Specialist
Former executive at Sizzling Platter LLC
Agenda
- North American QSR industry dynamics, focusing on the potential impacts of an economic downturn
- Demand trends and competitive landscape across major concepts and categories
- Inflation, labour and supply chain challenges
Questions
1.
Could you share your H2 2022 outlook for the North America QSR industry?
2.
Any thoughts on specific industry KPIs, perhaps compared to 2019, that point to any semblance of stability to come? Do you have any expectations for when there might be more predictability and stability in these KPIs?
3.
What does 2023 hold for the industry vs what you’re seeing over H2 2022? Should we focus on or monitor any other KPIs as we look to 2023?
4.
Has the number of restaurants within quick service recovered to 2019 levels?
5.
What is your outlook for the potential pace of new restaurant openings in H2 2022 or 2023? How would you reframe the growth pace for new units if it hasn’t recovered to 2019 levels?
6.
Can we draw anything from the last recession to get a better understanding of how the broader restaurant industry and QSR might react in the event of a potential recession? What could we expect in a recession this time around, which is coupled with a pandemic and inflation?
7.
Which QSR operators might be most resilient to a potential recession, and why? What characteristics or capabilities come to mind that make them most resilient?
8.
You mentioned the expectation for consumer trade downs earlier. Which QSR operators tend to be perceivably higher value or are potentially investing in marketing to promote their higher-value menu items?
9.
You said you’re expecting the breakfast daypart to continue to climb. Can you expand on this and share some observations on different daypart performances?
10.
What are your thoughts on relevant competitors in the breakfast daypart? Who are some of the standouts winning breakfast?
11.
Is the trend of breakfast and the breakfast daypart continuing to see uptake? Is it new and on the back of the pandemic? Is it a consumer behaviour that’s potentially permanently changed and here to stay?
12.
You mentioned the WFH trend’s impacts on daypart performance. What happens to Mondays and Fridays, given potential hybrid arrangements with office workers, and what happens to the lunchtime and dinner dayparts?
13.
How would you rank food items from the four major categories of pizza, burgers, salads and chicken from most to least popular over the next 3-5 years?
14.
How credible a threat is the better-for-you trend, particularly considering the prominent consumers here are millennials and gen Z?
15.
Across inflation, labour and supply chain, how would you rank the biggest to lowest threat to the QSR space?
16.
What is the current state of the labour market for QSR players? We saw a lot of press one year ago on wage hikes. You mentioned you expect that to moderate a bit, but what are your thoughts on the merits and drawbacks of other approaches to address shortages, besides wage hikes?
17.
Are there even some supply chain challenges around commodities that have exacerbated inflation?
18.
You mentioned potential equipment delays and the impact on new unit development. Are there specific players or concepts that you see as much more challenged regarding supply chain or equipment packages? Could that result in repricing equipment packages where they become less attractive to potential franchisees?
19.
What are your thoughts on the relative strength of franchise concepts? Do you find any concepts’ value proposition has strengthened or deteriorated, or become much more or less attractive since mid-pandemic?
