Next Gen QSR
Gen Z’s Evolving Approach to QSR
Reach3 Insights recently leveraged our Gen Z On Demand solution to explore attitudes and behaviors around quick-service restaurants (QSRs) in the United States, with a spotlight on Gen Z. In this second installment, we dive into Gen Z usage and attitudes towards QSRs, both generally and at a brand level.
Gen Z are visiting QSRs more frequently than a year ago—and spending more—despite widespread agreement that prices have gone up.
Past Year QSR Vistation Change 🍟
- More 51%
- No Change 25%
- Less 24%
Past Year QSR Spend Change 💸
- More 51%
- No Change 27%
- Less 22%
%
think QSR prices are HIGHER vs. a year ago
Reasons for Changes in QSR Behaviors
⬆️ INCREASE in visits / spend are driven by…
Convenience & no time to cook
Increased financial means
Change in life situation
High grocery prices
“I’ve been buying more fast food lately because I don’t have time to cook anymore when I get off work to be honest.”
“I’ve recently gotten more busy because of college and this increase my spendings at service restaurants more since I have to be near the campus a lot of times.”
“Groceries are so expensive. It’s cheaper to eat out sometimes!”
⬇️ DECREASE in visits / spend are driven by…
Inflation / Rising prices
Trying to budget and save
Shift to cooking at home
“Everything has gotten more expensive so it’s harder to go out!”
“I’m trying to be better about spending my money. This has helped me have a little more money for things that I need.”
“I’ve been spending less at quick service restaurants because I’m cooking more at home to save money. Prices have gone up, so I try to eat out only when necessary”
Gen Z look to today's QSRs to deliver on high quality, and they want tomorrow's QSR to offer tech that makes ordering easy.
Top Important Factors When Choosing a QSR
According to Gen Z
- Quality food 👌 60%
- Convenient location 📍 48%
- Speedy service 💨 47%
- Friendly staff 🙂 39%
- Availability of value menus / meal deals 💰 38%
- Availability of drive-thru 🚗 36%
%
say "quality food" is the #1 MOST IMPORTANT factor
Top 5 QSR Features and Services Gen Z Are Interested In
Mobile Ordering
57%
Self Ordering Kiosks
49%
Tablet Ordering at Tables
46%
Digital Menu Boards
36%
LTO Food/Drinks
36%
Let’s get a taste of what Gen Z are saying about the QSR of the future
18, Male, South
Click the image above to play video ▶️
When it comes to brands - McDonald's leads the pack in terms of recent purchases, but Chick-fil-A competes on brand love.
% Purchased From in Past 3 Months
71%
39%
39%
38%
36%
Gen Z’s QSR Brands Most Loved 💓
% love the brand
- Chick-fil-a 45%
- McDonald’s 45%
- Subway 39%
- Taco Bell 37%
- Domino’s Pizza 36%
- Starbucks 35%
- Dunkin’ 31%
- Chipotle 32%
- Panera Bread 25%
- Shake Shack 25%
Chick-fil-a is strong on many crucial QSR perceptions, including offers high-quality products (37%) and likelihood to recommend (29%).
💡Get in touch to learn more specifically about how Gen Z view your brand.
Bringing it all together…
The Fine Print
At Reach3 Insights, we recently embarked on an initiative exploring the Future of QSR. We used our Gen Z On Demand solution + conversational, mobile messaging-based approach to engage n=1,008 Americans, including n=492 Gen Z, about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around quick-service restaurants.
Our methodology allowed us to capture authentic feedback from a diverse group of shoppers, leveraging the natural capabilities of mobile to capture quant and qual data, including video, in one research touchpoint. We leveraged our AI-probing capabilities to ensure collection of rich, detailed open-ended responses, and our AI summarizer to identify key themes.
Look out for our future Future of QSR reports!
Curious to know more?
Let’s continue the conversation
Dara St. Louis 📧 dara.stlouis@reach3insights.com
Christine Nguyen 📧 christine.nguyen@reach3insights.com
www.reach3insights.com
info@reach3insights.com // SMS: (833) 4Reach3 // Phone: (833) 4Reach3