2012 QSR Drive-Thru Study

How the best drive-thru operations in the industry make the wheels go ’round.

The drive-thru operation of a quick-service restaurant may seem relatively cut and dried, but operators aren’t resting on their laurels when it comes to their outdoor business. For many brands in the industry, the drive thru can account for anywhere between 50 and 70 percent of sales—no small number in a $200 billion industry.

For the last 14 years, QSR has challenged operators to improve their drive-thru business through the Drive-Thru Performance Study, a proprietary report co-owned by QSRand Columbus, Ohio–based Insula Research. And in the report’s first decade, operators rose to the challenge; over that time, brands fine-tuned their operations and improved on elements such as speed and accuracy.

However, it became clear that a number of brands stood above the rest in the drive-thru business. So in 2011, QSRand Insula Research debuted the benchmark group of the best brands in drive thru, including six permanent brands—McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Burger King, Krystal, and Taco Bell—along with one rotating regional chain, which was Del Taco in the benchmark group’s inaugural year.  Read More

Is Grilled Cheese the Next Big Thing in Fast Casual Restaurants? | TIME

From: TIME and Brad Tuttle

Say cheese! The formula of speedy service, customization, and high quality practiced by fast-casual restaurant leaders Chipotle and Panera Bread is already being widely applied to better burger chains and upscale pizza franchises. Lately, the next hot menu item being given the Chipotle treatment at restaurants, mall kiosks, and food trucks around the country is the classic comfort food, grilled cheese.

People love grilled cheese. Then again, most people can make pretty darn good grilled cheese. Doing so requires only a few ingredients (bread, cheese, butter or margarine), and very little skill. Going with a basic grilled cheese at a restaurant is akin to ordering cereal: That’s fine if that’s what you really want, but it’d be just as good—and way cheaper—if you handled the “cooking” yourself.

Read more: http://moneyland.time.com/2012/10/19/is-grilled-cheese-the-next-big-thing-in-fast-casual-restaurants/#ixzz2A2ZYIqew.

Nations Restaurant News – Arby’s shifts marketing strategy

When Arby’s introduced its new Turkey Roasters sandwich nationally on Sept. 3, the chain was embarking on a new era — one with a clearer branding strategy and increased menu innovation.

“This brand has had an identity crisis for the past few decades,” said Russ Klein, Arby’s chief marketing officer. “We’ve made the decision that we want to be a modern sandwich shop.”

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