Consumer Trends: Page 3
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Inside CosMc’s: Slow drive-thru service may undercut customization’s perks
McDonald’s spinoff brand, which targets Gen Z with highly caffeinated drinks and snacks, is a “learning lab” that needs work to compete with legacy QSRs.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 22, 2024 -
BurgerFi’s sales fell 10% in Q1
The chain attributed some of its difficulties to a consumer pullback, but said weather accounted for its exceptionally poor performance.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 15, 2024 -
Trendline
Top 5 stories from Restaurant Dive
Check out a selection of articles about some of the biggest trends — from the rise of dessert concepts to a cohort of Mexican chains trying to overtake Chipotle — shaping the restaurant industry in 2024.
By Restaurant Dive staff -
Sponsored by Square
Get the most out of the National Restaurant Association Show with Square
Whether you’re attending in person or tuning in from home, growth is on the agenda this year. Take a glimpse at what Square will cover.
May 13, 2024 -
Sponsored by SupHerb Farms®
The global flavor craze
Unlock the latest global flavor trends that will attract each generation to your operation.
By SupHerb Farms • May 13, 2024 -
Operators predict continued catering boom
Return-to-office is increasing demand for business catering as employers use meal plans to draw workers in-person, according to a survey from ezCater.
By Julie Littman • May 9, 2024 -
Dine’s sales sour on virtual brand closures, slow traffic
IHOP and Applebee’s promotions and LTOs weren’t enough to offset a dip in consumer spending during Q1.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 8, 2024 -
Wendy’s credits loyalty program, mobile app investments for customer growth
“The experience we deliver to our customers is the most impactful driver of our business,” CEO Kirk Tanner said.
By Bryan Wassel • May 7, 2024 -
Starbucks’ late-night delivery pilot ‘doubled our business,’ CEO says
A third-party partner prepared Starbucks orders for delivery offsite between the hours of 5 p.m. and 5 a.m., and the coffee giant aims to make a $2 billion business out of this model over the next five years.
By Emma Liem Beckett • May 7, 2024 -
Sweetgreen targets dinner customers with steak
The salad chain is following up the successful rollout of protein plates last year with steak, which accounted for nearly one-fifth of dinner orders in a pilot.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • May 7, 2024 -
Sponsored by Square
The top restaurant trends in 2024
Restaurant owners crave tools that provide better insights that they can use to connect with their customers, integrate with other solutions, and receive real-time information about the health of their business.
By Natalie Zunker • May 6, 2024 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
Column
Pardon 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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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