Consumer Trends

  • An image of a building with a sign that says "Sweetgreen."
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen may change its pricing after disaster quarter

    The salad chain suffered the worst quarter among major fast casual restaurants. It is now rethinking everything from core prices to its menu’s emphasis on bowls.

    By • Feb. 27, 2026
  • A sign marks the location of an Outback Steakhouse restaurant on November 02, 2021 in Skokie, Illinois.
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    Scott Olson / Staff via Getty Images
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    Outback posts first traffic growth in 5 years

    New steaks improved guest satisfaction, and fresh investments in facilities, labor and marketing could help build the brand’s transaction momentum.

    By • Feb. 25, 2026
  • Peter the Pita Chip plushie on a Cava bag
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    Courtesy of Cava
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    Cava hits $1B in sales, but traffic growth slows

    The chain will work to boost visits with menu innovation and other initiatives, CFO Tricia Tolivar said, as the fast casual category fights off headwinds.

    By • Feb. 24, 2026
  • Couche-Tard
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    Retrieved from Couche-Tard.
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    Inside the 18-month reset reviving Couche-Tard’s US food business

    After a hot start in 2020, Circle K’s Fresh Food, Fast program slowed. Executives are now fine-tuning the offering through operational improvements and menu updates to spark new growth.

    By Brett Dworski • Feb. 23, 2026
  • A hand lifts a slice of stuffed crust pizza topped with pepperoni and peppers. The slice trails strings of melted mozzarella.
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    Courtesy of Domino's
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    Domino’s wants to double its market share

    CEO Russel Weiner thinks the chain can capture half of the QSR pizza market at the expense of Pizza Hut and Papa Johns.

    By • Feb. 23, 2026
  • Jack in the Box
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Why Jack in the Box bets parking lot paint can cure sales

    The chain hopes improvements to product quality and restaurant cosmetics will reverse sliding same-store sales and help prepare for a full remodel program.

    By • Feb. 19, 2026
  • A hand dips a chicken tender into a sauce
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    Courtesy of Wingstop
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    How Wingstop plans to weather traffic slides and winter storms

    The company expects investments in speed of service and in loyalty systems will reverse a third quarter of comparable sales declines.

    By • Feb. 18, 2026
  • AI-generated Paris Hiltons in a Carl's Jr. ad
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    Courtesy of Carl's Jr.
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    Deep Dive

    How QSRs are building on value marketing with pop culture, nostalgia

    Fast food marketers including McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s will have to move beyond price-point value to drive sales and traffic.

    By Chris Kelly • Feb. 18, 2026
  • A woman smiles while holding her phone over a payment terminal held by a man in a cafe. The setting is bright and welcoming with a brick wall backdrop.
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    Shutterstock.com/PeopleImages

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    Sponsored by Affinity Solutions

    What last year’s receipts say about the year ahead

    Think consumers pulled back in 2025? Not exactly. Shoppers didn’t stop spending, they got pickier. Dive into trends shaping retail behavior and what they signal for 2026.

    Feb. 17, 2026
  • An exterior image of a Wonder food Hall
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    Permission granted by Wonder
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    Wonder buys a brand, deploys two more

    Grubhub’s owner is betting on elevated fried chicken and bowl-based concepts at a moment when fast casual’s core consumers are ailing.

    By • Feb. 11, 2026
  • An image of three protein bowls from Sweetgreen
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Limited-service restaurants are losing traffic to grocers and casual chains

    QSR and fast casual chains will need to improve holistic value and on-premise experiences to bring people back, Placer.ai’s R.J. Hottovy says.

    By • Feb. 9, 2026
  • An image of several specialty drinks from Taco Bell's Live Mas Cafe lined up on a white counter top.
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    Permission granted by Taco Bell/Diversified Restaurant Group
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    How Yum is adapting Taco Bell’s playbook for KFC

    The parent company has worked to align the strategies between the two QSR brands to bring some of Taco Bell’s success to the chicken chain.

