Fast Casual: US Restaurant Chains Relying on Value Meals, New Menu Items to Drive Traffic in 2018

Restaurant traffic for years now has stayed flat or remained steady at a very low increase. According to a recent Fast Casual article , restaurant chains are making menu changes and offering value meals to drive that traffic needed from customers. The NPD Group reported that quick service restaurant visits driven by chains increased by one percent in 2017, keeping the overall industry stats flat.

"It's clear that major restaurant chain operators are pulling out all of the stops to get consumers to visit this year," said Bonnie Riggs, NPD restaurant industry analyst. "They're doing all of the things that historically have caught the attention of consumers and driven traffic and they're hoping that it works again this year."

Chains like McDonald’s know that value meals can get their customers back in the door, which is why the company launched its $1, $2 and $3 value menu this month. Other restaurants hope to optimize their menus by focusing on the top performing items or introducing new ones since many consumers will visit just to try a new item once.