Hello, who ordered the hamburger?

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2026/02-03

Winners and losers

Several of the top brands had a weaker year: McDonald’s sales grew by only 0.6%, sales by Starbucks were down 0.5%, which is a record low, while Chick-fil-A’s 5.4% sales growth was one of the best among the fast food giants. As a matter of fact, the fast food sector hasn’t slowed down significantly, but consumer loyalty has shifted: in many cases customers aren’t returning to the biggest brands, but to more focused, fresher concepts. The power of specialisation is clearly visible among the winners: chicken- and Mexican-focused chains were able to grow faster than traditional burger-pizza-sandwich players.

In McDonald’s automated test store in Texas, even the drive‑thru operates without staff

Innovate or die! (Do it smartly, though)

Just as a shark must constantly swim to stay alive, fast food restaurants must constantly reinvent themselves. More development: more opportunities for mistakes! A growing number of fast food brands are finding that excessive innovation can easily backfire. Many companies try to compensate for slowing sales with new products, but when attention shifts from the brand’s real strengths to short-term ideas, it often leads to a decline in results. A typical example of this is when a chain that is essentially based on pizza (Domino’s) suddenly moves towards offering chicken. There are several fundamental mistakes behind this phenomenon. The first is that innovation isn’t consistent with brand identity, the second is that too many new products cause operational problems, and the third is that these innovations mostly generate short-term sales, but don’t build a base of repeat customers, because they don’t create a real reason for frequent visits. In contrast, brands that consistently build on their core products and specialties perform better.

Key target groups

For Generations Z and Y the fast food experience is no longer primarily about speed, but about a seamless digital process. App-based pre-ordering, kiosks and contactless payment are basic expectations. Young people don’t just want to eat, they want to experience flavours, try new things, share and have something to talk about. Personalisation has become one of the most important purchasing motivations. The menu is no longer a fixed offering, but a kind of creative playground where Gen Z and Gen Y shape their own meals.

The world’s most unusual food court operates in a nine‑storey building in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A new fast food model: the food court chain

Wonder, a New York-based, technology-driven food court chain launched in 2021 and will be operating in nearly 90 locations on the East Coast by early 2026. Each Wonder restaurant combines more than 25 restaurant concepts in one place, including recipes from world-renowned chefs, local favourites and proprietary brands. The company’s operations are focused on speed and efficiency. Ingredients are prepared in a central distribution centre in New Jersey, which operates as a ghost kitchen, and then sent to smaller locations where they are finished using steamers, electric fryers or deep fryers. The company is now valued at over USD 7bn. Wonder follows a logic similar to that of Starbucks: it builds a dense network of closely spaced units to cover the market and strengthen the brand.