Crystal Ball Time: Five Fast Food Trends To Watch For In 2018

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , December 19, 2017 (Off The Menu) – It’s the end of 2017. And what does that mean?

Crystal ball time!

Let me explain: This is the time of year where all the “experts” in the food and beverage industry get to talk about what trends they’ll be expecting for the following year. It’s basically the time of the year when we all get to pretend that we’re smarter than we really are.

Having said that, I do have some thoughts on what the future will hold. Since fast food is my passion when it comes to eating and drinking, I’ve decided to list what I think will be the top fast food trends of 2018:

The Rise (Again) Of Value Menus

I wrote about this in my last blog, but it’s worth mentioning again: Fast food is once again putting the spotlight on value menus, as evidenced by recent announcements that Taco Bell will add 20 items to its dollar menu and McDonald’s new value menu will be comprised of items ranging from $1-$3. With these two major players focusing on value menus again, it only makes sense that their competitors will soon do the same.

$5 Bills Y’alls

In recent months, fast food chains have been putting more effort into offering $5 meal deals for their customers. Taco Bell continues to offer variations of its $5 Box deals (often changing them when a new menu item comes out), KFC customers can choose one of a variety of $5 “Fill-Up” meals, and recently Carl’s Jr. launched its own line of $5 “All-Star Value” meals featuring items like spicy chicken sandwiches, double cheeseburgers, hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies. The industry clearly sees $5 as being a good price point for both customers and bottom lines, so expect this trend to continue and grow.

Big Macs And Whoppers Delivered Right To Your Front Door

When I first started at Industry Intelligence 10 years ago, I remember reading about McDonald’s trying out delivery service in New York City and my mind was blown. But today, fast food delivery is becoming old hat, especially with services like Postmates and driving services like Uber partnering with chains like McDonald’s to offer fast food right to your door. Fast food is on the delivery train in a major way, and it’s only a matter of time before all the major chains come aboard.

Cheetos, Cheetos Everywhere

Last year, my co-workers and I made a special trip to Burger King solely to try the new Mac N’ Cheetos, and we were thrilled to hear the news that BK was now offering the menu item in a Flamin’ Hot variety. But we shouldn’t have been surprised. Over the past couple of years, Cheetos has been slowly making its way into fast food creations. Taco Bell once came out with a Cheetos Burrito and Cheetos Chicken Fries was another limited-time invention from Burger King. Will the time soon come where we’ll see a fast food burger dusted with Cheetos topping or a Cheetos-flavored bun? My hunch is…yes!

Coupons Go Mobile

I still get excited when I receive fast food coupons in the mail, but I need to accept the inevitable: More and more fast food coupons are being offered exclusively via chains’ mobile apps. It makes sense: Fast food gets more people on their apps and customers have access to coupons whenever they want it. Print coupons are slowly dying in the fast food industry, and that won’t change in 2018.

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence and is also Menuism’s fast food expert. Email him at Nevin.Barich@industryintel.com or follow him on Twitter.

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