Consumers Expand Definition of Fast Food

A significant percentage of consumers (41 percent) are reporting that their idea of places offering “fast food" has expanded recently to include fast-casual restaurants such as Panera and full-service restaurants offering carryout and curbside service.

“As Americans continue to trade down from full-service concepts, more restaurants are competing for the ‘fast food/food fast’ customer," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic, in a press release. “Both quick-service and fast-casual restaurants are borrowing elements from the other to drive traffic. This represents a host of challenges to operators rethinking their brands. Understanding consumers’ changing perceptions of fast food, as well as competitors’ responses, will be central to success."

Technomic’s “Status and Future of Fast Foods: Consumer Trend Report" examines some of the trends, such as upscaling in limited-service restaurant formats, the development of bustling social settings within contemporary interior spaces, the introduction of price-driven value elements into fast-casual restaurant menus; the broadening of full-service restaurants’ service formats to include convenience-oriented platforms like call-ahead and text/online ordering, home delivery and curbside pickup; and the appearance in big-city markets of revitalized food trucks, offering upscale and gourmet “street food."

The study also found that nearly half of consumers (49 percent) say they eat at fast-food restaurants at least once a week; about one fifth of consumers said the same for fast-casual (16 percent) and full-service (20 percent) restaurants. One out of four consumers (24 percent) say they’ve increased their visits to fast food restaurants in the past year, higher than for any other restaurant segment.

Roughly half of consumers (52 percent) say that a fast-food meal should be delivered within five minutes; consumers are willing to wait somewhat longer for items they perceive as “food fast." About a third of consumers say they would like to see dedicated take-out areas at fast-food (32 percent) and fast-casual (33 percent) restaurants.

Efficient ordering and carryout options at full-service restaurants have strong appeal. Call-ahead ordering for pickup, separate take-out stations, and curbside service interest 40 percent, 37 percent and 31 percent of consumers, respectively.