Executive Briefing
The desk lunch is on hold
How Sweetgreen, Chipotle, and fast-casual restaurants are changing their strategies for the times.
By Dan Frommer on Saturday, August 22, 2020 at 7:00 am
Am I the only one a little nostalgic for the Sweetgreen line?
The rise of fast-casual restaurant chains — Shake Shack, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dig Inn, Chopt — was one of the biggest trends of the last decade, optimized for a highly mobile form of urban consumerism.
It’s clear that we won’t be returning to a version of that old “normal” any time soon in the US — the virus is still in control. NYC Subway ridership is still down about 75% from last year. Big employers like Google expect remote work to be the default well into next year. TSA airport screenings are still down around 70%.
Everyone still needs to eat, but people are buying food differently during the Covid-19 pandemic. This has forced fast-casual chains to change what they do and how they do it — like any other business that hopes to make it to 2021 and beyond.
Chart of the Day
And what’s happening now — a potential multi-year rebooting of city and work life — is also pushing many of them to adjust future plans and strategies.
Sections in this 3,100-word report:
- A massive shift to digital and e-commerce
- Designing for delivery
- Rethinking meals and menus
- Considering new neighborhoods and store formats
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