Vendors Have Their Say
“Plants being turned into hamburgers, potato chips made with something other than potatoes, pasta made from fish—while these items may enjoy retail success and niche foodservice life, consumers will be returning to the things they trust, made the way they trust and understand.”
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Dan O’Connell
CEO
Foodmix Marketing Communications
“Generation Z is critically important to the restaurant business for the next 20 years, both as employees and consumers, as the oldest of them are just emerging into the marketplace and starting careers. Having lived through 9/11, the Great Recession, and now the COVID-19 pandemic, they will be even more cocooned in their screens and suspect of large gatherings. Their influence and desires will cause everything and everyone to be lower touch.”
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Jim Hargrove
Restaurant Business Consultant
Shamrock Foods Company
“Trends that will become more important: Digital integration (surprising how many brands did not have the ability for online ordering). Facial recognition during the transaction. Possibly more robotics in food handling. Customization and agility of menu changes. I love how some groups (many of the smaller ones) have bundled family meals. I feel menus will shift to accommodate the family meal. This will change the BOH in future restaurant design.”
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Sean McGuinness
Business Director – Restaurants
Sargenti Architects
“Shared table items for dine-in will be a thing of the past. We expect to see a sharp rise in single-serve packets, complete elimination of shared open containers, and items packed for carry-out even for dine-in customers.”
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Patricia Houston
Founder & COO
MMR Live Experience Design
“People will be more hesitant than ever to touch screens. Companies will need to implement conversational AI to keep ordering screens relevant to customers. Many people have been slow to adopt AI in all aspects of life/business. For the restaurant industry, we anticipate seeing customers not only being a lot more comfortable with digital employees, but also choosing digital interactions over in-person interactions.”
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Rob Carpenter
Founder & CEO
Valyant AI
“Being fast and agile and able to react to changes in real time is critical. Having strong customer loyalty and staying in permanent communication with customers is key. The consumer segment mix of every restaurant is currently changing. Therefore, the current product portfolio and price points may not be ideal post-crisis.”
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Philip W. Daus
Partner& US QSR Practice Head
Simon-Kucher & Partners
“For the franchise sector, CV19 will permanently alter how prospective owners think about brands. Franchise buyers will have new perspectives and heightened awareness of risk, contract language, fees, personal guarantees, and operational resilience. Candidates will want more explicit agreement language regarding franchisor support and may push for more shared risk models. It’s already a competitive market to recruit the best franchisees. After CV19, brands will have so much more to prove to win the best operators. Every franchise candidate you have for the next decade will ask how you supported franchisees during this event, and how fast franchisees bounced back.”
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Alicia Miller
Principal
Franchise Performance Group
“Large numbers of guests will show up in the drive-thru lane, for curbside pickup, or for takeout
orders, and push the limits of current off-premises operations. Quick-service restaurant brands need solutions that make their off-premises operations more efficient to handle the increased demand, at scale, and without needing to hire more staff. ”
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Raj Suri
Founder & CEO / Presto
“When the labor market was tight, we saw brands offering innovative and creative employee benefits to attract and retain staff, such as tuition assistance, four-day work weeks, or even cash bonuses. While many of those benefits will no doubt still be available after the pandemic, job seekers will now more than ever want to work for a brand that provides paid sick time and health benefits—including mental health care.”
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Derek Williamson
CEO
HigherMe
“With our minds much more attuned to surfaces and their contact with our hands, touchless technology for things like off-premises interactions will become far more critical to operators and customers alike. Not only are they modern and convenient—they’re safer!”
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Lee Leet
Founder & CEO
QSR Automations
“There’s going to be a big push back against the high commission fees charged by third-party delivery couriers after this. With the entire industry going online and wanting to offer delivery, the need for affordable options will force a change. Before, restaurants did not have an option—now you will see a plethora of restaurant-first alternatives emerge that offer bottom-line savings.”
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Saleem S. Khatri
CEO
Lavu