Yum Brands’ 2026 Trend Report Validates the Grocerant Growth Curve

 

How Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger Are Winning With Food Discovery, Price Value, and Mix-and-Match Bundling

For more than a decade, Steven Johnson the Grocerant Guru®  at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, has identified, quantified, and qualified consumer migration toward the grocerant ecosystem—those ever-blurring retail food spaces where meals are bought, mixed, matched, customized, personalized, and discovered. In 2025, that trend has only accelerated: 84% of consumers report purchasing at least one mix-and-match bundled meal per month, 62% seek new “micro-experiences” with food, and 71% say they now discover new flavors or formats through restaurants rather than grocery stores.

Now, for the first time, a major multibrand restaurant enterprise—Yum Brands—has released its own 2026 Food Trends Report. And what it shows is clear: Yum Brands is growing precisely because it is embracing the core levers the Grocerant Guru® identified years ago—Food Discovery, Price, Personalization, and Bundled Meal Strategy.

According to Ken Muench, CMO of Yum Brands and co-founder of Collider Lab, the goal of the report is simple: understand the why behind consumer cravings. The insights reveal exactly what today’s cross-channel diners value and where restaurant-retail food culture is headed next.

 

Trend 1: The Me-Me-Me Economy Validates the Rise of Food Discovery

Consumers are increasingly purchasing meals not just to eat but to express individuality. Solo dining occasions have surged from 31% (2021) to 47% (2025)—a 52% growth curve that mirrors the Grocerant Guru’s long-held assertion: food discovery begins with personal empowerment.

Key food-marketing insights include:

·       24% of solo diners purchase to satisfy a craving—an “immediate gratification” indicator long associated with food discovery behaviors.

·       Personal-size pizzas, premium beverages, and customizable snack platforms are now outperforming with Gen Z and millennials—demographics who over-index in grocerant exploration.

·       KFC’s “Saucy” platform—offering over 4,000 custom combinations—is textbook Food Discovery: modular, playful, layered, and driven by personalization.

Consumers are signaling loudly: “I want to build it my way. I want it fast. And I want new flavors.” Yum is listening.

 

Trend 2: Choice Therapy and the Power of Mix-and-Match Bundling

The Grocerant Guru® has long documented that curated meal bundles and mix-and-match components drive incremental sales, improve value perception, and increase frequency. Yum Brands’ trend data confirms this:

·       Taco Bell’s Build-Your-Own Taco platform generates 72% positive sentiment, demonstrating that flexible bundles outperform fixed-menu convenience.

·       71% of KFC’s top-performing menu tests included proprietary or premium sauces—flavor drivers that act as both emotional currency and repeat-purchase catalysts.

·       Consumers report sauces are 2.4x more likely to add excitement to everyday meals than any other menu component.

This is the grocerant formula in action: modular, customizable, choice-driven.

 

Trend 3: Vibe-Mathing—Emotional Value Meets Price Value

While traditional price sensitivity remains strong—62% of consumers still equate value with “cheap and affordable”—the modern diner is now weighting emotional ROI (uplifting, aesthetic, mood-boosting) higher than ever. This aligns directly with the Grocerant Guru’s Price-Plus-Experience model.

Notable signals:

·       “Cool” is now the No. 1 attribute driving QSR momentum—outperforming even craveability.

·       68% of weekday snackers pursue “little luxuries,” a behavior that historically converts strongly in grocerant-style beverage and snack platforms.

·       Taco Bell’s Live Más Café is capitalizing: 43% of its specialty beverages are purchased as standalone treats—high-margin, high-frequency, discovery-driven.

Yum’s trajectory shows that when emotional value pairs with accessible price structures, customers reward the brand repeatedly.

 

The Grocerant Guru®: Three Things Yum Brands Could Do Even Better

Yum Brands is clearly leveraging grocerant fundamentals, but there is still headroom for accelerated growth. Here are three forward-looking opportunities:

1. Expand Cross-Brand Mix-and-Match Platforms

Consumers increasingly want seamless bundled offerings that span categories. Yum has four powerhouse brands—yet offers limited cross-brand integration. A digital-only “Yum Sampler Box” enabling users to mix Taco Bell beverages with KFC tenders or Pizza Hut sides would tap directly into the fastest-growing bundled meal behavior in the U.S. restaurant market.

2. Double Down on Daypart Diversification

Data shows afternoon snacks are up 28% year-over-year across QSR. Yum should lean even deeper into snack-forward SKUs, micro-meals, and beverage-first programs—especially given Live Más Café’s standalone beverage success.

