2025
8
Canada Quick Service Restaurants Market Report 2025
2025-12-05T08:02:03+00:00
REP0F469DD0_A26D_4F60_8D93_E7024603A34F
3695
189389
[{"name":"Fast Food","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/foodservice\/fast-food"},{"name":"Market Intelligence Reports","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/report-type\/market-intelligence-reports"},{"name":"Canada","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/markets\/canada-market-research"}]
Report
en_GB
Value is the cornerstone of quick service restaurants' success and growth. When it comes to attracting customers, no other factor holds greater influence. Price has always been a primary consideration,…
Canada
Fast Food
simple

Canada Quick Service Restaurants Market Report 2025

Value is the cornerstone of quick service restaurants' success and growth. When it comes to attracting customers, no other factor holds greater influence.

Trusted by leading global brands

Amazon logo
Deutsch brand logo
waitrose
Bauer-Media-Group
mediacom-logo-e1438678858172 (1)
VML Logo
Epsilon Logo
VocaLink_Mastercard_logo-PNG-1
Amazon logo
Deutsch brand logo
waitrose
Bauer-Media-Group
mediacom-logo-e1438678858172 (1)
VML Logo
Epsilon Logo
VocaLink_Mastercard_logo-PNG-1
4.5 stars
Source: G2.com, Inc.
Collapse All
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for QSR
    • Opportunities
    • Frictionless convenience for digitally native diners
    • Address health without losing the crave
    • Value 2.0: predictable pricing, tiered menus
  2. THE MARKET

    • QSR value sales trend upward
    • Graph 1: limited-service* sales by month, January 2019-July 2025
    • Post-COVID, QSR sees an uptick in the share of total foodservice sales
    • Graph 2: limited-service share of total food services and drinking places sales by month, January 2019-July 2025
    • Canadian economic outlook: uncertainty, but also opportunity
    • CPI hovers just above the 2% target, while retail food inflation remains elevated, but moderated in October
    • Graph 3: annual change in CPI and retail food prices by month, January 2019-October 2025
    • New policies aim to slow population growth by limiting immigration
    • Population growth is poised to stagnate in the next few years
    • Graph 4: projected population (medium growth scenario), 2025-45
    • Hybrid work arrangements are here to stay
    • Graph 5: work location, 2022 & 2025
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • QSR usage and technology’s impact
    • Despite the bevy of options, fast food remains the top go-to for Canadians
    • Graph 6: types of restaurants dined at or ordered food from in the past three months, 2025
    • Fast food remains foodservice’s foundation
    • Graph 7: types of restaurants dined at or ordered food from in the past three months, 2022, 2024 & 2025
    • Top takeaways: the evolving foodservice landscape
    • Dining in at QSR shows greater volatility
    • Graph 8: done at fast food restaurants in the past three months, 2022, 2024 & 2025
    • Top takeaways: how consumers get fast food
    • The case for and against third-party apps for operators
    • Tech enablement offers value in addition to ease
    • Graph 9: attitudes toward the impact of technology on foodservice, 2025
    • Tech is a benefit, but lack of tech doesn’t have to be a barrier
    • Tech helps create an inviting experience for Gen Zs
    • Value’s importance at QSR
    • A fifth of Canadians plan to cut back on QSR usage
    • Graph 10: will visit or order from fast food restaurants more, the same or less over the next year, 2025
    • Price is the main challenge for QSR traffic growth, but there are other factors at play
    • Graph 11: discourages consumers from visiting or ordering from fast food restaurants more often, 2025
    • Correspondingly, lower prices are the most cited way to draw traffic
    • Graph 12: would encourage consumers to visit or order from fast food restaurants more often, 2025
    • Perspective on visit drivers
    • Value extends beyond price
    • Graph 13: attitudes toward quality and foodservice, 2025
    • Drivers of satisfaction at QSR
    • Price and value remain top opportunities to bolster satisfaction as QSR gets ample credit for speed, consistency and food quality
    • Graph 14: satisfaction with select aspects of foodservice restaurants, 2025
    • QSR’s credit for speed points to its foundational importance
    • Consumers want predictable pricing
    • Graph 15: menu options consumers would like to see at fast food restaurants more often, 2025
    • Top takeaways: menu options customers want from fast food restaurants
    • High-low: what does a brand stand for?
    • Graph 16: attitudes toward the quantity of menu items on quality and perceived quality difference between fast food and fast casual, 2025
    • Differentiating between fast food and fast casual
    • Craveability and health at QSR
    • Room to provide more satisfying healthy menu options at QSR
    • Most don’t expect fast food to be inherently healthy, but provenance supports a broader definition of wellbeing
    • Graph 17: attitudes towards ingredients and health at fast food restaurants, 2025
    • Case study: A&W
    • Canadians primarily crave a quartet of menu options from fast food
    • Graph 18: menu items most craved from fast food restaurants, 2025
    • Elevate burgers and chicken/pizza
    • Even among newer Canadians, burgers and chicken are the most craveable at QSR
    • Graph 19: menu items most craved from fast food restaurants, newer vs established Canadians, 2025
    • Daypart and frequency of QSR usage
    • Dinner and lunch represent “prime-time” for QSR
    • Graph 20: dayparts when fast food restaurants are typically frequented, 2025
    • Graph 21: occasions when fast food restaurants are typically frequented, 2025
    • Grow frequency among those already semi-reliant on QSR
    • Graph 22: how often food is ordered from fast food restaurants, 2025
    • Drive QSR growth among moderate customers by emphasizing value and meaningful innovation
    • Graph 23: would encourage consumers to visit or order from fast food restaurants more often, by frequent or moderate usage, 2025
    • Focus on lunch to drive growth with “moderate” QSR customers
    • Graph 24: QSR usage by daypart, across frequent, moderate and light users, 2025
    • Tactics to help bolster lunch traffic
    • Who are more likely to be frequent fast food customers?
    • Dealing for dads
    • Demographic differences
    • Generations and QSR: what findings show
    • Younger generations seek variety and leverage tech
    • Newer Canadians and QSR: what findings show
    • Make ordering more accessible for newer Canadians, who are more avid foodservice consumers
    • Remote workers and QSR: what findings show
    • Encourage hybrid workers to treat themselves when going in to the office
  4. PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • New restaurant concepts help drive excitement, but can it be maintained?
    • Compelling desserts can help bolster average eater cheques
    • McDonald’s launch of McVeggie burger signals a shift for plant-based positioning
    • Was that Colonel Sanders at a Blue Jays World Series Game?
    • “Fanning” the popularity of fast food brands
    • One doesn’t always have to be home for holidays
    • Hacks help brands build connections with customers
    • Agentic AI: the influencer of the future?
    • Case study: McDonald’s uses AI to enhance customer experiences and boost efficiency
    • Can AI help smaller or independent QSR operators?
    • Shift in US travel sentiment can benefit Canada’s restaurant industry
    • Graph 25: planned overnight trips to the US in the next 12 months, 2024 vs 2025
  5. APPENDIX

