Diners Ditch Pricey Fast Food for Casual Dining: Darden CEO

Cardenas said on the call that there’s been “a little bit of a shift” from fast-food spots to competitors in the casual dining space, according to CNBC. While Darden hasn’t necessarily seen that boost yet, the parent companies of Chili’s and Applebee’s have leaned into taking on fast food, CNBC reported.

Business Insider’s Erin McDowell previously reported that casual chain restaurants like Chili’s and Applebee’s had instituted discounted combo deals that compete with the value meals customers are used to getting at places like McDonald’s and Burger King.

Chili’s even launched a Big Smasher burger in April that has just about the same ingredients as a McDonald’s Big Mac.

“We know diners are experiencing sticker shock from the rising cost of fast food, with little change to the actual quantity or quality of fast food combo meals,” George Felix, Chili’s CMO, told Restaurant Business Magazine in a statement at the time, adding that Chili’s combo meal lineup “offers better value than you’ll find in any drive-thru.”

Fast food prices have increased and exceptionally high rates in recent years.

An industry analyst previously told BI’s Grace Dean that while fast-food prices used to rise around 2% each year, price hikes at some restaurants in 2022 and 2023 were in the double digits.

Fast-food diners told BI they were actively cutting back as the restaurants’ prices have risen. Others said that if they’re going to pay a certain amount anyway, they’d rather skip the drive-thru and have a sit-down meal at places like Chili’s or Applebee’s, even if it costs a bit more.

Fast food companies, like McDonald’s, meanwhile, have introduced limited-time value meals for customers who are feeling the bite from inflation.