3. Develop a Unified Food Discovery Engine Across Brands

Consumers crave trends like global street-food flavors, premium sauces, spice exploration, and fusion mash-ups. Yum could accelerate relevance by building a shared “Flavor Innovation Exchange” where insights, sauces, and limited-time ingredients move fluidly across Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger.

Yum Brands’ 2026 Food Trends Report does more than predict what is next—it demonstrates exactly how the grocerant movement continues to shape consumer expectations. By embracing Food Discovery, personalization, mix-and-match bundles, and emotional value, Yum is positioning itself for sustained growth across all dayparts, demographics, and digital channels.

For operators across the retail foodservice landscape, the lesson is clear: grocerant strategies are no longer optional—they are the future.

Success Leaves Clues—Are You Ready to Find Yours?

One key insight that continues to drive success is this: "The consumer is dynamic, not static." This principle is the foundation of our work at Foodservice Solutions®, where Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, has been helping brands stay relevant in an ever-evolving market.

Want to strengthen your brand’s connection with today’s consumers? Let’s talk. Call 253-759-7869 for more information.

Stay Ahead of the Competition with Fresh Ideas

Is your food marketing keeping up with tomorrow’s trends—or stuck in yesterday’s playbook? If you're ready for fresh ideations that set your brand apart, we’re here to help.

At Foodservice Solutions®, we specialize in consumer-driven retail food strategies that enhance convenience, differentiation, and individualization—key factors in driving growth.

👉 Email us at Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us
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A Retrospective on Pizza Hut: The Rise, the Plateau and the Slow Slide

 

Founded in 1958, Pizza Hut long symbolized the rise of national pizza chains in the U.S.—but the story is not of a perpetual trajectory upward. Over the decades, Pizza Hut achieved remarkable reach yet simultaneously made major strategic mis-steps that have, by 2025, severely eroded its dominance in the pizza space. Below I chart its approximate share of the pizza chain landscape at key years, expose five major mistakes, and end with insights from the “Grocerant Guru®” on leadership, follow-the-crowd culture and the ultimate danger of complacency.

 

Pizza Hut’s Share of the Pizza Chain Universe (U.S.)

The precise numbers for each year are unavailable; the following are reasoned estimates and commentary based on industry context.

·       1965: In the mid-1960s, Pizza Hut was still in its early phase of expansion (founded 1958). It perhaps commanded ~5–10% of the emerging national chain pizza market in the U.S. It had the early mover advantage of being a branded, franchised “hut” concept, with sit-down friendly format.

·       1975: By the mid-1970s, Pizza Hut had grown significantly under the umbrella of its franchising and promotional efforts. One might estimate ~15–20% of the national pizza chain market (not total pizza consumption) in the U.S. It was arguably one of the dominant national players.

·       1985: In the 1980s Pizza Hut still enjoyed a strong lead in the national chain pizza segment. Possibly ~20–25% market share of chain system pizza sales in the U.S. Its brand had broad recognition, heavy advertising, and the “family dine-in + take-out” model was still strong.

·       1995: By 1995 the pizza business was changing: delivery and carry-out models were becoming more prominent, competitors such as Domino’s Pizza (Domino’s) were accelerating. Pizza Hut’s share may have peaked or begun slipping; perhaps ~20% but trending downward.

·       2005: In the early 2000s Pizza Hut was facing new structural challenges (online ordering, delivery focus, competitive value wars). Estimate share ~15–18% of chain pizza sales in U.S. The brand still had scale, but the growth engine was stalling.

·       2015: By 2015 the share likely had fallen further — perhaps ~12–15% — as Domino’s and others took up the growth mantle, pizza-delivery became dominant, and Pizza Hut’s dine-in legacy began to weigh.

·       2025: According to recent data, Pizza Hut is now reported at around 15.5% of U.S. pizza chain sales in recent years (for example 2019 figure) and the chain is clearly second to Domino’s. It is safe to say its share has slipped relative to its competitors and relative to the growth of delivery-centric chains.

In short: Pizza Hut moved from early growth leader to strong incumbent to challenged number-two. The broader pizza chain category has matured, and Pizza Hut’s share has capitulated as competitor strategies overtook it.

 

Five Major Mist-Steps by Pizza Hut

1.       Sticking Too Long with the Dine-In Family Format
Pizza Hut built its brand on large “red roof” dine-in restaurants with buffet, salad bar and family-friendly ambience. But as consumer behavior shifted toward delivery and carry-out, Pizza Hut was slow to pivot. Its physical footprint and format became a liability rather than an asset.

