We’ve been publishing the QSR® Drive-Thru Study now for over 20 years, holding quick-service chains accountable by reporting on their performance in speed of service, order accuracy, and other important metrics critical to drive-thru success. But with much of the industry maximizing their drive-thru performance—and with the pandemic skewing what is normal—it was clear that the study needed a refresh.
That's why we’ve partnered this year with Darren Tristano and his firm FoodserviceResults to explore consumer sentiment toward the drive thru and other off-premises experiences. Tristano joins the podcast to discuss this year's study results, including which technologies customers are comfortable with using in the drive thru, why drive thru could be critical to fast-casual success, and how much consumers plan to keep using delivery, curbside, and carryout.

Read the full Drive Thru Study at QSRmagazine.com/drivethru
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Mendocino Farms is the perfect example of fast casual 2.0. Committed to big footprints with beautiful designs and activities like foosball and corn hole, the Los Angeles–based brand elevated the entire fast-casual experience and built significant buzz as a result, growing to 35 locations between California and Texas, with plans to scale nationally.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Mendocino Farms, which was so invested in a dine-in experience, had to quickly translate that in-store identity into something that would work just as well in its off-premises channels. CEO Kevin Miles joins the podcast to talk about what that translation looked like, how it will inform Mendo's future growth plans, and why the brick-and-mortar footprint is still critical to developing a brand. 

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Digital strategies were important before the pandemic, but they're critical today, and restaurants have only scratched the surface with digital innovations. Nobody knows that better than Dan Getsacov, chief commercial officer at Atlanta-based FOCUS Brands. He's responsible for designing the "shared backbone" for Moe's, Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, Jamba, and McAlister's Deli that drives digital success for all seven brands.
Gertsacov joins the podcast to talk about how digital tools have become far more than a marketing opportunity, how restaurant companies can create a consistent brand experience with their digital presence, and why there's never been a better time to be a digital expert in the restaurant industry. 

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The COVID-19 pandemic has hit different parts of the country and different foodservice categories in different ways. Of course, the full-service industry has suffered far more than counter-service concepts, and urban centers like New York City have been more negatively impacted than suburbs and cities that rely on driving traffic. 
Chris Blanchard is president and cofounder of Chicas Tacos, an emerging fast-casual taco concept based in Los Angeles. In the last 6 months, he and his team have adapted their service style and blueprints for the future to accommodate the ways in which the pandemic has changed L.A. dining—all the way up to developing their own text-to-pay technology platform. He joins the podcast to talk about that platform and what it means for the brand's service style, how important the patio has been to success, and why keeping up his optimism has helped him manage through the crisis.

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Flint, Michigan–based concept Halo Burger was built on the fundamentals of quick service—cheap and convenient burgers, fries, and shakes—way back in 1923. And while it's seen a lot in its 97 years, the eight-unit regional burger joint is facing its toughest task yet with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Olivia Ross, Halo Burger's director of marketing, joins the podcast to talk about how the chain is modernizing its operations and marketing platforms and balancing those with nearly a century's worth of brand affinity—all in an effort to build customer trust and maintain their loyal business through the COVID crisis.

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Private investment firm RSE Ventures has built a name for itself in the business community, both for its stakes in renowned restaurants like Momofuku, Milk Bar, &pizza, and Bluestone Lane, as well as for its CEO Matt Higgins, who has appeared as a guest shark on "Shark Tank." But the firm has gone beyond placing smart bets on exciting companies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic; these days, RSE has taken an active role in helping its brands pivot in the midst of the crisis.
RSE managing director Uday Ahuja joins the podcast to talk about what role investors should play for their partners through this season, why entrepreneurs should see the COVID crisis as an opportunity to reimagine their businesses, and what emerging brand leaders should do to secure investment that can take them to the next level.

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Easily served contact-free and beloved by families, pizza has proved to be uniquely resilient during the COVID-19 crisis. But what about the fast-casual pizza space, which relies so heavily on the in-store experience? Brands like Oath Pizza, which launched in Nantucket in 2015, have been forced to pivot more than traditional pizza chains, and for Oath that's included investments in things like meal kits, a food truck, and ghost kitchens. 
Oath president and CEO Drew Kellogg joins the podcast to talk about his recipe for future success, which includes designing restaurants to serve customers more safely, conveniently, and flexibly while still offering a solid price value. He also discusses the brand's strategic partnership with Aramark, which runs foodservice mostly at nontraditional venues where traffic all but disappeared due to the pandemic. 

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When cousins Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac launched their food truck Cousins Maine Lobster in Los Angeles in 2012, food trucks were red-hot. But while many trucks fizzled out after a few years and the broader trend settled into a sort of community-by-community niche, Cousins has expanded through franchising and established itself as an international seafood sensation with both truck and brick-and-mortar locations. 
Tselikis joins the podcast to talk about how a food-truck business has some inherent advantages during the COVID-19 crisis, why the food-truck experience is more important than ever, and why a $17 lobster roll still has a place in the value conversation even during a recession. 

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Even before the pandemic, the very definition of a restaurant was starting to change thanks to ghost kitchens, virtual brands, and the broader digitization of the restaurant experience. But COVID-19 has supercharged that process; now more than ever, operators are discovering that all they need to open for business in any community in America is a commercial kitchen.
Enter REEF. What originated as a parking lot management company is turning valuable real estate—parking lots in 20-plus cities across North America—into neighborhood hubs for goods and services, including ghost kitchens for mom-and-pops and big chains alike. COO Carl Segal and chief creative officer Alan Philips join the podcast to talk about how the REEF model works and why it could completely redefine restaurant real estate as we know it.

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COVID-19 has completely upended the restaurant industry and will likely permanently alter the restaurant experience as we know it, both through technology upgrades that take much of the experience online and through in-store changes that affect how a customer moves through a physical space.
Bruce Reinstein, partner at foodservice consultancy Kinetic12, is keeping on top of how restaurants will likely change in the future. He joins the podcast to talk through some of his predictions, what emerging brands should do right now, and why the key to everything is flexibility.

To listen to the Restaurant of the Future webinar, visit QSRmagazine.com/webinars
For Bruce's latest byline on what the Restaurant of the Future looks like, click here.
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