Franchise News
Fast Casual: Fast Casual Industry To Hit $67B By 2020
The fast casual industry continues to expand as consumers rely more heavily on social media and prefer to eat lunch out
The “Fast Casual Restaurant Market in the U.S. 2016-2020” report attributes a rise in fast casual dining to a millennial target market and the U.S. workforce preferring to purchase lunch rather than cook at home. "As today's consumers face a time crunch, many consumers prefer to eat in fast casual restaurants during work hours," according to Technavio.
Research shows, as reported by Fast Casual, that 33 percent of millennials in the U.S. use social media advertisements and online ratings to learn about available food options in fast casual restaurants. And with high employment rates (68 percent of people between the ages of 15 to 64 are employed in the U.S.), people are more comfortable spending money to eat out, especially during lunch time.
As a result, more health-conscious fast casual options are popping up. Arushi Thakur, a Technavio industry expert in food, said, “The demand for fresh and healthy salads among millennials is also rising. For instance, Sweetgreen, a fast casual restaurant chain with over 30 outlets, focuses on seasonal and innovative salads made with locally sourced ingredients for its health-conscious consumers."
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
