In predicting food trends for the coming year, many industry professionals turn to the numbers.
“Among chains in our Top 500 Chain Restaurant ranking, the fast-casual segment grew by about 13 percent in 2014, compared to the quick-service segment’s 3 percent growth,” says Mary Chapman, senior director of product innovation at foodservice research and consulting firm Technomic Inc. “Granted, fast-casual is a smaller segment, but it continues to take share and we believe it will certainly continue to outpace the rest of the industry in 2016.”
Technomic isn’t the only foodservice organization that holds this to be true. Annika Stensson, director of research communications for the National Restaurant Association; Jason Kaplan, CEO of JK Consulting; and Chris Tripoli, president of A’La Carte Food Consulting Group say they agree that fast-casual brands are performing stronger than other concepts and will continue to do so into the next year.
Kaplan notes that since the recession, fast-casual restaurants have benefited the most from consumers being more conscious of how they’re spending their money because these types of venues offer that “middle of the road” option between quick-service and sit-down restaurants.
“Right after the recession, it seemed as though people couldn’t get something satisfying and high quality without spending more, hence why casual and fast-casual restaurants made such a big boom,” he says. “Now, you can get something fresh and tasty for a good value.”
Tripoli also attributes this category’s growth to the rising popularity of fresh, high-quality ingredients at an affordable price.
“Led by Panera Bread and Chipotle, with a tremendous amount of smaller regional chains and independently owned brands expanding as well, fast-casual restaurants are seen as offering fresher, better-quality recipes and innovative food and drink items,” he says. “These establishments offer restaurant recipe items in a format where guests can sit where they want, saving both time and money on tipping.”
Tripoli goes on to add that consumers are willing to pay more for the better-quality food they can get at a fast-casual chain as opposed to a quick-service venue.
“Consumers have demonstrated that they will pay a little more if they are receiving a high-quality product and an enjoyable experience,” he says. “And even quick-service restaurants like Wendy’s and Jack in the Box are taking note and have had success introducing higher-quality ingredients. I think we’ll only see more of this.”
Kaplan says he also sees this attention to detail in restaurant food items as a lasting trend.
“Chef-driven casual restaurants that serve well-presented and well-crafted foods will become more present,” he adds.
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