India's quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry is showing early signs of demand recovery, but Macquarie highlights rising costs and intensifying competition from food-delivery aggregators as reasons for its cautiousness. According to Macquarie, post-fourth-quarter trends indicate a gradual improvement in dine-in demand across restaurant chains. Within the sector, Macquarie remains most constructive on franchise operators Devyani International, Sapphire Foods and Westlife Foodworld. However, the recovery remains uneven and is being overshadowed by inflationary pressures and the growing dominance of delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy. The brokerage said same-store sales growth across the listed QSR universe is tracking broadly in line with or slightly ahead of fourth-quarter levels. However, restaurant brands continue to trail delivery aggregators in growth, highlighting a structural shift in consumer behaviour. To counter this trend, restaurant operators have increa...
Everything is taking a technological turn today. Following the same league, fast food giant McDonald's also decided to experiment with the idea last year. The restaurant chain opened its first automated restaurant in Texas, United States. As seen in several videos posted on social media, the "robotic" restaurant is entirely automated and requires no human interaction to place or take orders. The entire process, from choosing your order to packing it, is automated. An internet user recently documented his experience at this high-tech eatery and his video has amazed many people on social media. The user, Aakaanksh took to Instagram to share the same, In the video, the user is seen standing outside the newly opened restaurant in Texas. He then goes inside and shows the surroundings. The restaurant lacks any seating or set-ups for eating inside as it is intended to be a "grab and go" eatery. He then places his order through a kiosk and a robot delivers the same. La...