QSR August 2022

QSR 50

oring and animations of the sun against contrasting gray and white walls. The “Flex” showcases the pro totype’s ability to fit on multiple pieces of real estate, from a 1,150-square-foot drive-thru-only design to a 2,300-square-foot building with a full dining room. Pre viously a Del Taco restaurant needed about 25,000 square feet of land, but the Fresh Flex can be placed in space as UOCNN CU USWCTG HGGV ǭ The model was unveiled in January 2021, and pro vided a lift to franchise growth. The fast casual signed nine deals last year for 68 restaurants in 10 states. All of VJQUG YKNN FGDWV KP CPF ǭ In March, Jack in the Box completed its $585 mil lion acquisition of the taco chain. The move created a multi-brand platform with more than 2,800 restaurants in 25 states.

37 Tropical Smoothie Cafe The better-for-you fast casual opened its 1,000th loca tion systemwide in 2021—just one of many milestones it accomplished that year. Tropical Smoothie Cafe signed 332 franchise agreements last year, the most in brand history. It also saw same-store sales rise 22 percent com pared to 2020 and 29.4 percent against 2019, pushing its RQUKVKXG EQORU UVTGCM VQ [GCTU KP C TQY ǭ Digital sales mixed 76 percent, fueled by custom izable online and mobile ordering. Also, Tropical Smoothie’s Cajun Shrimp Wrap and Cajun Shrimp Salad became the most popular LTO in company history and the Mango Berry Cosmo Smoothie became the best-sell KPI .61 UOQQVJKG QH CNN VKOG ǭ The accomplishments continued through the first part of 2022. The first quarter was one of Tropical Smoothie’s best-performing periods in company history. The chain signed 56 franchise agreements, including the brand’s first airport location. More than 70 percent QH VJQUG FGCNU YGTG YKVJ EWTTGPV QRGTCVQTU ǭ Tropical Smoothie finished 2021 with roughly 1,040 units and an AUV of $948,000. The long-term goal is to reach 1,500 outlets by 2024, with a $1.2 million AUV and HTCPEJKUGG RTQHKVCDKNKV[ YGNN CDQXG RGTEGPV ǭ Early in 2022, Bloomberg reported Tropical Smoothie was considering going public. The media outlet said the HCUV ECUWCN EQWNF DG XCNWGF CV CV NGCUV DKNNKQP ǭ Del Taco is boosting growth through its new Fresh Flex prototype, which features two drive-thrus—one of them for online orders—and a pickup locker at the front entrance. The drive-thru leverages digital menuboards, which improve accuracy and help customers in new OCTMGVU DGVVGT WPFGTUVCPF VJG DTCPF ǭ The name of the model has a specific purpose. The “Fresh” portion is displayed through light green col 38 Del Taco

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFE’S SAME-STORE SALES CLIMBED MORE THAN 20 PERCENT LAST YEAR.

39 Checkers/Rally’s

Checkers is making history in 2022. The classic fast food chain partnered with Presto to become the first restaurant to nationally roll out automated voice-order ing technology, doing so at roughly 250 company-run stores by the end of the year. The innovation, which recognizes accents and colloquialisms, has 98 percent order accuracy and higher—well beyond the original IQCN QH RGTEGPV ǭǭ At the same time, Checkers is continuing to roll out its Fit Kitchen, a new format removing a mile and a half of unnecessary walking per hour collectively, replacing flattops with clamshell grills to boost quality and con sistency, and leveraging holding equipment that keeps products hotter for longer, uses fry stations and grill positions with better capacity, and removes final cook ing processes from most fried products. The new format was installed at 80 company-run restaurants in 2021. Last year, the chain sealed 90 new franchise com mitments, including 39 for existing franchisees and 51 for new operators. The plan is to open more than 60 restaurants in 2022. Expansion will be geared toward

DEL TACO HAS A NEW OWNER, AND STORE MODEL, TO OFFER GROWTH-MINDED OPERATORS.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFE (2), DEL TACO, CHECKERS/RALLY’S (2)

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AUGUST 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com