68% of diners rank quality as the most important factor when deciding where to eat, above other factors such as price and location. (DTR, 2022)
It’s an exciting time for brands and their customers in the food and beverage landscape with evolving mealtime routines and behaviours driving a period of accelerated innovation. With tech-enabled convenience making headlines for a number of years, now freshness, food quality and menu innovation is the focus for quick-service restaurants as they seek to unlock new relevance and reach.
Chipotle is launching Farmesa in Santa Monica, an all-new digitally enabled restaurant concept offering fresh health-focused bowls. Utilising a dark kitchen model to prepare delivery orders placed through the on-site kiosks or via delivery partners for easy pickup and delivery. The fulfilment-focused format will allow Chipotle to experiment with a quality-led menu before investing in a full, dine-in location and brand roll-out.
Gail’s, the upmarket bakery chain beloved by their customers for their artisanal pastries and coffee has announced plans to open a drive-thru format with plans to expand into at least 10 locations across the UK in the next 12 months. Designed to target commuters craving a more refined and high-quality bite, it combines convenience with just-baked freshness. To hear more about Gail’s recent drive-thru initiative, read our Chief Strategy Officer, Michelle Du-Prât’s, article here.
Household takeout
Convenience is just one of the fundamentals to be considered as food formats evolve to cater for new missions and mindsets. Quality, freshness, and human connection are all in the mix as brands explore their role and relevance in communities and customer’s lives, no matter the format or speed of service.
Get in touch with Household to explore how your brand can define its experience proposition to feed, foster, and grow its fandom in an age of tech-enabled convenience.
Also in the news:
Retail:
John Lewis launches new local-focused store designed with neuroscience experts
Sephora returns to the UK after 17 years in Westfield flagship
eBay to open ‘Swap ‘Em Out’ sneaker pop-up in London
Hospitality:
TAP Air Portugal offer in-flight menus based on regional specialities
Campaigns:
LEGO opens botanical café in Taiwan
Heinz collaborates with Fortnite to spread sustainability message
Initiatives:
KFC and Taco Bell reduce waste by implementing AI to determine supply orders
Cook rolls out vending machines for frozen meals
Primark launches free durability and repair workshops
