FAST-GROWING
FASTtoCASUAL segment.
New concepts continue boost this restaurant
by Darren Tristano
22
November | December | 2013
Site Selection Factors
Fast casual is generally defned as establishments with a limitedservice or self-service format, check averages above $9, food prepared to order, fresh (or perceived as fresh) ingredients, innovative
food suited to sophisticated tastes, and upscale interior design. Fastcasual concepts tend to attract more lunch than dinner business, but
several chains are courting evening guests with enhanced service,
comfortable dining rooms, and adult-beverage menus.
Growing fast-casual brands target the same locations that other
restaurants — especially quick-service concepts — do. However,
fast-casual concepts generally don't have a drive-thru, so their units
— averaging 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, depending on the brand,
Commercial Investment Real Estate
Corbis; Bozena_Fulawka/Thinkstock
T
he fast-casual food segment may be small, but
its growth is outpacing the restaurant industry, attracting new competitors and spurring
evolutionary changes from quick-service and
full-service brands.
Fast-casual sales were about $31 billion in 2012, up 13 percent
from the prior year. Tat's a huge increase from 2005, when segment
sales were about $12 billion. Fast casual makes up about 7 percent of
the $435 billion restaurant industry, but that share will continue to
grow. Technomic forecasts a 3 percent nominal increase in restaurant
industry sales in 2013 over the prior year but expects fast-casual segment sales to rise by about 10 percent.