To get an idea of what may be coming in 2025, looking back at what reigned supreme in 2024 can give good insight. Value took center stage this year, as cautious consumers sought to stretch their dollars as far as possible, wrote research firm Placer.ai.
Placer.ai’s data from the year found that quicker service has emerged as more important than ever in the restaurant space. “And to meet this demand, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and fast-casual chains have been integrating more technology into their operations. Chipotle has been a leader in this regard, unveiling the ‘Autocado’ robot … [that] can peel, pit and chop avocados in record time, a major benefit for the Tex-Mex chain,” Placer.ai said in the report.
Visitors at the Autocade location are visiting more frequently and getting their food more quickly—43.9% of visits at this location lasted 10 minutes or less, compared to 37.5% at other stores according to Placer.ai.
Placer.ai noted that McDonald’s has entered that automated space as well. “The chain debuted its first (almost) fully automated, takeaway-only restaurant in White Settlement, Texas in 2022 (The food is still prepared by humans.) Unsurprisingly, the restaurant drives faster visits than other local McDonald’s locations—in Q3 2023, 79.7% of visits to the chain lasted less than 10 minutes, compared to 68.5% for other McDonald’s in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas CBSA.” The research firm also reported that the automated McDonald’s also garnered 16.8% more visits than other McDonald’s in the area.
Placer.ai’s review of 2024 found that appealing to millennials youth was a big hit in 2024. “This summer, Taco Bell leaned into nostalgia with a promotion bringing back iconic menu items from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s—all priced under $3. The promotion, which soft-launched at three Southern California locations in August, was so successful that the company is now offering the specials nationwide,” wrote Placer.ai.
The three Taco Bell locations that trialed the “Decades Menu” saw significant boosts in visits during the promotional period compared to their daily averages for August, according to research.
Placer.ai also took its research of the c-store sector over the last year and predicted a strong 2025 for c-stores. The research firm found that monthly c-store visits surged past the segment’s pre-pandemic baseline, with November 2024 c-store traffic 16.1% higher than in November 2019, according to the research.