Corporate Profiles - 2020 - 50

INDUSTRY REVIEW: FOODSERVICE

a new in-line order-taking strategy and expanded some locations to two or three
drive-thru lanes using cones and other pop up décor. Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc.
made its drive-thru available at more than 60% of its locations while simultaneously announcing plans to close hundreds of underperforming stores. Starbucks
Corp. took a similar approach, accelerating plans to relocate stores away from
low-traffic shopping malls and focus instead on convenience-led formats that

TOP
TRENDS
by category
NEW MENU ITEMS
¬
Healthy bowls
Plant-based proteins
(burgers, chicken, seafood, eggs)
¬
Healthy kids meals
¬
Zero-waste dishes
(repurposing scraps and trim)
¬
Ethnic breakfast dishes
(Turkish menemen, North African
shakshuka, etc.)

GRAINS/PASTA
SUBSTITUTES
¬
Vegetable noodles/rice
¬
Edamame noodles
¬
Lentils
¬
Faro
¬
Soba

FLAVORS

PRODUCE

¬
Sweet heat
¬
New chili peppers
¬
Functional mushrooms
¬
Japanese uami
(natto, tamari, tare, etc.)
¬
Pulses
(chickpeas, lentils etc.)

¬
Mushrooms
¬
New rabes beyond broccoli rabe
(turnip rabe, collard rabe, arugula
rabe, etc.)
¬
Caulilini
(baby cauliflower)
¬
New shoots/sprouts
(hop shoots, corn shoots, etc.)
¬
Kale hybrids
(kalettes, lollipop kale, etc.)

PROTEIN

CONDIMENTS

¬
Plant-based proteins
¬
Specialty burger blends
(mushroom-beef burgers, etc.)
¬
Unique beef and pork cuts
¬
Pan-Asian pork
¬
Artisan hummus

¬
Japanese tamari
¬
Harissa
¬
Chinese chili crisp
¬
Za'atar
¬
Indian raita

DESSERTS/SWEETS

OFF-PREMISES

¬
CBD snacks/sweets
¬
Boozy treats
¬
Dairy-free ice cream
¬
Drinkable desserts
¬
Herb-based sweets

¬
Eco-friendly packaging
¬Creativity with catering
¬
Delivery-friendly menu items
¬
Packaging upgrades
¬
Restaurant meal plans/kits

Source: National Restaurant Association

50 \ October 2020

feature drive-thru and curbside pickup options, as well as pickup-only locations.
Fast-casual restaurants, which prior to the pandemic had outpaced the
overall industry in visit and unit growth for several years, experienced steeper
declines than quick-service restaurants.
Several chains updated store formats to better accommodate the surge
in off-premises traffic. Some, like Focus Brands subsidiary Jamba and Yum!
Brands subsidiary Habit Burger Grill, turned empty parking lots into makeshift
drive-thrus. Others made more permanent changes. Chipotle Mexican Grill,
Inc. increased its number of drive-thrus from 10 to 100 and expects to add
another 100 in 2021. Shake Shack Inc. unveiled plans to add interior and
exterior pickup windows to its stores, and Noodles & Co. said it would bring
order-ahead, drive-thru capabilities to new locations built before 2022.
Full-service restaurants were hit hardest by mandated dine-in closings with traffic declining as much as 80% in the first three months of the year, according to The
NPD Group. The full-service segment also saw the slowest recovery, with transaction
declines remaining in the double digits throughout the summer and into the fall.
"We are entering a new phase of the restaurant industry evolution: The divergence of quick-service restaurants and full-service restaurants," Mr. Portalatin
said. "Long before anyone ever heard of social distancing, consumers were showing an increasing preference for off-premise restaurant meals.Then suddenly this
March, we entered a reality where the entire restaurant industry was off-premises
only.That harsh reality was far harsher for full-service restaurants."
Catering to off-premises required creativity on the part of the full-service operators.
Brinker International, Inc., parent company of Chili's Bar & Grill and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant chains, launched a virtual brand in all its outlets
across the United States. The concept, called It's Just Wings, leveraged existing kitchens and cooks to sell chicken wings and operates exclusively through
DoorDash. Outback Steakhouse owner Bloomin' Brands, Inc. similarly launched
Aussie Grill, a new drive-thru, pickup and delivery concept.
Investments in expanded off-premises capabilities were accompanied by
streamlined menus as foodservice companies moved to simplify operations and
capitalize on core menu items.
McDonald's Corp. eliminated its all-day breakfast menu and a handful of
other menu items. Panera Bread Co. and Subway removed several sandwiches,
and Yum! Brands removed a dozen items from Taco Bell's menu in a move
designed to increase ingredient cross-utilization.
Independent restaurants lacking the scale and resources possessed by larger
companies struggled to adjust to pandemic-related disruptions.The Independent
Restaurant Coalition estimated as many as 85% of independent restaurants
could permanently close by the end of the year. Larger brands now are eyeing
opportunities for new stores or relocations to areas with better visibility.
"Brands that are doing well in this environment should have an opportunity to expand their footprint," said David Gibbs, chief executive officer of Yum!
Brands, in an April earnings call.
Executives at Chipotle Mexican Grill, Domino's Pizza, Wendy's Co., Papa
John's, Dunkin' Brands, Shake Shack, Restaurant Brands International, Inc. and
Dine Brands Global, Inc. highlighted potential real estate and development
opportunities in earnings calls. CP

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Corporate Profiles

Corporate Profiles - 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Corporate Profiles - 2020