QSR August 2022

GROWTH

SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES. LABOR WOES. INFLATION. The quick-service world continues facing some undeniable headwinds, but the impressive results and ambitious growth plans of industry power players suggest quick serves are poised to become an even bigger part of daily life. BY DANIEL P. SMITH D on’t look now, but the big are getting bigger. ¶ Of the top 10 chains in the QSR 50 report, only two— McDonald’s and Subway—saw their unit count drop from 2020 to 2021, while the other eight added 1,116 units, or roughly the size of the entire 47-state Firehouse Subs enterprise. ¶ Given what the nation endured over recent years, such results seem counterintuitive, even odd. After all, a global health pandemic shut tered dining rooms, worker shortages sent restaurants scrambling for help and altering hours of operation, rising food and equipment costs drained profitability, and consumer habits shifted quickly and dramatically. It would be reasonable to expect some contraction, or at least a cautious approach to development and the future. IS A GOLDEN ERA FAST FOOD UPON US? OF

ADOBE STOCK / BIZVECTOR

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