    By • Feb. 5, 2026
  • A sign on a Chipotle restaurant.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Chipotle spends more on marketing amid search for ‘unicorn’ CMO

    The fast casual chain plans to better support its marketing with targeted media as it looks to reverse negative sales growth.

    By Chris Kelly • Feb. 4, 2026
  • Mockups of Just Salad's Rewards program
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    Courtesy of Just Salad
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    Just Salad launches ‘instant gratification’ rewards system

    While many restaurant chains are shifting to points-based programs, the salad brand is leaning into gamified mystery rewards on every order above $12.

    By • Feb. 2, 2026
  • Two people working in the restaurant My 2 Cents.
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    Permission granted by Square
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    What’s the restaurant industry outlook for 2026?

    After a bruising year, restaurants face another spell of serious uncertainty. But there are bright spots in beverage innovation and casual dining, and diner spending may improve.

    By • Jan. 30, 2026
  • A person in a white shirt hold up a stick of meat while a person at a table takes a portion of meat off the stick. Another person is taking a photograph with a smartphone
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    Courtesy of Fogo de Chao
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    Deep Dive

    Casual chains need to prioritize experience to win in 2026

    Restaurant brands that offer affordability alongside a positive guest experience will thrive this year, and customers will keep coming back, experts say.

    By • Jan. 29, 2026
  • An image of two pan pizzas in front of a green background. On the right is a green pizza box.
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    Permission granted by Papa Johns
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    Papa Johns debuts Pan Pizza

    The new menu category took years of research and development to perfect and could help the pizza chain compete against segment leader Domino’s.

    By • Jan. 28, 2026
  • An empty Starbucks redesigned with lots of green and open space.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks’ sales spike on traffic, show turnaround is working

    The coffee giant saw transactions increase among rewards members and non-members, the first time both cohorts saw traffic growth in nearly four years.

    By • Jan. 28, 2026
  • Several Chipotle items with the brand's version of chicken al pastor.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle bets Chicken al Pastor will bring consumers back

    The fast casual giant is increasing the frequency of its protein LTOs in a bid to drive trial, relevance and traffic. 

    By • Jan. 27, 2026
  • A person in a white sweater holds a drug injection pen.
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    Getty Images
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    GLP-1 users are still dining out

    Companies like Krispy Kreme, Darden and Fogo de Chao have seen little change in frequency from these guests, and Circana data shows just a 1% dip in orders per trip.

    By • Jan. 26, 2026
  • A beige building with a green sign and white lettering that says "Panera Bread."
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Panera pilots points-based rewards program

    The fast casual chain will test its latest iteration of MyPanera at 216 cafes across various markets, with a plan for a nationwide rollout later this year.

    By • Jan. 23, 2026
  • A person holding an order of Taco Bell chicken nuggets, nacho fries and a drink.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets are back

    After a big year for Crispy Chicken products, Taco Bell is continuing to leverage menu items, like nuggets, to drive same-store sales growth.

    By • Jan. 22, 2026
  • An image of various cold beverages from Taco Bell.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Deep Dive

    Drink up: Restaurants will spend more on beverage innovation in 2026

    Mocktails, energy drinks and premium caffeine options are set to sweep through restaurant menus this year. 

    By • Jan. 21, 2026
  • A photograph of various hamburgers and nuggets from Wendy’s.
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    Courtesy of Wendy’s
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    Wendy’s expands value menu with Biggie Deals

    The menu offers combos at a $4, $6 and $8 price points and builds off of its Biggie Bag by allowing for more customization.

    By • Jan. 14, 2026
  • A stock image of catered food in chafing dishes.
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    Getty Images
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    QSR catering is big business, but it’s not takeout, experts say

    “With catering customers, you only get one shot,” said Mike Smith, chief brand officer of Moe’s Southwest Grill. “Either you invest in all the things it takes, or you stay out of the business.”

    By Michael Brady • Jan. 14, 2026