Coffee, chicken and Mexican-inspired chains lead QSR growth in the first half of 2025, reported foot traffic research firm Placer.ai.

The research highlighted the differences in year-over-year foot traffic in the first half of 2025. “Pizza, burger and sandwich chains experienced declines, while coffee, chicken and Mexican-inspired concepts emerged as the growth drivers in terms of overall visit increases. These segments were likely aided by aggressive unit expansion and consumer preferences shifting toward more affordable, customizable and protein-forward options,” the report said.

Coffee chain visits were 2.8% higher, chicken chain visits were 1.6% higher and Mexican inspired chain visits were up 1.9% year over year. On the other hand, burger chain visits were down 1.7% year over year and sandwich shop visits were down 3.2%.

Placer.ai noted that declining visits per location “signal that aggressive expansion may be outpacing consumer demand.”

“While 2025 has been marked by volatility, the underlying consumer appetite for convenient, protein-forward and customizable dining is helping some limited-service segments stay ahead of the pack. Still, visit per location data suggests that expansion plans may need to be put on ice for the next few quarters,” the research firm said.

Instead, Placer.ai suggests operators focus on menu innovation, building loyalty and driving higher output per store to capture consumer demand. As confidence rebounds, “concepts that have expanded strategically may be especially well positioned to benefit from renewed consumer traffic.”

In the March 2025 issues of NACS Magazine article “Stop Foodservice Leakage,” retailers and experts discussed how c-stores are innovating to drive customers who are already in the store to purchase a meal there—instead of at the QSR down the street.