2023 Editorial Calendar

Now in its fourth year, this brand selection exemplifies how massive change is possible in a short period of time. Who will be the 2023 model for what’s possible?

Special Report: QSR’s Breakout Brand of the Year

Fresh Ideas: Can C-stores Threaten Fast Food?

Featured Section: Restaurant Equipment & Technology

QSR is making our bets again on which upstart brands are poised for growth. This year’s forty brands are growing through disruption, showing how progress gets made.

Special Report: How the Pandemic Changed Fast Casual

Fresh Ideas: Hot Dogs Search for Growth

Featured Section: Restaurant Franchising

Now in our third year, this March partnership with FSR takes a deep dive into the ideas coming from the other side of the restaurant industry. And indoor dining? It may be the biggest change.

Special Report: The NextGen Revolution Blurs Category Lines

Fresh Ideas: Do Customers Want Chicken Sandwiches?

Smart Chain: Digital Signage

Did labor costs drive inflation? Pandemic bail-outs? It’s been over a year since costs drove prices on restaurant menus. The essential question: Will consumers foot the bill for fast food?

Special Report: An Inflation Notebook: Shortages, Supply, and Relief

Fresh Ideas: Value Menus Reimagined

Featured Section: Food Off Premises

There’s Brand Magic in this issue, including special reporting on the future of the Pizza Wars, quick-rise chains, and much more. The NRA Show Issue is always our biggest of the year!

Special Report: Potbelly’s Comeback for the Ages

Fresh Ideas: Dynamic Pricing: Real or Myth?

Featured Section: Beverage Solutions & Equipment

These young founders, executives, franchisees, and chefs represent the next wave of foodservice innovators.

Special Report: The Future of Concessions

Fresh Ideas: Smoothie Chains Get Competitive

Smart Chain: Food Safety

The alarm bells are ringing, Congress is acting, and the industry must follow suit. Here are six important changes restaurants need to make.

Special Report: One Brand’s Road to Sustainability

Fresh Ideas: Beyond the Bowl Chains

Featured Section: Restaurant Equipment & Technology

Our in-depth reporting wins accolades and fans. Here are the top brands in quick-service and how they got where they are. We promise you’ll be taking notes.

Special Report: The Real Estate Primer: Markets, Growth, Possibilities

Fresh Ideas: Chicken Tenders vs. Wings

Smart Chain: Kitchen Solutions

What does “best” mean for us? If you’re investing in a franchise, here are best brands for your bucks in the chains that continue to grow in a post-pandemic world.

Special Report: Guillermo Perales and the Making of Sun Holdings

Fresh Ideas: The Evolution of Sliders

Featured Section: Restaurant Franchising

QSR continues to define the future of drive-thru performance and operations through its reporting on both chain metrics and consumer opinion. No one else reports on drive-thru like QSR.

Special Report: Off-Premises Technology: Changing Everything

Fresh Ideas: Coffee at the Drive-Thru

Smart Chain: Restaurant Security/Cash Handling

From the front-line crew to the C-level suite, here are the brands that have had success by putting people first.

Special Report: Rethinking Worker Training

Fresh Ideas: Plant-based Foods

Smart Chain: Packaging Solutions

Automation, mobile tech, and robotics. Digital is changing the restaurant industry, and here are the people changing bits to bites.

Special Report: Is Ghost Fast Food Sustainable?

Fresh Ideas: Making Virtual Menus Work

Smart Chain: POS Solutions