Big changes ahead
Whether your schedule makes you a drive-through devotee or a casual-dining enthusiast, most of us cop to grabbing a fast-food meal fairly regularly. In fact, according to a 2018 study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 85 million people in the United States eat fast food each day. That’s a staggering number, but the good news is that what’s considered “fast food” is different in 2020 than it was a decade ago—and certainly different than when famous fast-food restaurants first opened their doors. With more casual-dining and quick-serve restaurants offering a wider variety of fare than your standard burgers and fries, it’s getting easier to eat healthier and find foods that meet dietary restrictions—and that’s just the beginning of the changes you’re about to see. Here’s how the fast-food landscape will shape up over the next year.
Vegging out
Contrary to what Kermit the Frog says, sometimes it is easy being green. Expect to see more veggies on the menu at some of your favorite spots, particularly in terms of side-dish offerings. Fries, while delicious, were the only option to accompany a burger for far too long. “We envision an additional expansion of green vegetable-based sides to become a popular trend for the industry in 2020,” says Carl Bachmann, president of Smashburger. “To add to our current vegetable-based menu offerings, such as our very popular fried brussels sprouts side, we are currently exploring additional vegetable side options for our guests.” By the way, these are the healthiest orders you can get at a fast food spot.
Premium picks
Burgers remain a top menu item for fast-food restaurants, but even these are getting a bit of a makeover. Plant-based burgers are definitely experiencing a surge in popularity (and we’ll get to that trend in a moment), but the traditional meat patty that people know and love is also getting an upgrade in quality. Smashburger, for example, plans to launch three to four new premium burger options in 2020. “[They] will feature premium meats in addition to our certified Angus beef burger patty,” says Bachmann. “We believe the year will bring a higher demand for these dishes. We will continue to test many new premium meats in 2020 as a part of our ongoing menu innovation.” Here are some other ways fast food has gone gourmet recently.
Plant prowess
The Chicken Sandwich Wars may have dominated the fast-food headlines of 2019, but the expansion of plant-based offerings at fast-food eateries also made a huge mark. The Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger wowed customers with their beef-like taste and texture, and they can now be found on most quick-serve menus in some capacity. While these plant-based options are already pretty commonplace, expect even more of these items in 2020, thanks to customer demand. Ever wonder which state has the most fast-food restaurants in America? We’ve got the answer!
Healthy eating
You can also expect to see more fresh-focused quick-serve chains expanding. Bok Bok Chicken, which opened its first location in Las Vegas in 2018, is a perfect example of fast-casual dining that is growing because of consumer demand for quality, good-for-you meals.
“I think people are putting more of a focus on eating healthy, real ingredients,” says Silva Chamanian, the chain’s chef and owner. “You’ve seen it for years with a number of fast-casual concepts, and we’re seeing the same interest at Bok Bok Chicken. Fast food and fast-casual have been evolving over the years to cater to a healthier palette, whereas our menu offerings—much of which are naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free—cater to the healthy eater.” Contrary to the “chicken” in its name, Bok Bok serves up much more than poultry, really honing in on Mediterranean cuisine and offering items like Falafel Pita, Quinoa Eech and Muttabal (which is eggplant, tahini and garlic), to name a few.
If healthy eating is a priority, you need to be smart when you order, of course. Start by avoiding the unhealthiest fast food fries.
Planet-friendly overhauls
Menus aren’t the only thing under construction in fast-food and quick-serve joints. Keep an eye on those utensils and packaging. They’re likely to look a little different than they have in the past—for a very good reason. “We’ve noticed that customers are keenly aware of the materials we use for serving ware, preferring earth-friendly options that complement our natural, healthy menu,” says Chamanian. “We are currently testing out more earth-friendly serving ware in our Los Angeles market to ensure that we can best present our food—both for dine-in and takeaway—while being responsible members of the community, with an increased awareness of our environment.”
In some McDonald’s locations in Germany and Canada, the chain is testing out plastic-free restaurants. And, interestingly, Shake Shack restaurants tend to use eco-friendly materials during construction. They also proudly recycle all bottles and plastics, and their cooking oil is reused to produce clean energy. Looking to make some eco-friendly changes at home? Here are some easy ways to go green in the kitchen.
