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Independent restaurant concepts pivot to limited-service model to better compete amid the pandemicIndependent restaurant concepts pivot to limited-service model to better compete amid the pandemic

Even as many cities and states reopen indoor dining, emerging brands are embracing the flexibility and consumer appeal of quick-service, fast-casual and virtual brands

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

February 17, 2021

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As the COVID-19 pandemic battered the restaurant industry over the last year, limited-service restaurant concepts, particularly those with robust takeout and delivery options, emerged as the brands best positioned to weather the storm. 

The most notable success stories generally came out of large restaurant chains with strong digital infrastructure and delivery-friendly menus.

Now a number of independent restaurants and multiconcept operators are taking a page from those larger brands’ playbook — turning to quick-service, fast-casual or virtual models to hedge against dining-
room closures and cash in on consumer demand for comfort food that is fast, portable and affordable.

Here’s a look at how independent restaurants are developing new limited-service concepts or reimagining existing full-service brands for a pandemic-era consumer.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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