QSR February 2023

EVOLUT ION

The pandemic inspired fast casuals to adopt drive-thrus

and delivery , marking the

beginning of a new

innovation era that has restaurant designs and technological solutions to supply chain and labor shortage challenges. WHEN COVID-19 HIT, fast-casual restaurants transformed their parking lots into dining rooms in the form of curbside service, and con cepts that once prided themselves on not offering big chain-associated drive-thrus promptly began adopting the format to serve customers. Then, the industry saw restaurant groups start partnering with third-party delivery providers, despite many claiming they would never do so because of the steep fees. ¶ “I thought that honestly once COVID was dwindling down, that part of the business would subside a little bit and people would go back to their normal routines. Well what we’ve seen is, delivery is now a part of the normal routine, and that part of the business has not dropped off,” says Sam Rothschild, chief operating officer of 200-unit Slim Chickens. ¶ Indeed, consumers are now conditioned to expect food delivered to their front doors at the tap of a touchscreen, and study after study keeps proving the steep fees are no match for the value of convenience. Delivery orders now account for about 10 percent of Slim Chickens’ business, while curbside, take MODERN MARKET, ICONS: ADOBE STOCK / FACE MASK: BEARSKY23, DRIVE-THRU & DELIVERY: おちこ , BRAIN, TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION, LABOR : IIIERLOK_XOLMS, STORE: VALERIYAKOZORIZ, SUPPLY CHAIN: COOLVECTORSTOCK led to new

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