2.       Under-investing in Digital/Delivery Ordering Infrastructure
Chains like Domino’s invested heavily in a delivery-first model, digital ordering, vehicle fleets and carry-out optimization. Pizza Hut, while making moves, lagged. For example, its customer counts were declining while transaction values rose — an indication of shrinking customer base. It missed the early wave of seamless mobile ordering and tech leadership.

3.       Value Perception and Competitive Erosion
According to recent reporting, Pizza Hut has been challenged by “gaps in value perception” relative to competitors. As value-oriented chains and aggressive pricing modes emerged, Pizza Hut failed to maintain disciplined value messaging or model optimization.

4.       Over-extension and Operational Complexity
The big sit-down stores, the large footprint, buffet, full-service amenities added cost and complexity in a time when lean delivery models were gaining. Pizza Hut’s underlying cost structure and store model lacked the agility of new entrants and allowed rivals to out-pace on unit economics.

5.       Complacency in Innovation and Format Adaptation
Pizza Hut became a classic “follower” rather than a leader of trends. While the chain did introduce newer formats and menu innovations, it failed to lead the industry. The result: competitors like Domino’s and others seized momentum. The recent press release from its parent company Yum Brands states that “Pizza Hut’s performance indicates the need to take additional action… which may be better executed outside of Yum Brands.” Pizza Hut’s strategic inertia has hampered its ability to reinvent.

 

Market Share Capitulation: What Happened

·       In its heyday (approx. 1980s-1990s) Pizza Hut arguably occupied a high share of the national chain pizza business — possibly around one-fifth of the U.S. chain pizza segment.

·       But then the pizza market evolved: delivery-focused chains expanded, the digital age transformed ordering, consumer expectations pivoted to speed and convenience. Pizza Hut’s legacy format became a drag.

·       As of now, Pizza Hut is still major, but clearly trailing. For example in 2022 the chain recorded U.S. revenue of about $5.27 billion, dwarfed by Domino’s at $8.57 billion.

·       Its U.S. same-store sales have been declining for eight straight periods, including a 6% drop in the latest quarter, according to Yum’s announcement.

·       The strategic review of the brand signals that Pizza Hut may no longer hold a dominant growth position and is at risk of further erosion.

In sum: Pizza Hut shifted from being the growth engine and category leader to a laggard facing shrinking relevance, under-investment in disruptive change, and value perception gaps. The chain’s share, once comfortable, has eroded as competitors surged.

 

Three Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1.       “Leaders Lead — they set the agenda, don’t just respond.”
The chains that have grown fastest in pizza did not wait for the market to change—they shaped it. They invested early in digital ordering, streamlined operations, prioritized delivery carry-out and embraced new formats. Pizza Hut reacted rather than led.

2.       “Managers Follow — they optimize the existing model, but that isn’t enough when the ground is shifting.”
Pizza Hut’s franchise-centric structure and large footprint rewarded optimization of the dine-in-plus-take-out model for many years. But when consumer behavior shifted to pickup/delivery only, Pizza Hut’s model became sub-optimal. The lesson: following what has worked stopped being viable when the premise changed.

3.       “Following the crowd can last only so long — once the crowd moves, the follower is exposed.”
It’s tempting for an incumbent brand to rest on past success, assume the model is safe and mimic what others do. But when the industry pivots—say from dine-in to delivery, or from phone ordering to app ordering—the follower finds itself reactive, under-resourced and outpaced. Pizza Hut illustrates that phenomenon: strong brand recognition, but strategic drift.

 

Think About This

The Pizza Hut story is cautionary for any incumbent in the foodservice or grocerant sector. The brand built scale, recognition and the “family pizza night” ritual. But scale alone isn’t invulnerability. When the pizza category shifted—toward delivery, digital, value-driven convenience—Pizza Hut was not first to reinvent. Its share has slipped, its same-store sales sag, and its parent company is publicly reviewing the brand’s “strategic options.”
The takeaway: in fast-moving categories, resting on legacy is risky. You either continue to lead the horizon or you become a follower watching the horizon from behind. And following the crowd? That can work for awhile — but only until the crowd reaches the cliff.

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideas look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how our Grocerant Guru® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit: us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

The Competitive Landscape 

Continues to Evolve 

Who is Your Competitor Today

Why Multi-Brand Restaurant Companies Struggle

 

What Is a Multi-Brand Restaurant Company?

