Rich Shank, senior principal and vice president of innovation for Technomic, said as brands add more technology, the human element will be a key differentiator. Photos by Jon Mouer
“C-stores are coming aggressively for the restaurant space because they see a pretty big opportunity to compete with all of us.”
He gave the example of Starbucks going through that moment about three years ago, before CEO Brian Niccol took over and re-emphasized the third place. Ordering methods in order of overall consumer appeal are:
create the desired hospitality. While traffic is sluggish across the industry, according to Technomic, there are pockets of growth in various segments. The brands that score highest on brand identity, innovation, and cultural relevancy are growing the fastest — restaurants that score above average grew at a rate of 8.2% in 2025, while below-average restaurants were at -3.4%. Technomic is projecting a return to real growth in 2026, although has downgraded earlier predictions to 0.7% growth due to rising gas prices. The highest growth this year is expected to come from coffee/ cafe and salad concepts on the LSR side and FSR Asian and steak restaurants. Meanwhile, the LSR pizza segment is likely to continue declining along with FSR seafood and Mexican. More of a rebound is expected in 2027, at 1.3% real growth.
• Inside the unit with an employee • Via the restaurant’s app or website • At the drive-thru with an employee • Inside the unit at a kiosk • Via a third-party app or website • At the drive-thru with AI voice assist
The human element can set QSRs apart from convenience stores, and technology can be used to
FSTEC 2026 | 21
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