Who’s winning the fast food wars?
Fast food chains, masters at gaining mass and global recognition, were the likely winners of quarantine: comfort food, essential workers ready and willing to serve & a structural advantage with drive through windows made for a recipe for success throughout quarantine.
NOW, fast food chains are on the UP because many went above and beyond just serving the masses: Adding Velocity to their Mass by supersizing the conversation. From McDonalds’ celebrity meal collabs with Travis Scott and J. Balvin to Arby’s TikTok comic relief, fast food found creative ways to tap pop culture and serve extra smiles.
On the down? Our egos and the social stigma of eating fast food. Denouncing all fast food as bad for you is an old school mindset. The industry has worked hard to offer healthy choices -- meatless alternatives, fresh & local ingredients, portion control, ingredient transparency, etc. Plus now is not the time to pass judgement on our need for comfort, or to take ourselves too seriously. Americans will take joy where we can find it. When it comes quick in the form of a happy meal... we'll take 2 and an extra toy.
The Takeaway?
Fast food chains nailed their latest transformation. They went beyond the expected menu item innovation with a complete disruption in the way they market & communicate with their audience. Momentum masters.
THE DECODE
ON THE UP: Fast Food
Here’s how the fast food industry is hitting on all 5 Drivers of Momentum right now:
DISRUPTION: From Guilty Pleasure to Lifestyle Brands
Fast food brands went from being national villains (bad for us and our country's health crisis) to becoming the center of pop culture & joy in everyday lives. Throughout the pandemic, they were reliable, consistent and our heros. They also fed our appetites for entertainment & comedic relief.
When a TikTok of a “stolen” Arby’s TV went viral, Arby’s leaned in & played up the joke by flying a banner plane flying over a beach in Naples that read “Hey @H1T1 we want our TV back – Arby’s.”
Even Subway, who has been notoriously struggling for years, is getting creative in how it's fueling velocity. From fast food brand to personal therapist when its kind & caring responses to a followers messages went viral.
INNOVATION: Putting their own twist on "healthly" comfort food
Fast food chains are balancing the increased prioritization of health with the momentum for comfort food by innovating on existing menu items & creating healthier alternatives.
At the beginning of quarantine, we sought stability in comfort food and gravitated towards the brands we grew up with & felt familiar with. We’ve since adapted & returned to being health-conscious consumers.
To maintain the momentum they gained earlier in the pandemic, fast food brands are putting their own twist on healthy alternatives that still meet their comfort food standards. They are taking it one step further by marketing them in a way that won't cannibalize their other menu items.
Jack in the Box is one of the first fast food chains to step up & try plant-based chicken. They are tapping into drop culture and FOMO by releasing their ‘unchicken’ sandwiches only at select locations… for now.
Sonic is taking two popular comfort foods, putting them in bite form & frying them up. Pitched as a cross between tater tots & broccoli cheddar casserole, Sonic’s Broccoli Cheddar Tots make it easy (& tasty) to get a full serving of vegetables.
POLARIZATION: From Mass to Hyper Targeted
Fast food brands like McDonalds & Qdoba are everywhere. But mass with no velocity is a danger zone. With mass is steady and stable, fast food brands are realizing now is the perfect time to experiment with new ways to fuel velocity.
McDonalds is focusing on specific audiences, targeting them through initiatives like the celebrity meal collaborations with Travis Scott & J Balvin. As the first celebrity collaborations since 1992 with Michael Jordan, these specialty meals had a lot of hype. The Travis Scott curated meal made the Quarter Pounder so desirable that McDonald’s experienced a historic shortage of its signature burgers. The genius of reaching a specific audience through collaborations like these is that all of a sudden - consumers don't want McDonalds, they want the curated, limited edition meal.
Qdoba leans into the passionate discussion & debate about their “second best” status, which has been a narrative that loyal Qdoba fans continue to engage in since Chance the Rapper’s SNL monologue in October 2019.
STICKINESS: Alleviating Holiday Stress
Fast food has always owned specific moments and occasions -- whether it is your go-to road trip pit stop, your morning fuel, Sunday brunch or Friday family dinner.
As the holidays approach, fast food brands recognize that they have an opportunity to help alleviate that meal prep stress.
Popeye’s is helping make this year’s Thanksgiving easier with its Cajun Style Turkeys. The pre-cooked, hand-rubbed turkeys allow you to worry less about the food and more about spending time with the loved ones you’ve been missing all year
KFC is getting into the holiday spirit. With the 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog, you can cuddle up to a warm fried chicken-scented fire this holiday season.
SOCIAL IMPACT: Sticking a Fork in the Fast Food Wars
When times get tough, the fast food industry comes together. Burger King UK officially called time on the industry-wide rivalry with its tweet encouraging followers to order from McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Five Guys, Taco Bell and other brands.
Emphasizing the much-needed support for employees and the entrepreneurs that run the local franchises, Burger King squashed its infamous beef with McDonald’s for the greater good of the industry: “Getting a Whopper is always best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing.” Showing that even the strongest rivals can band together when needed, Burger King’s united front provides hope that we can all come together & overcome.
ON THE DOWN: OUR EGOS
Fast food is getting us all through 2020 and there are no judgements here. We have bigger things to stress over than whether or not to supersize our fries. And today’s healthier, transparent menus let us balance out fast fun with a side salad of kale if we so choose—the real value of fast food meals lies in whatever makes us happy.
The old school stigma that quick serve is bad for you has gone out the drive through window.