A multi-brand restaurant company owns and operates more than one restaurant brand under a single corporate structure. These brands may target different demographics, cuisine styles, or service models—think fast casual, full service, or QSR (Quick Service Restaurant). Examples include Yum! Brands (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut) and Inspire Brands (Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic Drive-In). In theory, this approach offers diversification and risk mitigation. In practice, however, many of these companies stumble over internal complexities and shifting market demands according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

 

The Complexity of Brand Messaging

One of the most persistent challenges multi-brand operators face is brand messaging confusion. Each restaurant concept is supposed to have a unique identity—yet under shared ownership, those identities often become diluted.

For example:

·       Marketing cannibalization occurs when brands under the same parent target similar customer segments, reducing effectiveness.

·       Brand inconsistency arises when operational efficiencies (like shared sourcing or menu engineering) blur the culinary distinction between brands.

·       Customer disconnect grows when loyalty programs or omnichannel platforms feel generic instead of tailored to each brand’s DNA.

The result? Consumers stop seeing these restaurants as authentic, and loyalty erodes.

 

Six Foundational Food Industry Cornerstones of Success They Overlook

According to Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru® and foodservice strategist, many multi-brand companies forget the six pillars that historically drive restaurant success:

1.       Menu Clarity & Simplicity
Brands must be clear about what they serve and why. Complexity in multi-brand menus often leads to operational inefficiencies and customer confusion.

2.       Local Relevance
Brands that scale too quickly often lose local flavor and community engagement, key factors in repeat visits.

3.       Customer-Facing Innovation
Focusing on back-end efficiencies instead of front-end experiential value results in stagnant traffic.

4.       Consistent Value Perception
Multi-brand groups often use blanket pricing models, which fail to reflect each brand’s unique value proposition.

5.       Brand Voice Integrity
Every successful restaurant has a voice. When multiple brands share corporate teams and marketing infrastructure, that voice is often lost.

6.       Operational Agility
Founders adapt quickly. Holding companies move slowly, especially when trying to standardize across distinct brands.

 

Are They Buying Restaurant Concepts or Restaurant Locations?

Here lies the pivotal question:
Are multi-brand companies acquiring culinary concepts or just acquiring real estate footprints?

Too often, deals are made based on the number of units rather than the strength of the concept. This leads to:

·       Retrofitting failing menus into popular formats,

·       Diluting brand identity to fit into multi-unit management structures,

·       Ignoring what made the brand successful in the first place—its original concept integrity.

 

Four Commonalities Multi-Brand Companies Share

1.       Centralized Leadership Without Brand Intimacy
Executives often have limited day-to-day experience with individual brand dynamics.

2.       Over-Reliance on Data, Under-Reliance on Instinct
Decisions are made by spreadsheets, not seasoned operators with customer intimacy.

3.       Acquisition Addiction
Growth is pursued through acquisition rather than organic innovation.

4.       Stalled Menu Innovation
Brands stagnate as culinary creativity is channeled through a corporate filter.

 

Five Things They Must Do to Succeed—Historically Grounded

1.       Return to Brand Founder's Vision
Look back at what made the brand successful at inception. Restore those values before scaling further.

2.       Empower Decentralized Brand Leadership
Let each brand have its own team, budget, and cultural identity to preserve uniqueness and drive innovation.

3.       Embrace Channel Blending (Grocerant Strategy)
As the Grocerant Guru® highlights, today’s consumers shop across platforms—grocery stores, delivery, c-stores, and dine-in. Brands must adapt by offering food where customers are.

4.       Leverage Technology for Customization, Not Uniformity
Use AI and customer data to create unique experiences per brand—not to enforce uniform processes across brands.

5.       Invest in Culinary-Led Growth
Stop relying on M&A and start hiring chefs, food anthropologists, and customer experience designers to breathe life back into menus and formats.

 

Think About This

Multi-brand restaurant companies fail when they become portfolio managers instead of brand stewards. The lessons of the past—from the first golden era of QSRs in the 1960s to the rise of fast casual in the 2000s—tell us that brand clarity, customer relevance, and operational excellence cannot be manufactured at scale without local and cultural context.

To echo the Grocerant Guru®: “Success in foodservice is no longer about serving food; it’s about serving relevance—where, when, and how the consumer wants it.”

Unless multi-brand restaurant operators re-anchor their strategies in these timeless truths, they will continue to struggle—no matter how many locations they acquire.

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We help you stay ahead of industry shifts with fresh insights and consumer-driven solutions.

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