UK fast-food chains revamp menus, store hours to cut costs
Outdated tech could also drag QSRs down.
Quick-service restaurants (QSR) in the UK are simplifying menus, extending hours, and revamping tech to keep up with rising costs and changing consumer habits.
At the recent QSR Media UK Redcat Conference & Awards 2025 in London, executives from Taco Bell, Caffe Nero, Papa Johns, Krispy Kreme, and Chopstix laid out the tough call they are making to stay competitive.
Ian Cranna, general manager at Taco Bell UK & Europe, said most of the growth is coming from younger customers. “The delivery channel continues to expand, particularly amongst our younger customer segments,” he said. “Extended late-night hours are also playing a key role, with late-night delivery becoming an increasingly important driver of traffic.”
Papa Johns is seeing the same trend.
“We've seen a major shift in when people choose to eat, which has led us to extend our operating hours—opening earlier in some locations and staying open later into the evening,” said Chris Phylactou, UK managing director for Papa Johns. “In fact, around 4% of our sales this year have come from post-11 p.m. trading.”
Will Stratton-Morris, chief business development officer at Caffè Nero, cited the growing importance of social media in driving innovation and performance.
“We launched a matcha drink around two months ago, but before we even launched our in-store campaign—before any posters went up—it was picked up by a couple of influencers,” he said. “At launch, we were selling around 15,000 matcha drinks per week. Now, it has grown to around 40,000 per week.”
Behind the scenes, technology issues remain a sticking point. Cranna said outdated systems could drag QSRs down. “Modernising your tech stack should be the top priority for any brand looking to stay competitive,” he said. “If you’re working with a legacy system or a stack that’s difficult to connect to, things are only getting harder.”
Phylactou said many fast-food chains ignore tech reliability until it breaks.
“It’s not just about investing in new tech; it’s about investing in the right tech,” he said. “If you don’t, you risk falling behind.”
Jon Lake, managing director at Chopstix, urged caution with vendors.
“When engaging with new tech partners, do your due diligence,” he said. “We've had a few instances where suppliers came in with a lot of enthusiasm and big promises, but when it came down to the actual delivery, things stalled.”
Lake also cited another issue: overcomplicated menus and operations could be a barrier to scaling up.
“Simplicity is key—from supply chain efficiency to customer communication—and it’s something we’re hyper-focused on,” he said.
‘Hero products’
Phylactou said innovation isn’t just about launching new products but also about keeping a balanced menu that offers real choices.
Customers are willing to pay more if the quality is there. Caffè Nero’s £4 cinnamon bun is outselling expectations. “It’s these high-quality, premium products succeeding in a market that’s supposedly under price pressure,” Stratton-Morris said.
He said fast-food chains should not neglect the best-selling menu items. “If you let yourself get swept away by the 'innovation drug,’ you risk losing focus on the products that actually sustain your business over the long term.”
Guy Meakin, president and managing director for the UK and Ireland at Krispy Kreme, said the brand had over-rotated on novelty and nearly neglected its bestseller.
Sales of their Original Glazed—their best-selling doughnut—declined last year because they were doing too much too fast, he said.
“So we’ve reversed that trend. We’re now being much more intentional with our innovation, ensuring that our campaigns not only introduce new ideas but also support and spotlight our hero products,” he added.
Lake said drugs that could lead to weight loss, like Ozempic, could reshape how people eat. About 1.5 million people in the UK are already using them, and that number is growing by roughly 15% a year, he added.
“These drugs seem to be having the biggest impact on breakfast and dinner occasions, whilst lunch remains less affected, at least for now,” he said. “We've dealt with COVID, food inflation, and everything else, and it's just one more thing we have to deal with.”
