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 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
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
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
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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
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
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
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
APPENDIX
Report scope/market definition
Canadian consumer methodology
Generations
Abbreviations
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