Consumer Trends

  • A photograph of a yellow sign with Denny's in red.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Denny’s adds 5 Slams for $5

    After sunsetting its $2-$4-$6-$8 value play, the casual dining brand is focused on time-limited promotions centering on meals.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • Chili's Fast Food Financing pop-up
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    Courtesy of Chili's Grill & Bar
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    Why consumer confidence is the leading restaurant traffic indicator

    Dwindling confidence in macroeconomic growth means consumers are more price-sensitive than ever, in a potential win for value-oriented brands, Revenue Management Solutions said.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • An image of several people eating hamburgers and french fries from a generic fast food restaurant. Explore the Trendline➔
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    Diamond Dogs via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Loyalty & Rewards Strategy

    Capturing — and keeping — loyal customers is more crucial than ever as diner price sensitivity puts pressure on restaurants.

    By Restaurant Dive staff
  • An image of two chicken wraps from McDonald's
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    Courtesy of MCDonald's
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    Restaurant winners and losers from H1 2025

    Casual dining chains, led by Chili’s, had a surprisingly strong quarter, while fast casuals, like Chipotle and Sweetgreen, struggled with consumer pullback and operations problems.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley for Little Caesars
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    Courtesy of Little Caesars
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    Little Caesars dials up NFL marketing with deals, co-branded campaign

    The pizza chain is also flexing partnerships with football stars like Saquon Barkley for its fourth year as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the league.

    By Jessica Hammers • Aug. 26, 2025
  • Five flat pizzas.
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut’s new menu category targets solo diners

    Crafted Flatzz, which include flatbread-style pies, marks Pizza Hut’s largest global launch of a menu item and will be available in over 20 countries.

    By • Aug. 20, 2025
  • A collage of Chipotle-themed Urban Outfitters products
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle targets Gen Z with college rewards program

    The fast casual chain is offering free points, occasional prize drops and faster rewards accrual to loyalty members who validate their college enrollment.

    By • Aug. 19, 2025
  • Peter the Pita Chip plushie on a Cava bag
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    Courtesy of Cava
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    Cava’s traffic growth slows as consumers show reticence

    Fast casual segment leaders fell behind some fast food competitors in sales growth this quarter, with Cava the latest to post flat traffic growth.

    By • Aug. 13, 2025
  • A promotional image of several Pepsi premium mixed drinks.
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    Courtesy of PepsiCo
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    Why Coke and Pepsi think dirty soda is a win for restaurants

    Consumer demand for premium, customizable beverages is pushing soda makers to add everything from fruit to flavored soft serve ice cream to sodas.

    By • Aug. 12, 2025
  • Wendy's
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    Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
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    Wendy’s wants good experiences to drive frequency as consumers pull back spending

    Customer satisfaction for orders placed through employees and made digitally were each up significantly year over year, but it wasn’t enough to offset a negative quarter.

    By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 12, 2025
  • A box with potato wedges and chicken wings in it.
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    Courtesy of KFC
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    How KFC’s Potato Wedge LTO ties into its comeback strategy

    The chain said consumer demand pushed it to revive the side after a five-year hiatus and bring back Hot & Spicy wings, as well.  

    By • Aug. 11, 2025
  • McDonald's McDonaldland
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s brings back McDonaldland to unlock consumers’ ‘core memories’

    The fast food chain’s latest nostalgic campaign features Ronald McDonald and friends for the first time in more than 20 years.

    By Chris Kelly • Updated Aug. 11, 2025
  • A view of a Wendy's restaurant on May 12, 2021 in Pinole, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Wendy’s adopts McDonald’s chicken tender playbook, boosts beverages

    After an unfocused promotional calendar failed to boost sales, CEO Ken Cook said cold brew with cold foam and sparkling energy drinks will play a key role for the brand.

    By • Aug. 8, 2025
  • An image of a Jack in the Box restaurant.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Jack in the Box posts worst sales quarter in years

    The burger brand shed traffic and closed stores. Del Taco did too. Now, executives are banking on real estate sales and reimages at 1,000 stores to strengthen the company.

    By • Aug. 7, 2025
  • A photograph of an Applebee's sign.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    How Applebee’s turned traffic positive

    New entrees and value plays helped the chain hit positive same-store sales for the first time in years, while dual-branding with IHOP promises longer-term positive results.

    By • Aug. 7, 2025
  • A sign is posted in front of a Taco Bell restaurant on May 01, 2024 in Richmond, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Yum Brands turns to AI to aggregate social media, third-party reviews

    The Byte system of AI technologies is helping power advanced Voice of the Customer tools while improving the drive-thru experience, executives said on a Q2 2025 earnings call.

    By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 6, 2025
  • McDonald's new McCrispy chicken strips.
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s chicken, loyalty and value end same-store sales slump

    A strong combination of value offerings, LTOs and new menu items drove sales growth in the U.S. for Q2, executives said.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
  • Domino's pizza and a fast food burger
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    Courtesy of Domino's Pizza
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    How Domino’s new ads hit at fast food burger chains in fight over value

    New spots visualize how a slice of pizza stacks up to a similarly priced slice of a burger to boost a long-standing deal and reach value-focused consumers.

    By Chris Kelly • Aug. 4, 2025
  • An image of a white coffee cup on a table. The coffee cup hasa green logo for Starbucks.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    4 takeaways from Starbucks’ customer experience plans

    The company is laying the foundations to make Starbucks “once again the gold standard in customer service” and is planning to revamp its loyalty program next year, CEO Brian Niccol said.

    By Bryan Wassel • July 31, 2025
  • Coffee drips into a white ceramic mug emblazoned with the Starbucks logo
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks teases protein drinks, new food

    After simplifying its menu, the coffee giant will focus on experiential beverages, artisanal foods and non-coffee drinks.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • McDonald's Snack Wraps
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    Retrieved from McDonald's on July 24, 2025
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    How McDonald’s dug into nostalgia and reignited the chicken wars

    The return of the chain’s Snack Wrap has spurred competitors including Popeyes and Taco Bell to launch and advertise around similar offerings.

    By Chris Kelly • July 30, 2025
  • An image of several specialty drinks from Taco Bell's Live Mas Cafe lined up on a white counter top.
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    Permission granted by Taco Bell/Diversified Restaurant Group
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    How Yum Brands predicts the ‘it’ beverage of the future

    The company is turning to data science and prediction markets as consumer demand for beverages creates opportunities for new dayparts and concepts.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • An image of a brown building with BJ's logo.
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    Permission granted by BJ's Restaurant
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    Why BJ’s CEO is betting on menu innovation to revive the brand

    Starting with its pizza, the chain is updating ingredients and flavors to boost guest satisfaction, which has waned in recent years.

    By • July 28, 2025
  • A portrait photo of a smiling woman wearing black.
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    Permission granted by Yum Brands
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    KFC US hires chief growth officer

    Tiffany Furman joins the chain from The Habit Burger & Grill, where she helped oversee the brand’s transformation after its acquisition by Yum.

    By • July 25, 2025
  • Five fancy drinks at McDonald's against a dark blue background.
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s to test premium drinks in 500 stores

    After winding down CosMc’s, McDonald’s will start testing drinks inspired by the spinoff in 500 stores across Wisconsin and Colorado in September.

    By • July 24, 2025
  • A person uses a smart phone to pay at a kiosk inside a restaurant.
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    simon2579 via Getty Images
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    Want a great quick-service restaurant experience? Keep it fast and efficient

    Customers are happier with human-led ordering at the counter or the drive-thru than they are with using kiosks, according to a Qualtrics Instant Insights survey.

    By Bryan Wassel • July 23, 2025