Menu innovation faces new test as QSR brands balance trends with operations
QSR leaders reveal how they decide which trends to follow and which ones to leave behind.
QSR operators are becoming more selective about menu innovation as the cost of failed launches increases, with senior leaders from Domino’s, Ole & Steen, and Chopstix warning that operational complexity is becoming the biggest barrier to growth.
Speaking at the QSR Media UK Redcat Conference & Awards 2026 in London, UK, the brands said customers are more willing than ever to try new flavours, but successful innovation depends on whether products can work across supply chains, restaurants, and teams.
Louise Pilkington, director of innovation at Domino’s, said customer behaviour has shifted from habitual ordering towards greater experimentation.
“Previously, our customers were quite habitual,” she said. “What we’re seeing now is customers are becoming more and more adventurous.”
She pointed to ingredients such as nduja and Domino’s Italian-style pizzas as examples of how customers are responding to more varied flavours.
Elio Elia, commercial director at Chopstix, said digital platforms and social media have accelerated interest in global food trends.
“There’s far more openness to novelty and new flavours,” he said. “The amount of content online around street food vendors and trending products has created more awareness of what’s out there, and that creates demand.”
However, the leaders said identifying a trend is only the first step. The bigger challenge is turning ideas into products that can be executed at scale.
Pilkington said Domino’s has focused on improving its innovation process to ensure ideas are commercially and operationally viable.
“When I joined Domino’s, the first thing I said was I wanted to work on our process,” she said. “We were finding it really difficult to get things to market.”
She added that innovation teams must look beyond customer requests.
“We need to be consumer-driven, not consumer-led,” Pilkington said. “Consumers will never be able to tell you exactly what they want—the job of an innovator is to imagine what they might want in the future.”
Rachel McInnis, food & beverage innovation manager at Ole & Steen, said brands risk creating unnecessary complexity by expanding menus too widely.
“It’s very easy to think we need salads, vegan products, and everything else to get as many customers as possible,” she said. “But that can lead to complicated operations, ingredients that are only used in one product and equipment that you’re stuck with.”
The brands said the strongest innovations are those that move beyond limited-time offers and earn a permanent place on menus.
Elio said Chopstix looks at sales performance, customer feedback, and restaurant teams’ feedback when deciding whether products stay.
Pilkington said Domino’s has seen successful innovations become permanent menu items after proving they drive repeat visits.
“If something is a really big hit, don’t be afraid to bring it back,” she said. “Once you’ve brought something back a couple of times and it has succeeded, that’s when it feels like it has earned its place on the menu.”
