If you think brand loyalty is a thing of the past, think again. We hear talk of patrons going from brand-to-brand-to-brand and we just assume that it's because loyalty has jumped the shark when, in fact, the opposite is true. People leave brands because brands aren't giving them a good enough reason to stay. And in no place is those more true than in the quick-serve, fast-casual restaurant space. 

So is there anything a QSR in today's market can do to lower the likelihood of a patron exodus in search of a brand that better-suits their needs? You bet. And we'll sum it up here in two words:

Ask 100 vegetarians why they’ve cut meat out of their diet and you’re likely to get 100 different answers. Regardless, going meatless is a choice and it’s one that more and more people making – and food producers are standing up and taking note.

So why would anyone want to eat fake meat in the first place? Because it’s not meant. And that means a few positive things, like:

With many of us trying to do the right thing, choosing healthier food, when we eat it’s no wonder so many restaurants are making a shift to healthier menu ingredients.

Recently, Papa John’s (the global pizza brand) made good on its promise to eliminate a number of chemicals and ingredients from its menu items and ingredients list. The list of ingredients that the brand removed includes:

- Synthetic Beta Carotene

- Caramel Color

Coming up with an idea for a limited-service or fast-casual restaurant is probably the easiest part of creating a restaurant. And despite reports that casual dining is on the decline as w hole, there are certain trends within the QSR industry that are giving many hope that their restaurant idea will succeed.

Regardless of the format of your restaurant (food truck, limited service, etc) there’s one thing that you will absolutely need before you get started: Insurance.

One of the most-common cooking elements in a QSR kitchen is easily cooking oil Used for frying, grilling, dressings and a few dozen other functions, oil is liquid gold for chefs.

Cooking oils makes food cook fast, taste good and even look good too. But working against the use of conventional cooking is the demands of consumers who want healthier options. It was just a few short years ago that the world started to make the shift away from partially-hydrogenated oils. Sure they could be stored for a long time. Their shelf life was great for the QSR industry, but the oil was a big source of trans fat which, according to dieticians and researchers, can lead to heart disease.