QSRweb Podcast

Checkers/Rally's CEO predicts post-pandemic fast food resurgence + Lavu CEO on QSRs' digital path forward

Checkers/Rally's CEO Frances Allen explains why all that uber-healthy plant-based food that was so hot pre-pandemic in the U.S., could get a lot more competition from burgers, fries and shakes post-pandemic. Then, Lavu CEO Saleem Khatri tells why he thinks QSRs will experience a digital revolution after the U.S. lockdowns lift.

April 23, 2020

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Today's podcast is sponsored by...

MenuDrive is the world's first white-labeled online ordering solution that combines online ordering, delivery, marketing tools, and analytics at no upfront cost to the restaurant operator. Lavu's other products include an award-winning mobile point-of-sale, payment processing, and back of the house software. Used in food service establishments in more than 98 countries, Lavu and MenuDrive offer flexible payment-processing solutions, a proprietary business management suite, and unbeatable online ordering ideal for all food and drink establishments.

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Podcast Summary

Frances Allen.

If Checkers and Rally's CEO Frances Allen is right, the end of the pandemic will bring a newfound love among Americans for the fast food staples many see as "comfort food," including the Big Buford burgers and seasoned fries her chains sell. In fact, she believes the post-pandemic preferences for fast food might even be enough to put a crimp in the fire hose-like flow of customers that were heading for plant-based fare pre-pandemic.

On today's podcast, Allen gives viewers a peak behind the C-suite's door to see how Checkers and Rally's are faring through the lockdowns brought on by COVID-19. She'll also let us in on the types of pandemic-borne operational modifications she believes will change the future for her double-drive-thru brands.

Lavu CEO sees restaurant digital revolution

Saleem Khatri.

Then, the CEO of the online ordering and mobile POS provider, Lavu, checks in. Saleem Khatri will relay some of the essentials of business survival that his company is seeing among restaurant brands in a world turned upside-down by COVID-19. Khatri will share some of his insights on what works and what doesn't for restaurateurs trying to steer their businesses across the digital landscape in a shut-down world. Khatri will also tell us about why he thinks business as usual for restaurateurs pre-pandemic is never coming back, with the path forward situated solidly online.

See more coverage related to COVID-19 and restaurants here.

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