Pickup cabinets
Online ordering and mobile apps are giving drive-throughs a run for their money in terms of making it easier than ever to get in and out of your favorite fast-food spot quickly. But expect even more pickup options in 2020. According to Partstown.com, we’re about to see more self-serve pickup cabinets. Think along the lines of Little Caesars’ Pizza Portal Pickup. If an order is placed and paid for remotely, a restaurant will immediately begin preparing the order. When it’s ready, the customer will receive a text with either a pin number or QR code to scan at one of these pickup cabinets. This way, a hungry guest can simply scan the code upon arrival, grab their meal, and go.
Grab and go
One of the biggest appeals of fast food is that it’s, well, fast. You can score a quick, relatively inexpensive meal on the fly. But what if you could get your food even faster? Panda Express is experimenting with that concept. “We know that schedules are getting busier, routines are more on the go and guests are eating beyond the traditional lunch and dinner,” says Evelyn Wah, Executive Director of Brand Innovation for Panda Express. “We also understand guests do not want to trade off taste or the goodness in our freshly prepared dishes, inspiring us to test grab-and-go meals at UCLA during the lunch rush. The test results are strong, and we’re looking to expand this option this year to other locations.” These are the most convenient fast-food restaurants, according to customers.
Mini meals
We tend to think of fast food as relatively big portions (even a small order of french fries contains a lot of fries) and a full meal. But look for chains to offer more snackable options. “Panda is incorporating more handheld items, like the Original Orange Chicken Bing and Pastrami Bao Buns at Panda Express Innovation Kitchen,” says Wah. “Our chefs created comfort-food snacks and mini-meals, like chicken wonton soup with kale and mushrooms. We’re looking forward to seeing how these new dishes shake out during this research phase and launching more delicious options that fit our guests’ lifestyles.”
Expanded delivery
Uber Eats, Grubhub, Postmates…there are any number of ways to get your favorite foods delivered right to your front door. Expect even more fast-dining eateries to embrace a growing number of ways to deliver on your latest craving. While you may not be able to have your burrito air-dropped by a drone just yet, restaurants are eager to make customers happy. “We continue to maximize efforts and execute a seamless online experience for delivery,” says Bachmann. “This year, we plan to add delivery options to our current Smashburger app for easy access for Smashfans. As one of our top priorities for 2020, we’ve been working closely with delivery-service providers to continuously improve the food experience for delivery occasions with our guests.”
While McDonald’s jumped on the Uber Eats bandwagon back in 2017 with its McDelivery option, Burger King only signed for nationwide service in October 2019. Expect chains not already in the mix to follow suit. Are you a pizza aficionado? These are things your pizza delivery guy won’t tell you.
Limited Time Offer bonanzas
As QSR Magazine points out, McDonald’s has been having huge success with Limited Time Offers (referred to as LTOs in the biz), like bringing international menu items to the United States for brief periods. Expect an increasing number of LTOs to pop up at your favorite fast-food chain, whether it’s importing a global offering or offering something new and unique altogether. Customers may love the classics, but a fleeting menu item certainly piques their interest. Another great example: the coveted Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich, which fast-food fanatics went crazy over in 2019. Here are more fast-food items that made waves in the industry.
Rise of the machines
Brace yourself for voice-operated kiosks that will be ready and waiting to take your order, saying buh-bye to the friendly face behind the register. According to QSR, these machines will be a predecessor to facial-recognition kiosks. Can you imagine stopping into a McDonald’s and having a machine recognize you? Neither can we. But don’t worry: Eateries won’t be completely operated by machines and robots. There is still plenty of customer demand for human interaction. In many cases, it’s that human interaction that sets one fast-food establishment apart from the other. Technology, however, could help streamline the ordering process and help calm the business of the lunch crunch. Don’t miss these secrets fast-food workers aren’t telling you.
More balanced menus
According to all the experts we spoke to, restaurants are keen on providing guests with the opportunity to customize menu items in ways that fit their dietary restrictions, whether it’s due to a gluten allergy or the decision to follow a Paleo or Keto lifestyle. The goal for 2020 is to provide a more balanced plate for patrons. “While we are exploring plant-based proteins at Panda, our focus is less about a specific ingredient and more about creating a balanced plate of protein and vegetable options for different lifestyles, such as flexitarians,” says Wah. “One thing we’d like to put a stake in and really own this year and moving forward is the fact that our menu has vegetables in almost every dish—this is what makes Panda stand out from many other fast-casual and quick-service restaurants.” Now, find out the fast-food items you shouldn’t order.
The post 12 Ways Fast Food Will Change in 2020 appeared first on Taste of Home.
Kelly Bryant