Fast-Food Restaurants Are Making Significant Improvements – Here’s What’s Changed

It seems like the fast-food industry is starting to make some significant changes lately. Yet, that’s not because consumers are eating out less, and they feel like they are losing their customers, despite what some reports may say.

In fact, surveying the general population found out that 43% of people claim going out to eat once a week. Moreover, a survey on Millennial consumers found out that, actually, 53% of them report eating out at least once a week. So, if consumers eating out less is not the problem, why are fast food restaurants so focused on making some changes?

What forced the fast-food industry to finally embrace change for the better is nothing other than the shifting habits of consumers and their evolving preferences on the dining experience. Appealing to this new generation of consumers is posing a challenge to restaurant franchises,unless they quickly adapt to what Millennials expect.

And, as Millennials are the world’s largest group of consumers today, these fast-food restaurants must revamp their menus and re-design their stores and operations almost as quickly as they prepare our food. At least that’s what they should do if they want to stay competitive.

Here are the most significant changes made for the better, or expected to see shortly, of some of the best-known fast-food franchises:

Different standards for “healthy” food

More than a decade ago, fast-food restaurants were serving food for individuals known today as Baby Boomers. And, if you dig deeper into what “healthy food” meant to this generation, you’ll probably hear something about counting calories or low-fat foods.

Yet, when it comes to Millennials, they have a completely different perception than their older peers. Millennials consider that the key to healthy eating is all about using fresh ingredients, fewer preservatives, and fewer artificial flavors.

So, fast-food restaurants need to start serving food that is actually real food and avoid processed food by all means if they want to keep attracting today’s young adults. And, it seems that some of them have already embraced the change.

In 2018, perhaps the world’s most popular fast-food franchise, McDonald’s, made a big announcement: its restaurants will switch from flash-frozen burger patties to fresh for some of their burgers. The company invested nearly $60 million into this supply update.

Also, McDonald’s announced that by 2022, the Happy Meals would change to contain no more than 600 calories, as well as lower amounts of saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. Plus, there’s nothing confirmed yet, but rumor has it that the company is also considering adding food options like a kid-sized grilled chicken sandwich.

Becoming more eco-friendly

If there’s one thing that defines Millennials the best, it is the fact that they are the eco-friendly generation.

Now, it’s not like their older peers didn’t care about the environment. However, they didn’t have as much information as today’s young adults do. Understandably, they were not as aware of environmental concerns. Moreover, they also didn’t have the same power as consumers over trends as Millennial consumers do, thanks to the Internet and social media. So, fast-food chains had no other option than to start committing to sustainability if they wanted Millennials to keep eating their foods.

Let’s take McDonald’s, for example, the company sells a tremendous amount of food every day, nearly 9 million pounds of French fries, to be more precise. And, all the food it sells, from burgers to French fries, ice cream, and even sodas, all translate into a lot of wrappers, cartons, and other packaging types. So, the company announced that by 2025, it is planning to use only packaging that is 100% recycled, certified sustainable, or renewable.

Also, both McDonald’s and KFC, the company’s biggest competitor, decided to ditch plastic straws and replace them with paper straws.

Getting involved in social good

Fast-food restaurants aren’t only showing that they are becoming more environmentally conscious. They also start showing interest in investing in social and community good, making giving back an essential part of the way they operate.

For example, Jimmy John Liautaud, the founder of the famous Jimmy John’s sandwich chain, is known for his philanthropic giving and community involvement. Jimmy John’s chain donates funds to support a number of causes related to education, research, and promotion of good health.

Moreover, Liautaud’s personal giving through the Liautaud Family Foundation, launched in December of 2016 gave away around $2.3 million in the 2018 fiscal year, and its primary mission is to help others help themselves. The charity gives to both local and national organizations that promote and support health and wellness, education, the military and the arts.

The Ronald McDonald House Charity program is another example of social responsibility among fast-food franchises. The company takes community giving very seriously lately, through involvement in youth sports and local charities and events.

Vegetarian and vegan food options

According to Statista, 7.5% of Millennials and Gen Z are now vegetarians, whereas only 2.5% of their older peers over the age of 50 have given up meat. Moreover, data shows that plant-based meals sales experienced a growth of nearly 28%, whereas sales of meat alternatives grew by 24%.

With interest in vegetarianism on the rise, there are now more plant-based food choices available in fast-food restaurants than ever before. Big fast-food chains such as Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and KFC now have vegetarian and even vegan food choices available for their customers. So, these days, vegans or vegetarians can go out to dine with their friends without worrying that they won’t have any food choice.

There’s no surprise that the fast-food industry has started to change for the good. And, it isn’t just the Millennial consumers that value aesthetics, health, and environmental impact, but also the Millennial CEOs and employees of these fast-food chains asking for things to change for the better.