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Data from the NPD Group reveals a near-$700 million increase in consumer spending in the said category since 2009. Ethnic restaurants, both in quick service and full service, now account for almost $6 billion of consumer spending within the $44 billion Australian foodservice industry, according to a report by the NPD Group. The results indicate an increase of almost $700 million in spending since 2009, with overall ethnic food sales increased by 13% over the last seven years. Mexican, Turkish, Indian, Greek and Italian cuisine – categorised by NPD as ‘QSR Other Ethnic’ – has been the fastest growing foodservice category for the last four consecutive years. Sales in this category have reportedly increased by 63% over the last seven years, more than any other outlet category. The research company attributes the growth to the rise of millennials within the foodservice space, with the age group accounting for more than half (53%) of ethnic fast food visits and generated all of the additional foot traffic to the category over the past twelve months. Evolving tastes and expectations “What this research translates to in terms of product is that more complex and sophisticated meals being sought out and consumed, with tastes and expectations continuing to evolve. With such clear demand for new and interesting ethnic cuisines, both manufacturers and operators have an opportunity to lead this discussion and continually innovate their product offering,” says Gimantha Jayasinghe, NPD Deputy Managing Director Asia Pacific. The research adds that most consumers select their choices based on wanting to try something different, wanting a specific menu item, looking for a hearty meal, satisfying a special taste or craving, and wanting something healthy to eat. (Also read: Millennials are eating healthier, and what this means for your QSR) NPD says ethnic fast food is “by far the most popular” among Australian millennials, despite burgers and chicken remaining as the most heavily consumed in that category. “Foodservice operators seeking to gain more visits and grow their bottom line should carefully consider their offerings to attract those that are seeking to spend within the ethnic food category,” Jayasinghe added.

The platform allows the brand to leverage venue management insights. 120 corporate Nando’s restaurants across the country will soon be able to acquire insights such as dwell time, volume of customers, and frequency and recency of customer visits following its recently-announced agreement with Skyfii. The partnerships sees Nando’s utilizing Skyfii’s SaaS (Software as a service) recurring revenue ‘IO Platform’ services for two years, and is expected to enhance Nando’s customer experience through the aforementioned data. Skyfii says the cloud-based platform uses existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, BLE beacon networks, door-to-people counters, video sources, web and social platforms to allow various types of venues to analyse visitor behaviour and capture data from those who opt-in to free Internet connectivity. The data is then converted into a critical sales and marketing tool that allows venues and their commercial tenants to deliver content that is catered to each visitor’s needs and interests. 

Free Cup Day is part of the brand's inaugural National Cheesecake Month celebration.

The store will donate $1 for every scoop sold to charity this month. Gelatissimo Kawana has released its ‘Give me 5 Cupcake’ gelato, named after the ‘Give Me 5 For Kids’ national fundraising initiative. The limited-edition gelato is cupcake-flavoured with blue sprinkles. For the whole month, the local store will donate $1 of every scoop sold to the campaign, which is dedicated to assist pediatric patients in and around the Sunshine Coast. “We are so happy to support a cause that gives relief to sick kids and puts smiles back on their faces,” said the franchise owner of Gelatissimo Kawana. Kawana Shopping World will host an event on June 23 to promote the initiative. Currently, Gelatissimo has 44 locations in 6 states in Australia, while maintaining a presence in the Philippines, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, China. The artisanal gelato brand also said they are arriving in Bangladesh.

The restaurant boasts of a menu that consists of “slow” fast food. A new taqueria is set to compete in Australia’s growing Mexican quick service and fast casual restaurant market. CHUPACABRA is opening in Byron Bay this coming July, and plans to feature authentic but more “coastal” or “Caribbean”-style Mexican dishes while maintaining a relaxed atmosphere that channels the beaches of Mexico. The new brand says their menu will be “slow fast food” with all corn tortillas made in house daily, and features dishes such as tacos al pastor with grilled pineapple, daily changing ceviche Mexicana, esquites (off-the-cob corn grilled and slathered with condiments), sharing plates from the asado (pollo, pulpo, pescado), and Cochinita pibil (slow cooked pork, sour orange, coriander, lime, pickled onion). They will also have a cocktail program, which will feature a signature margarita on tap with seasonal tropical variations, their spin on the michelada, and classics such as Horchata Coladas and Mezcal Negroni. A large range of tequila and mezcal will also be available, including the latter sourced from Oaxaca in central Mexico. Customers can also avail of their wine list that will feature small production wine-makers (local and international) and their range of fresh pressed juices, home-made sodas and a special blend of Mexican coffee. CHUPACABRA, named after Latin American folklore of an animal known as the “goat-sucker”, came to be after Chef Evan White and his partner Amelia Stokes partnered with owners of restaurants Harvest Newrybar and Barrio Byron Bay. White and Stokes reportedly chose the area due to similarities in ecosystems between the east coast current of Australia and the Mexican Gulf Stream – share the same ocean fauna and produce such as tuna, sail fish and prawns. The restaurant is expected to host 60 customers, including 20 seats outside, and features a design that aims to have a relaxed, beach atmosphere with “subtle touches of true Mexico.”  

