Moments to listen for:
- Why "winning back the guest" is job number one — and the shift from third-party to first-party ordering
- The lines blurring between QSR and fast casual — does the old definition even mean anything anymore?
- Why kiosks came across as "an efficiency enabler, but not a revenue or growth driver" — and the untapped potential there
- The kitchen has been ignored by tech innovation — KDS screens haven't really changed in 50 years
Key Insights
First-Party Ordering Takes the Lead - The data shows brands are now focused on profitability and owning the guest. 40% of brands said first-party digital ordering will drive the highest revenue growth this year (even higher for QSRs), well ahead of catering at 24% and on-premise at 14%. Winning back the guest — and the guest data — is job number one.
Consolidating Tech Systems - Hefty tech stacks have become "a momentum crusher." Jen points to a multi-brand operator that moved seven brands onto one system: one report instead of seven, all menus in one place, and efficiencies that trickle down. "What we do is help restaurants put together their best-in-class systems that will talk to each other so they can share that data and build a tech stack that they feel good about."
Loyalty Only Sees 15% of Your Guests - Traditional loyalty programs capture only about 15% of guests — the most loyal ones who were coming anyway. The data argues for marrying loyalty with the broader guest pool: pulling in data from more sources to grow acquisition and retention beyond the app crowd.
Episode Highlights
The Sixth Annual State of Digital ReportJen returns for her third appearance with Danny to break down Qu's biggest survey yet: 18 questions, roughly 170 brands representing 85,000 locations.
The Kiosk Watch-Out
62% of brands will be using kiosks this year, but the data revealed a problem: kiosks were added the same way online ordering was added in the pandemic — quickly, as a labor reliever.
"It 100% came across as an efficiency enabler, but not as a revenue or a growth driver. And I think there's a lot of untapped potential there."
The Forgotten Kitchen
From Popeyes announcing a full kitchen rebuild at QSR Evolution to Wingstop's investments, the conversation turns to the most overlooked part of the tech stack — kitchen screens that still look like they did decades ago.
"The kitchen has been completely ignored from an advancement in technology perspective."
A Return to Hospitality
Looking ahead, Jen sees profitability and humanity as the road forward — and a rethink of the industry's obsession with "removing friction."
"Let's all be as human as humanly possible."
