Are fast food and fast casual restaurants becoming one and the same?

It seems that fast casual is the dining style of choice for today’s lifestyles. It’s quick and easy. You can pick up or dine in the facility. There’s a wide variety of cuisine selects in this restaurant, etc. I’ve noticed the trends and perhaps so have you…now the fast food restaurants are up-scaling their menu items.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I dined inside a Taco Bell. This Taco Bell had chairs arranged in a conversational, casual setting. The tables had mints and wet wipes on them. I was stunned. Is this really Taco Bell? How long has this been going on? It had been years since I actually ate inside a Taco Bell.

Sure enough, this Technomic article states, “Within the LSR segment fast-casual restaurants continue to gain market share while fast-food restaurants are working overtime to upscale their menu and concept positioning–not only to keep pace, but to compete directly with fast-casual leaders.”

The article shows findings regarding Consumer Disparity; Lunch Patronage; Menu Incidence; Health & Wellness; and Global Inspiration. You can read more here: Differences are blurring between fast-food and fast-casual restaurants, says Technomic