A market research firm also claims naturalness and flavour in beverages are presenting alternatives to sugar and artificial ingredients. Consumers are “getting wary” of old favourites like soda, cola and lemonade, according to the latest Summer Food and Drink Trends report by Mintel. Mintel Food & Drink Associate Director Jenny Zegler forecasts that the arrival of naturalness and flavour to the soft drink market is presenting alternatives to sugar and artificial ingredients. She notes that 76% of Australian adults agree that food and drink companies should make it easier to understand how much sugar is in their products while 75% of German consumers of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) agree that manufacturers should do more to reduce the sugar in their products. Read the full report here.  

The franchisee was penalised a total of $216,700. A Pizza Hut franchisee on the Gold Coast was fined after exploiting an Indian delivery driver under a sham contract and using false records to hide the irregularities. Dong Zhao, owner and operator of the Pizza Hut franchise outlet at Upper Coomera, has been penalised $36,700 while his company Skyter Trade Pty Ltd has been penalised an additional $180,000. The penalties were imposed in the Federal Circuit Court and were the result of legal action by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Judge Michael Jarrett imposed the penalties after Zhao and his company admitted that they contravened sham contracting laws when they misrepresented to a delivery driver that he was an independent contractor and not an employee. The delivery driver is an Indian national aged in his 20s, was in Australia as a dependent on his wife’s international student visa at the time. Zhao reportedly asked the driver to provide an Australian Business Number (ABN) and subsequently treated him as an independent contractor between November 2015 and May 2016, paying him a flat rate of no more than $16 an hour. Under the Pizza Hut enterprise agreement that applied to the business, however, the worker was entitled to receive at least $20.36 for ordinary hours and up to $40.72 for overtime and public holiday work as an employee rather than an independent contractor. The Fair Work Ombudsman formed the view that the driver was an genuine employee of Zhao’s company, rather than an independent contractor, due to the “level of direction, supervision and control Zhao and his company had over the driver – and because the driver was not genuinely operating his own delivery business.” The driver, who was also underpaid a per-delivery entitlement, superannuation and a uniform allowance, has since been back-paid in full. Inspectors from the Fair Work Ombudsman investigated Zhao’s Pizza Hut outlet in 2016 as part of an activity that involved audits of more than 30 Pizza Hut outlets and identified widespread non-compliance in the franchise network.

Close to 1,000 applied for 30 field-based roles, the company reports. Aiming to improve franchisee support across their network, the Retail Food Group (RFG) announced that they are increasing the number of in-field support roles to 88. The company says that “close to 1,000 applicants” have applied for 30 field-based roles in order to support franchisees across Australia. “We are not only increasing the number of in-field support representatives but are committed to training those staff to deliver as higher quality support as possible. We must hold ourselves accountable to the success of our franchise partners,” new group CEO Richard Hinson said in a statement, adding that there will now be one in-field Area Manager for every 16 stores in their network through this initiative. The group also says that both comprehensive in-store training and training through RFG’s academy are already underway following consultation with Franchise Advisory Council members who represent franchisees. The announcement is reportedly in response to recommendations following the company’s recent whole of business review, aiming to focus on lifting the quality of RFG’s domestic franchise business. Screening of applicants are currently underway, with RFG expecting this process to be complete by the end of June.

The Balmoral store is slated to open on June 23. Furthering their vision to bring the quintessential New York casual dining experience, 5 Boroughs announced that it will open its third site in Brisbane. Located in 216 Riding Road in Balmoral, the newest site will celebrate their grand opening on June 23 with a ‘feed a friend for free’ promotion that allows customers to purchase two meals from the menu for the price of one. Taking inspiration from the five boroughs of New York City – Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island – the burger multi-site’s offerings feature a range of American-style eats such as reuben sandwiches, fish tacos, empanadas, Franks Hot wings and their signature Boroughs burgers. “We had the vision of bringing the quintessential New York (NY) casual dining experience to Brisbane many years ago followed by several trips to NY, but we knew that we didn't want to just delve into another stereotypical burger joint, we really had to enter that New York state of mind to get it right,” co-founder Todd Clayton said.

Here is a summary of the most interesting QSR news stories of the week from around the world.

Find out what QSRs have been up to on social media. BRAND AND STORE UPDATES

Top-tier brands were duly recognized for their outstanding work in foodservice.

This is the young brand’s 18th store in the country. Foraying into South Western Sydney, Piccolo Me recently opened its newest café in Moorebank Logistics Park. This marks the 18th site for the upstart coffee brand, and will also feature its range of signature sandwiches, salads and options for breakfast and lunch. Piccolo Me was founded in 2012 by Roy and Charlie Hachem. “This opening marks a key milestone in our expansion. It’s our first step into South Western Sydney and we’ve been warmly welcomed and supported by Qube, the developers and owners of the Logistics Park, as well as the community," Charlie said. Roy adds: “Our menu is a mix of things you won’t find at any other cafe. We are all about pushing the boundaries, creating twists on childhood favourites and making your meal fun." The newest Piccolo Me site is open Monday through Friday from 6AM to 4:00PM and Saturday 7:30AM to 2PM.  

The limited-edition flavor will be available until the end of the month. Aiming to provide a winter go-to, Gelatissimo introduced its brand-new Peanut Butter Cup flavour. A combination of chocolatey peanut butter gelato and peanut butter chips with a chocolate drizzle, the Peanut Butter Cup will be available until the end of June.

The locally-owned business gave away free coffee and lunches to celebrate the milestone.

Here is a summary of the most interesting QSR news stories of the week from around the world.