
Focused menus, fresher ingredients driving sales at franchises
Franchises focusing on quality over quantity, such as fresher ingredients, experience sales growth, while big names like McDonald's and Subway decline.
Technomic is a company in Burnaze's franchise knowledge graph, mentioned since 2015. 343 stories link here, each summarized from the original publisher. * Fast-food chain executives, including McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski and Domino's CEO Joe Jordan, have low expectations for the economy, citing flat industry traffic and elevated inflation [[2026-10-14 Fast-food chain executives have low expectations for the economy (c89939)]]. * Burger King's King Jr. meals have seen a 40% sales growth, driven by adults, with the company's same-store sales rising 8.4% in the U.S. last quarter [[2026-10-30 More Burger King customers are getting kids’ meals, and not just kids (555035)]]. * Noodles & Company has added three brothless ramen bowls to its menu, building on the success of its previous limited-time offer of Chili Garlic Ramen [[2026-10-21 Noodles & Company takes ramen in new flavor directions with brothless bowls (75d2c1)]]. * Jersey Mike's is adding a value bundle to its menu for a limited time, offering a mini cold sub and a bag of chips for $7.99, focusing on value to attract Gen Z and younger consumers [[2026-10-19 Jersey Mike’s is focusing on value. Is that the right call (0fa2e0)]]. * Starbucks improved its service and sales with the Green Apron Service Model, which sets standards for baristas and increases labor hours in stores, leading to positive same-store sales in the past three quarters [[2026-10-19 How Starbucks improved service and turned its sales around (6192ae)]]. * The build-your-own bowl category in fast casual is fragmented, with strong demand but a lack of scale among many operators, leaving room for consolidation [[2026-10-13 Build-Your-Own Is Fragmented and Ripe for Consolidation (122b7e)]]. * Quick-service restaurants' biggest competitors in 2026 are convenience stores, according to Rich Shank, senior principal and vice president of innovation of Technomic [[2026-09-24 QSR’s biggest competition is the C-store (fcb7c9)]]. * Wendy's has low consumer ratings despite its size, with ratings nearly 10 percentage points lower than the average of its QSR burger peers, according to Technomic's consumer data [[2026-09-28 Consumers can’t find much to like about Wendy’s (fd3eb3)]]. * The K-shaped economy is still a problem for restaurants, with higher-income consumers spending more on dining out, while lower-income consumers have cut back [[2026-09-29 The K-shaped economy is still a problem for restaurants (0e5a13)]].

Franchises focusing on quality over quantity, such as fresher ingredients, experience sales growth, while big names like McDonald's and Subway decline.

A majority of Americans prefer spicy food, with 56 percent of households using hot sauce in their cooking.

Fast-food chains like McDonald's are losing market share to 'better burger' brands, which offer higher quality and price, according to a 2014 Consumer Report survey.

A report suggests that fast-food establishments may automate operations due to increased food prices and labor costs.

Brands are adding tropical ingredients to their dishes to offer customers a unique experience.

The article discusses the popularity of desserts as a menu item in franchises.

Al and Mary Hauk find the secret sauce of franchising success with Buffalo Wings & Rings, a 30-year-old brand in the casual dining segment.