Consumer Trends
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Brandon Bell via Getty Images
McDonald’s credits speed, personalization for high satisfaction
The fast food chain is attracting consumers with customized messaging and cementing their loyalty with swift and consistent service.
By Bryan Wassel • May 2, 2024 -
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
Shake Shack’s kiosks are now its largest ordering channel
The chain added upselling options to its kiosks and made the channel’s customization experience more similar to online ordering.
By Julie Littman • May 2, 2024 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Hispanolistic via Getty Images
TrendlineTop 5 stories from Restaurant Dive
Check out a selection of articles about some of the biggest trends — from personalized loyalty programs to a growing catering boom — shaping the restaurant industry during the first half of 2024.
By Restaurant Dive staff -
Courtesy of Subway
Back to Basics: What builds a good snacking menu?
Diner demand for specific snack items depends on their mood, time of day and ease of travel, experts said, opening up an array of traffic-boosting innovation opportunities for restaurants.
By Danielle McLean • May 1, 2024 -
Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Starbucks’ mobile ordering is so popular, it’s slowing some orders down
Starbucks will roll out new procedures that will help workers reduce wait times, CEO Laxman Narasimhan said Tuesday.
By Bryan Wassel • May 1, 2024 -
Permission granted by Camille Gramont
ColumnPardon the Disruption: What the sudden loss of Foxtrot and Dom’s means for retail
Their demise underscores just how difficult it is to bring new, innovative ideas to life in the shadow of large-scale competitors and the grinding need for efficiency.
By Jeff Wells • April 30, 2024 -
Permission granted by Clean Juice
Brix Holdings to buy Clean Juice
The Christian juice chain, which lost dozens of franchise locations over changes to its business model, sold itself for undisclosed terms.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 29, 2024 -
Courtesy of Virtual Dining Concepts
IHOP adds 2 new Virtual Dining Concept brands, expands another
IHOP is focusing on virtual brands as a solution to traffic problems in non-peak dayparts and thinks two sports-themed brands could lift sales.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 25, 2024 -
Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
Why dynamic pricing sours restaurant dining experiences
Nearly two-thirds of consumers had a negative reaction to dynamic pricing, a HungerRush survey found.
By Kristen Doerer • April 17, 2024 -
Permission granted by Wow Bao
Wow Bao links restaurant rewards to Roblox in platform-first integration
Metaverse hype may have dissipated, but brands remain interested in leveraging games like Roblox to connect with Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
By Peter Adams • April 11, 2024 -
Scott Olson via Getty Images
Fast food is getting faster, data shows
Limited-service chains maintained an edge in traffic growth relative to casual dining, likely due to continued improvements in throughput, Placer.ai reported.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 10, 2024 -
Patpitchaya via Getty Images
Dynamic pricing firm Juicer snags $5.3M in funding
Restaurant pricing tools may help operators boost sales in lagging dayparts, but consumer sensitivity about these applications is still powerful.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 10, 2024 -
Permission granted by Cliff's
4 hot c-store flavor trends for summer
Sweet and spicy pairings, tropical fruits and international influences will see a surge as the weather heats up, experts say.
By Christine Blank • April 9, 2024 -
Courtesy of KFC
KFC adds $4.99 meal deal through year’s end
As restaurants across the board face dwindling traffic, the chicken chain is leaning on aggressive discounting to draw customers.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 8, 2024 -
Permission granted by First Watch
How 6 casual dining companies faced falling traffic
From First Watch to Olive Garden, major casual dining restaurants saw inflation-conscious consumers cut back on visits.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 5, 2024 -
Courtesy of Dave's Hot Chicken
Dave’s Hot Chicken tests kiosks, bigger drinks in face of $20 CA wage
The fast-growing chain is raising prices 9% and testing tech that it says boosts check but doesn’t cut labor costs.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • April 1, 2024 -
Permission granted by Square
Sponsored by SquareThe Future of Restaurants Report: 2024 Edition
The Square Future of Restaurants report will give you insight into how global restaurant owners are staying competitive and what motivates customers to dine with them.
April 1, 2024 -
Maddie Meyer via Getty Images
Restaurant sales rose 12% in 2023 compared to 2019: report
Consumer spending was up 7% year over year among the top 50 restaurant chains compared to 5% within the overall industry, per Circana data.
By Julie Littman • March 29, 2024 -
Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
Opinion
Dynamic offers done right: Why Wendy’s was on the right track
Unlike surge pricing, dynamic pricing can enhance brand loyalty and foster a sense of community engagement beyond traditional marketing methods, writes Catherine Tabor, founder and CEO of Sparkfly.
By Catherine Tabor • March 20, 2024 -
Brett Dworski/Restaurant Dive
Growing demand for alternative daypart options brings new opportunities for c-stores
Thanks to remote work and generational eating habits, consumers increasingly seek quick, flexible meals throughout the day, experts say.
By Danielle McLean • March 15, 2024 -
Courtesy of Starbucks
Starbucks debuts 2 iced lavender drinks for spring
The matcha and latte LTOs aren’t part of the new beverage platforms announced earlier this year, but capitalize on growing sales of cold beverages and tea-based lattes.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 7, 2024 -
Permission granted by First Watch
First Watch will enter New England, Las Vegas as EBITDA nears $100M
After passing $1 billion in sales, the breakfast chain is eyeing new markets where its suburban-first system could insulate it from high development costs.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 6, 2024 -
Permission granted by McAlister's
McAlister’s Deli tops $1 billion in sales
The chain is GoTo Foods’ first restaurant brand to reach this financial threshold thanks to modernization and a new catering daypart that bolstered AUVs.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 5, 2024 -
Courtesy of Chipotle
These 4 restaurant companies totaled $50B in 2023 digital sales
Yum, Restaurant Brands International, Wendy’s and Chipotle continue to invest in consumer-facing features including app enhancements, loyalty offerings and kiosks to grow their digital mixes.
By Julie Littman • March 1, 2024 -
Courtesy of Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen’s robot kitchens yield 10% higher tickets in test
The salad chain plans to add its Infinite Kitchen to seven new builds and three to four retrofit units in 2024, after two pilot stores yielded improvements in throughput and labor turnover.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 1, 2024 -
Permission granted by Berry Global
Wendy’s backtracks on dynamic pricing
The company said Tuesday that it would not charge higher prices during peak hours. This statement follows widespread consumer backlash on social media in response to mention of a dynamic pricing test in its Q4 earnings call.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 28, 2024
