The Marketing Value Combo: The Most Important Deal for Fast Casual Restaurants to Perfect in 2025

The Value Wars continue to shake up the dining industry, increasing competition for the same share of stomachs.

For fast casual chains, competition includes usual suspects like casual dining and QSRs as well as c-stores and grocery chains who are ramping up foodservice offerings to capitalize on the trading down trend.

FCRs that have beefed up their “Marketing Value Meal” are emerging victorious. 

Successful chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack and high-growth brands like Cava are leaning into the fact that value isn’t just about price—it’s the perception of value, which includes portion size, quality, customization and convenience. In fact, InMarket studies show that quality, taste/flavor and product value are the most important factors when it comes to repeat F&B purchases. FCRs thrive on these aspects. 

Here are three considerations for the “Ultimate Marketing Value Meal” and steps for bringing it to life:

Pair Value with Quality

It’s not just about price, but it’s still important amid rising costs and looming tariffs. Sitting in a pricing sweet spot, FCRs have an opportunity to win share from both QSRs and casual restaurants.

Beyond price, use LTOs to double down on a key differentiator from QSRs and even c-store or grocery alternatives—premium quality.

Take this approach to another level by not just highlighting quality in messaging, but upleveling campaigns with enhanced product imagery and engaging, mouthwatering ads. Shake Shack’s “Worth It” campaign is a fantastic example. Taking a local market approach, it combines this idea of premium quality with LTOs offering daily deals and freebies to drive interest, demand and repeat visits.

This can help make that extra spend worth it for QSR diners or convince casual restaurant goers to cut back on additional costs of sit-down restaurants.

Lean into Personalization and Control

Another unique benefit of many FCRs is the ability to customize meals to meet diners’ unique preferences and dietary needs.

Whether it’s selecting ingredients for their sandwich or bowl or showcasing substitutes for various dietary restrictions, lean into messaging that promotes personalization to attract health-conscious diners.

With the rise of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and general focus on healthy choices, remind diners that eating at FCRs doesn’t have to be a hindrance to healthy lifestyles—it can support healthy living while boasting convenience and better value. Panda Express’ new “Balanced Protein Plates” are a great example. The chain partnered with a nutritionist to create a line-up of balanced meals, focused on meeting a variety of lifestyle goals.

Spice Up Menus

Bring diners a flavor that might be too complicated to make at home or will likely fall short of their expectations at a QSR or grocery store hot bar. There are a few ways to bring this to life and maximize impact.

Embracing fusion flavors can attract younger demographics like Gen Z—think Chipotle’s Hot Honey Chicken. Partnerships with trendy CPG brands like Just Salad’s collab with Mike’s Hot Honey or Moe’s Southwest Grill and Cheez-It collab also present strategic opportunities for winning over new diners by tapping into other brands’ likeness and dedicated fanbase.

Additionally, consider innovative items that make traditionally expensive flavors accessible to diners at FCR prices. For example, Shake Shack’s Black Truffle Burger took a menu item that typically racks up a cost of $30+ at big city restaurants and offered it for just $14.

How do you figure out the right Marketing Value Meal for your brand and bring it to life?

Invest in Insights: Start with enhanced insights into target audiences and the competitive landscape to understand where you’re ahead and where you might be falling behind. Combine intent, location and purchase data alongside analysis of the competitive landscape (i.e. where else your customers’ are going) to ensure you understand why customers are making purchase decisions. Unlocking these motivations will inspire a customer-first approach based on their unique needs and your brand’s competitive positioning.

Double Down on Omnichannel Approach: In the heavily saturated marketplace, FCRs must consistently remind diners’ of their brand in pivotal moments of decision-making. Whether they’re binging The Traitors on CTV, seeing a digital out-of-home ad on their commute home from work, or met with a mouth-watering mobile ad experience while they’re on their weekly errand runs, combine top and bottom-of-the-funnel strategies to not only create unforgettable, engaging advertising experiences, but drive purchases and loyalty.

Test, Monitor & Optimize Performance with Measurement: Embrace a real-time, holistic measurement approach that extends across channels to better understand campaign performance and messaging. Target consumers based on why they dine and what motivates them and test different creative, messaging, media and offers inflight. Doing so will enable you to sense and respond to real-time feedback and performance and make those critical shifts inflight to improve performance and grow your media efficiency. Not only will this drive enhanced results, but it will also provide enhanced insights post-campaign to fuel future success.

2025 is poised to be the year of FCRs. Ensure your brand emerges as a winner by putting the customer first, creating the ultimate “Marketing Value Meal” that meets their needs to fuel both short-term success and cultivate long-lasting loyalty.