Fast Casual: Togo’s CEO Predicts Trends for 2017

With a new year comes new predictions for what 2017 might hold. Fast Casual recently spoke with several CEOs of popular fast casual brands to compile, what they believe, will be some of the industry’s biggest trends.

Many CEOs predicted that artificial intelligence would play a larger role in consumer ordering behaviors and contribute to increased transactions, including Tony Gioia, the chairman and CEO of Togo’s.

“It will continue to be a traffic driver where those concepts offering quick, seamless and user-friendly applications will have a stronger gravitational pull to attract new guests, while retaining loyalists,” Gioia told Fast Casual.

Gioia also predicted that taste—and the source—of food will continue to matter to consumers. This means that more and more restaurants will realize the need to remove artificial ingredients from their menus.

“Consumers will be more demanding to know where ingredients come from [locally preferred] and why they are ‘good for me,’” Gioia added.

Click here to read the full list of trends.