Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesFood & Beverage

QSR State of the Industry: Gauge Capital Launches New Podcast

The challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the quick service restaurant industry needed to evolve in order to survive. To do this, many restaurants leaned into a trend that was already in progress but not fully realized or developed. Brent White, Vice President at Gauge Capital, joined MarketScale to explain how…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Food & Beverage teams put it to work with Customer Stories & Case Studies.

·
Share
QSR State of the Industry: Gauge Capital Launches New Podcast

Free workspace

Turn your Food & Beverage expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

The challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the quick service restaurant industry needed to evolve in order to survive. To do this, many restaurants leaned into a trend that was already in progress but not fully realized or developed. Brent White, Vice President at Gauge Capital, joined MarketScale to explain how the QSR industry underwent a massive digital transformation, opting for a “more mobile, less fixed format”.

“The savviest quick service restaurants were quick to adopt curbside pickup. Those who lagged have found it difficult to compete with larger chains, and even more difficult to compete with restaurants that had drive-thru and curbside pickup,” said White.

Throughout this time, mobile has been primarily viewed as a tool for ordering, but as White points out, it can also be leveraged for marketing in powerful ways. “According to a recent QSR study,” White said, “75% of customers want offerings sent to them via text messages. On top of that, 98% of text messages are opened within the first three minutes.”

We can expect further innovation in the QSR space as the solutions shift to meet the changing demand of consumers. For more thought leadership in this industry, stay tuned for Gauge Capital’s upcoming QSR podcast hosted by Brent White.

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Food & Beverage starts with a company putting its plant managers, quality leads, and R&D teams on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Processors and grocery buyers vet suppliers hard, and your operations people are the ones who can satisfy them.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.
B2B Weekly

The week in Food & Beverage, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Food & Beverage: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Food & Beverage buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Food & Beverage expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your plant managers, quality leads, and R&D teams into the articles, video, and social content Food & Beverage buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Food & Beverage Insights

Animal feed protein ingredients projected to reach $17.8 billion by 2032

Animal feed protein ingredients projected to reach $17.8 billion by 2032

Animal feed is the fastest-growing use for protein ingredients, forecast to grow 7.5% a year to $17.8 billion by 2032. IndexBox reports that commercial feed still depends mainly on plant-derived ingredients such as soybean meal, canola meal and pulses. Soy anchors both feed and food protein, so food demand matters to feed buyers.

  • 01Research and Markets forecasts animal feed as the fastest-growing customer for protein ingredients through 2032, at 7.5% a year against 6.3% for the market overall.

Nov 8, 2026

PepsiCo made crunch the selling point of its lower-salt Doritos in Europe

PepsiCo made crunch the selling point of its lower-salt Doritos in Europe

Compared with the recipe it replaced, the new UK Doritos recipe contained up to 18% less salt and 14% less total fat, and PepsiCo made enhanced crunch its selling point. For food manufacturers, the method matters most: choose the reformulation shoppers can taste, and test repeat purchase and factory consistency before rolling out.

  • 01Doritos took salt and fat out and gave shoppers a crunch they could hear, a sensible bet when 88% of Americans say taste shapes what they buy and only 56% say the same of healthfulness.
  • 02PepsiCo chose the crunch route while several technical paths to the same sodium and saturated fat targets were still open, so R&D and marketing were aiming at one target before the recipe was locked.
  • 03Moving a UK product out of the HFSS classification can reopen prominent retail placement, so a reformulation can pay off on the shelf as well as on the nutrition panel.

Nov 7, 2026

Grubhub owner Wonder confidentially files for an IPO

Grubhub owner Wonder confidentially files for an IPO

Wonder, the food hall and delivery company founded by Marc Lore, said on November 5 that it has confidentially filed draft IPO documents with the SEC. It has not set a share count or price range. Wonder owns Grubhub, Blue Apron, Tastemade and Spyce, runs about 170 East Coast locations, and plans to enter Texas next year.

  • 01Wonder confidentially filed draft IPO documents with the SEC and has not set a share count or price range.
  • 02The company owns Grubhub, Blue Apron, Tastemade and Spyce and runs about 170 multi-brand food halls on the East Coast.
  • 03Wonder raised $650 million in July at about a $9 billion valuation and plans to enter Texas next year.

Nov 5, 2026

Explore More Food & Beverage Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Food & Beverage.

Browse Food & Beverage Hub

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Food & Beverage and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512