The QSR Evolution Conference just concluded in Atlanta, Georgia. Their description: “QSR Evolution Conference in partnership with the FSR NextGen Restaurant Summit brings together a single, unified event. The result is a powerful experience that unites operators, executives, and suppliers across segments for deeper insights, broader learning, and stronger connections.”
The event kicks off the fall conference season and features great keynotes, breakout sessions, networking, and plenty of learning opportunities
Here are my key takeaways.
WHAT IS PERSONALIZATION?
Personalization only matters when it enhances the guest experience.
Personalization is sending marketing messages that matter to that guest. It is also making it easy for them to customize an order.
Personalization is knowing which menu items bring guests back and encouraging guests who have not tried those items to order them on their next visit.
Personalization is leaning into predictive lapse. When a guest’s habits start to change, reach out before they actually lapse.
Personalization has many definitions. Ultimately, it is about creating an experience that feels designed for each guest and the way they want to experience your brand.
WHAT GOOD AI LOOKS LIKE
As expected, AI was a top topic in nearly every panel. Here are some high-level takeaways about how brands are successfully using AI tools:
Good AI delivers data that is easy to understand and act on.
Good AI surfaces actionable insights, not more dashboards.
Good AI interprets natural-language insights from guest feedback.
Good AI creates campaigns that learn from one another and improve over time.
Good AI enhances, enriches, and speeds up content creation.
Good AI also requires knowing what you want the result to be, thinking through how to achieve it, and being programmatic, thorough, and detailed in how you build and prompt.
If you want an expert result, apply expert care to the build and the way you use it.
WHO WANTS TO WORK HERE?
I heard this across many conversations and panel discussions: Make your culture strong, make working for you enjoyable, and make the team experience rewarding. You will set the stage for success.
This does not just mean providing a lot of training or paying people well. Those things are important, but it is also about making decisions that benefit your team. A happy team leads to happy guests.
I also heard this several times: A strong store starts with a strong GM or franchisee. A good leader guides people. A great leader develops new leaders.
IF YOU WANT EXCELLENCE, HIRE FOR IT
If you want a great GM, hire a great GM.
If you want someone who can build robust AI solutions, hire someone who knows how to do it.
If you want frontline workers who care about the customer experience, hire friendly, caring people.
See a pattern here?
Also, if you want expert level marketing tactician, hire for it (or call me!)
THE FIRST MARKETING DOLLAR
During a panel called “Marketing Above Your Weight Class,” several marketing executives and leaders shared their thoughts, ideas, and tactics about what is working.
Someone asked where the first, most important marketing dollar should be spent when the budget is extremely limited. The entire panel agreed that community marketing was the answer.
Dine-and-donates and partnerships with PTAs, schools, and local organizations connect your restaurant with existing groups of people. Getting involved with those communities will help you grow your business.
LOYALTY REINVENTED: VALUE WITHOUT COUPONS
I was honored to be asked back to moderate the loyalty panel and blessed with some serious firepower on the panel:
Betty Jane Kaufman, CFS, Strategy Director at The Culinary Edge
Paul Macaluso, Chief Executive Officer at Torchy’s Tacos
Lucas Watson , CEO and Owner at Timber Pizza
We opened the floor to questions from the start so we could focus on where the room needed help instead of assuming we knew what mattered most.
The biggest takeaway was that loyalty is not one tactic or reward structure. Different guests respond to different motivations.
A discount can help move someone early in their relationship with the brand. An offer can encourage menu exploration or create a new dining occasion. A challenge can reinforce frequency and make participation more engaging.
The right choice depends on the guest behavior you are trying to change.
A few practical ideas stood out:
Measure the value of membership. Compare the lifetime value, frequency, and spending of loyalty members with guests outside the program. This gives leadership a clearer measure of the program’s value and gives restaurant teams a concrete reason to prioritize enrollment.
Build the welcome journey first. Before creating dozens of segments, make sure every new member receives a consistent onboarding experience. One example included making the second visit part of the welcome offer instead of waiting until later to encourage another transaction.
Reverse-engineer your most loyal guests. Compare guests who have visited ten or more times with those who stopped after four, five, or six visits. Look for differences in app adoption, menu exploration, ordering channels, locations visited, and specific products purchased. Use those behaviors to shape your segmentation and campaigns.
Use rewards to change behavior, not simply reduce prices. Reward guests for trying an important menu item, visiting on a different occasion, adding something to their usual order, or completing a frequency challenge. Whenever possible, give them options instead of locking everyone into the same free item.
Do not overload employees or guests. Teams cannot effectively ask every guest to join loyalty, add an item, leave a review, download an app, and complete a survey. We simplified the priorities into three categories: today’s purchase, tomorrow’s purchase, and “How was it?” Decide which objective matters most at that moment, and teach employees why it matters.
Create value that has nothing to do with discounts. Ask members to vote on menu ideas, invite top guests to tastings, recognize meaningful dates, offer exclusive experiences, surprise people with merchandise, or let them influence community donations. Participation and access can build a stronger connection than another coupon.
The real opportunity is not using loyalty to distribute more promotions. It is using what you learn about your guests to help more of them develop the habits already shared by your strongest customers.
Want the complete panel transcript? Email me at [email protected], and I’ll send it to you.
If you were at #QSREvolution, what did you walk away with?
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If you need help putting any of this into practice, hit me up.
Rev Ciancio
WHAT DOES REV DO?
I help restaurants build guest marketing programs.
I help hospitality tech companies with lead generation and content marketing.
