QSR Snapshot

CHICAGO-- What does the typical frequent quick-service restaurant (QSR) consumer look like?

Recent research finds that he is white, between 25 and 34 years old, accompanied by his spouse or significant other and likely dining in the restaurant. So finds a demographic analysis of almost 38,000 consumers polled for Chicago-based Technomic Inc.'s ongoing Consumer Restaurant Brand Metrics research and analyzed for the recently released Understanding Quick-Service Restaurants & Their Customers Market Intelligence Report.

"The quick-service restaurant segment includes some of the largest and most innovative companies in the U.S., as well as some interesting up-and-comers," said Technomic executive vice president Darren Tristano. "But at the same time, increasing competition means that it's more important than ever to understand what consumers value about fast food and where QSRs have opportunities to improve."

Technomic's Consumer Restaurant Brand Metrics program provides chains with a unique scorecard to benchmark performance against their peers and track results over time. The study asks consumers to rate the importance of certain attributes when deciding which QSR to visit.

Based on initial survey analysis, Technomic ranked the top attribute categories:

• Food (91%).
• Cleanliness (88%).
• Service (86%).
• Value (84%).
• Beverage (78%).
• Atmosphere (61%).

Top Five Chains in Each Attribute (in alphabetical order):

• Food: Chick-fil-A, Culver's, Golden Corral, Jamba Juice, Papa Murphy's.
• Cleanliness: Chick-fil-A, Cold Stone Creamery, Culver's, In-N-Out Burger, Papa Murphy's.
• Service: Chick-fil-A, Culver's, In-N-Out Burger, Krispy Kreme, Papa Murphy's.
• Value: Chick-fil-A, CiCi's Pizza, In-N-Out Burger, Krispy Kreme, Papa Murphy's.
• Beverage: Caribou Coffee, Chick-fil-A, Jamba Juice, Old Country Buffet/HomeTown Buffet, Starbucks.
• Atmosphere: Caribou Coffee, Chick-fil-A, Cold Stone Creamery, Culver's, Starbucks.

Other findings include:

• 82% of QSR consumers rate the food quality at their recent visits as good or very good.
• QSR patronage tends to peak with the 25-34 age group, then decrease with each age cohort.
• Consumers form opinions about products and services whether they have had first-hand experience or not; 66% of consumers feel that the average QSR is good or very good at emotional connection; and 58% say the same of brand image.
• Consumers give QSRs an average rating of 56% for advertising effectiveness, but those numbers range from a high of 69% who believe the top chain is good or very good to a low of just 33%.
• Eight out of 10 consumers say they are willing to recommend the QSR they rated to friends and family.