Feel that excitement in the air? The entire restaurant industry is experiencing an ongoing post-pandemic revolution, and quick service restaurants, or QSRs, are no exception. Not to be confused with fast-casual restaurants, QSRs are known for fast service, limited menus with reliable classics, and a general focus on drive-thru or walk-up service as opposed to table service.
Here’s the thing: QSRs are so much more than “fast food.” These speedy concepts have a lot to offer – and they also have a host of unique challenges including efficiency, back of house management, and product consistency. Tack on changing consumer expectations in 2024, and expert insights to steer QSR strategy have never been more important.
That’s where we come in. Let’s review a few of the unique challenges faced by quick service restaurants in 2024, along with all the ways Giraffe Foods can help.
Challenge #1: Creative Efficiency
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but an efficient QSR operation keeps customers coming back for more. There’s no doubt about it: Operational efficiency is absolutely crucial in the quick service restaurant industry. That includes everything from streamlining operations to keeping costs down for customers, 72% of whom feel that fast food has gotten too expensive (Kantar Profiles/Mintel, 2023).
An efficient operation is a profitable operation – and a profitable operation helps customers hold onto their hard-earned money, creating brand loyalty with every dollar saved.
A foodservice partner like Giraffe can simplify your menu, streamlining your recipes to help your operation run more efficiently than ever. For example, need a sauce that can be used for sandwiches, burgers, drizzles, and dips? Sounds like a job for Gochujang BBQ Sauce specifically designed for versatility, with savory, spicy, and sweet notes all wrapped up in a supremely smoky package.
Of course, that’s just one possibility. If you’d like to keep dreaming up new recipes, we can work with you to ensure product consistency, efficiency, and affordability across your entire menu.
Challenge #2: Driving Customer Interest
Customers’ tastes are changing quickly, and the QSR market gets more competitive every day. But that’s nothing you can’t handle – especially if you’re able to adapt quickly. This year, your foot traffic will depend on innovative concepts and unforgettable flavor experiences, even in traditional dishes. Ultimately, customers want to see the ordinary become extraordinary across every sector of the restaurant business.
What does that look like in practice? We’ve got four words for you: Jalapeño Tajín Lime Spread. We devised this adventurous combination of chili spice and citrus during one of our in-house ideation sessions, a service we offer to help clients stay ahead of trending flavors.
Whether you need market analysis, ingredient sourcing, or recipe formulation, we’ll get it done. Our razor-sharp industry focus will help push your creative boundaries so that your customers can experience new flavors with every bite.
Challenge #3: Perfecting the QSR Experience
Today’s QSR customer expects a fast, seamless experience. Plus, roughly half of consumers agree that delivery is too expensive, with more and more moving away from delivery and opting for takeout and drive-thru pickup to save money (Datassential, 2024).
In 2024, easy takeout, drive-thru, and digital ordering methods are the baseline for a positive QSR experience. Translation: You need packaging and product that allows the customer to grab and go without sacrificing their dining experience.
The experts at Giraffe Foods can help you craft dishes tailored toward customers’ changing expectations around takeout and drive-thru service. For example, we can help you whip up sauces that keep food in great shape whether customers are dining in or carrying out. Picture a savory sauce that has an unforgettable global taste – and is specifically engineered to avoid sogginess during transportation. Maybe a Peri-Peri Ranch, an elevated version of everyone’s favorite creamy dip featuring a dash of garlicky, lightly spicy Afro-Caribbean flavor.
We can almost taste it – can you?
The quick service restaurant industry may be moving at a breakneck pace, but the right culinary partner can help you take the changing QSR landscape in stride. By partnering with the QSR industry experts like Giraffe Foods, you can make your mark on the quick service restaurant industry, exploring trending concepts with a collaborative team of dedicated foodies.
Ready to get cooking? Our wildly creative culinologists have been creating unique and delicious ideas since 1997, and we’d love to help you stay ahead of the major quick service trends for 2024.