    • Report scope/market definition
    • Canadian consumer methodology
    • Generations
    • Abbreviations
Download Report Summary

"Value is key to a QSR's success, but it's about more than just price. To stay relevant, operators can invest in their ability to provide more personalized service."

Joel Gregoire, Associate Director of Food & Drink Reports

Joel Gregoire, Associate Director of Food & Drink Reports

Canada Quick Service Restaurants Industry – Trends and Insights

  • Value is the cornerstone of quick service restaurants’ success and growth. When it comes to attracting customers, no other factor holds greater influence. Price has always been a primary consideration for consumers in the quick service restaurants (QSR) industry, but the widespread inflation in recent years amplifies its significance.
  • However, the QSR industry is inherently dynamic and diverse. While value and competitive pricing remain fundamental drivers that draw customers to these establishments, other considerations also sway their choice of a particular operator.
  • Encouragingly, nearly all Canadians engage with foodservice, and QSRs continue to be their most popular option. Despite this, a notable share of consumers anticipate reducing their QSR visits over the coming year. While whether this projection comes to fruition remains to be seen, it underscores a prevalent consumer sentiment. This highlights the importance for fast food restaurants to innovate their value proposition across multiple dimensions, particularly if growth decelerates.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Post-pandemic sales rebound and inflation’s impact on growth
  • Channel shift: dine-in volatility, delivery app acceleration
  • Role of technology in ordering, payment and labour efficiency
  • Value perception vs pricing strategy amid economic challenges
  • Menu innovation: crave-worthy classics, healthier twists and provenance
  • Gen Z, newer Canadians and hybrid workers as cohorts of opportunity
£ 3,695 excl. Tax
Secure direct checkout
Instant PDF download
Portal access included
Need help deciding? Get in touch

Trusted by global industry leaders

4.5 stars
Source: G2.com, Inc.
Jackman logo

At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.

Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
Abacus logo

There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.

However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.

Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
VML logo

We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.

Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.

Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, VML
Mediacom logo

Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.

It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.

Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
Waitrose & Partners logo

We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.

Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.

Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners
Tenth Wave logo

Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.

When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.

The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.

Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave
VocaLink logo

We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.

As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.

We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.

 

Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
Wincanton logo

When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.

They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.

So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.

Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton
Epsilon logo

We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.

By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.

For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.

Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
Amazon logo

Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.

Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.

Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon
Deutsch logo

One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.

We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.

We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.

Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
Bauer Media Group logo

We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.

They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.

Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group