News

September 28, 2009

QSR's Green Light Hiding Under a Bushel

A new study reveals that nearly two out of three consumers say they'd favor a quickservice restaurant (QSR) that strives to be green — but an even higher proportion is unaware of efforts by the chains to be more eco-friendly.

The research, conducted by Irving, Texas-based M/A/R/C Research, suggests a huge gap between consumers' demands for more environmentally minded quickservice choices and what they perceive to be options available.

The report was based on a nationwide survey of about 7,000 consumers and did not address whether that impression is accurate or a misperception.

It demonstrated, however, that the public views ecological stewardship as an important responsibility for QSRs. Nineteen percent of respondents cited green initiatives as "extremely important" for fast-food concepts to undertake, and another 63 percent rated such efforts as very or somewhat important.

Some 62 percent of those surveyed said green considerations would figure into their choice of a QSR. Included are the 11 percent of respondents who indicated they would go out of their way to patronize a greener fast-food place. In addition, 21 percent of the respondents indicated that a green orientation would encourage them to return to a QSR more frequently.

"Green initiatives are positively impacting the QSR industry, with almost one-fifth of QSR users saying they will increase their visits if they know a QSR brand is focused on the environment," says Gwen Amador, vice president of M/A/R/C.

Yet a huge swath of the public apparently doesn't know of such choices. Asked if they knew of any fast-food restaurants that are taking steps to be green, 80 percent of the respondents said no. Of the one-fifth who indicated they knew of a place, half cited McDonald's as the example that came to mind.

The online survey was conducted among consumers who had eaten at a QSR during the prior month.