOs increase fast casual traffic?

Brands have always use limited-time offers to give customers new reasons to visit their stores, but they are doubling down on that strategy as people are…

2020's most-downloaded foodservice apps revealed

January 11, 2021

UberEats, McDonald's and DoorDash were the the top 3 most-downloaded apps in the food and beverage category in 2020, according to Apptopia, a firm that tracks…

How fried chicken is laying 'golden eggs' across US

Wanna know what fried chicken brand got the most store visits in 2020? Read on.

Contactless ordering forcing restaurants to adopt 9 tech strategies in 2021

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Contactless ordering is not only here to stay but is forcing restaurants to embrace nine specific technologies and strategies.

The 2021 menu battle: Comfort food vs healthier options

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Menu trends experts from Panera Bread, Buffalo Wild Wings, Luna Grill, Culinary Tides, Qdoba and Pure Green predict the coming year's top menu trends.

Plant-based meat options: Why it's a big deal to customers

by Jana Zschieschang — CMO, RMS

Since COVID, one in five consumers reported making healthier eating choices, according to the International Food Information Council, and it appears swapping…

Restaurants endure at least 1.5 monthly equipment issues

October 1, 2020

Repairing equipment can be a costly burden, especially in the limited-service industry, in which operators reported that a critical piece of equipment goes…

Pumpkin spice is back, but will COVID-19 hinder sales?

September 9, 2020

While many traditional fall rituals like back-to-school shopping and football games have been altered this year by COVID-19, one fall tradition hasn't faltered…

Consumers are ready to dine in but won't ditch to-go, delivery

by Carl Van Ostrand — VP of Consumer Insights, DISQO

Although the onset of COVID-19 made in-person dining impossible in March and April, consumers are starting to show interest again but aren't cutting cut back…

Restaurant transactions improve slightly

August 3, 2020

Restaurant chain transactions dropped 11% nationally for the week that ended July 26, which is a slight improvement from the 12% drop the previous week…

Chipotle sees Q2 digital surge to beat estimates amid COVID impact

July 22, 2020

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. said digital sales more than doubled during the second quarter, beating estimates despite taking an overall profit decline due to…

Fast food industry worth $932B by 2027

July 21, 2020

The fast food restaurant sector will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6% reaching $931.7 billion by 2027, according to ResearchandMarket.com, The…

Meatless Farm Survey Says Over a Quarter of Americans Will Opt for Plant-Based Meat Alternatives When Restaurants Reopen

With Americans champing at the bit to get back to daily routines and neighborhood restaurants, this survey's findings are a telling sign of what restaurant…

[ON-DEMAND WEBINAR]: How franchisees can drive mid-market growth in the digital age

Stay on the leading edge and learn what the best brands are doing technologically and how they're doing it to stay neck-and-neck with diners' expectations

Presented by FastCasual.com

June US restaurant industry sales are best since February

Fast casual falters a bit, while pizza, chicken and burgers fare well in June.

10 restaurant trends fueled by the pandemic

by Melissa Calvert — Academic Blogger, Accuratecite

Although COVID-19 has changed a lot of things about the industry, even a pandemic can't stop these 10 trends.