In Focus

The global burger's upcoming centre in the country is poised to be a hub for food and IT innovation. QSR Media caught up with Jason Marker, Global CEO of the brand (and an Aussie!) and International President Ned Lyerly of CKE Restaurants to find out what’s next:

Needing a quick bite no longer means eating unhealthy.

Zarraffa’s Coffee's founder and managing director Kenton Campbell said that IT plays a significant role as the brand expands into New South Wales and further into Western Australia. With 80 stores so far across Australia, Zarraffa's Coffee has invested significantly in human resources and developed an in-house IT team, in addition to a dedicated Business Analyst to interact with real time KPIs, providing clarity for sound decisions across the business.

Foddies' mission is to unite and bring people together through freedom of food choices.

From its inception, the conversation on the use of chatbots in 2018 continues to be a polarising subject.

The brand is trialing the use of digital menu panels which are slated to roll out across all new stores and refits in 2018. Obvious print production savings aside, the digital menu boards allow Bucking Bull to be more agile in relation to menu and product innovation.

Combo items, special discounts, and the daily special – whether people dine out or stay in, a customer wanting a good deal has always been a sure thing.

An emerging burger concept with a plan to launch a fourth site this April - Burger Love has recently become the first Australian fast food restaurant to adopt cryptocurrency in its stores. The burger brand is now accepting the top ten digital currency, XEM. Head of marketing and branding at #burgerlove, Steve Agi, said, “Cryptocurrencies are the future of trade. It is a fascinating concept that our clientele is already on board with and we’re ready to stop watching from sidelines. We’re giving our customers the freedom to pay with a currency of their choice, which is telling of how we like to approach the customer experience at #burgerlove; we’re globally known as trendsetters and market leaders, once again we are on the forefront of the new, the exciting and the cutting edge.” XEM is the digital currency of blockchain technology platform NEM. Unlike some cryptocurrencies, XEMs are environmentally friendly as there is no “mining” involved like Bitcoin. It is also secure with built-in spam protection that manages to shut down spammers without taking down the entire network and has a standalone wallet guests can download on their phones or computers. “Australians are familiar with Bitcoin, but less so when it comes to other digital currencies like XEM. Associating with something people love, like burgers, will help integrate it into the economy more broadly and drive consumer engagement.”

The brand feels that its values, identity, and storytelling are still crucial to communicate its products and services.

With its increasing investment in the digital sphere over the past 3 years, the brand announced that it is in the midst of implementing a digital system that dispenses burgers for engagement to appreciate the small things its customers do such as liking, sharing, and commenting.

India and Bangladesh are Gelatissimo’s new frontiers in 2018, with stores to open in both countries within a couple of months. The brand is also exploring opportunities in the USA.

Muffin Break will soon announce a social action initiative which will focus on taking 11 million paper cups from its stores out of the stream. The brand has also partnered with The Female Social Network (TFSN) to make a difference in the lives of Australian women. Below is the transcript of the interview.

With 84 locations so far, Chatime is continually looking at its business model to drive innovation across various disciplines, including asset design, reducing cost of entry, new equipment, and development and upskilling of partners and brew crew. Below is a transcript of the interview with Chatime.

The Bansal Group also announced its plans to provide consumers with products they love, stay innovative, and bring new things to market for them to try. New promotional products are slated to be released throughout 2018 to cater to the increasingly digitally connected Australian consumers. 

It also announced plans to shake up the smoothie and juice market with product innovations to launch in the coming months.

An emerging burger concept with three outlets so far - Burger Love has plans to expand internationally into China, Indonesia, and the UK. It has recently become the first Australian fast food restaurant to adopt cryptocurrency in its stores. Aside from footprint expansion, Burger Love discussed its plans to launch an online and mobile ordering, as well as a VIP loyalty program. Below is the transcript of the interview with Burger Love.