Flagship Chains and Fast-Casual Concepts Bolster Yum! and RBI in Q1 2026

Quick-service restaurants have faced significant headwinds, even as value offerings and limited-time promotions have helped stabilize traffic across the segment. Still, the largest restaurant groups are finding ways to outperform.

The latest visit data shows Yum! Brands and Restaurant Brands International (RBI) pulling ahead of the category – with growth in both cases driven by their leading brands and supported by the strength of their fast casual concepts. 

Beating the Baseline

In Q1 2026, traffic to QSRs rose just 0.1% year over year (YoY), as increasingly cautious consumers pulled back on dining out. Against this backdrop, Yum! Brands’ 2.1% increase in overall portfolio traffic and 3.0% rise in average visits per location represent meaningful outperformance. While RBI lagged slightly in overall traffic, it still modestly outpaced the segment average in per-location traffic.

Yum! Growth Driven by Taco Bell

Diving into brand-level data, Taco Bell – which accounted for nearly three quarters of total Yum! visits in Q1 2026 – remained the company’s clear growth engine. A combination of strategic value pricing, ongoing menu innovation, and a strong digital loyalty program continued to drive same-store traffic growth and broaden the brand’s appeal across income cohorts – including higher-income consumers, families, and younger diners alike.

The Habit Burger Grill, Yum!’s fast-casual concept, also performed well in Q1, with same-store visits up in the mid- to high-single digits throughout the quarter. KFC, meanwhile, in the midst of a turnaround, saw mixed same-store visit trends – as did Pizza Hut, currently the subject of a strategic review.  

Burger King Drives RBI Growth as Turnaround Gains Traction

On the RBI side, QSR leader Burger King continued to lead performance. After reporting a 2.6% same-store sales increase in Q4 2025, the chain delivered a 1.4% YoY rise in overall traffic in Q1 2026, with same-store visits increasing in both February and March. This momentum likely reflects ongoing execution of RBI’s “Reclaim the Flame” strategy, alongside ongoing menu innovation – including the January launch of the Ultimate Steakhouse Whopper, which was met with strong consumer response.

Fast-casual Firehouse Subs, which similarly posted a 2.4% increase in same-store sales in Q4 2025, also remained a bright spot in Q1, with positive same-store visit growth in January and February, and March performance roughly in line with the prior year. 

By contrast, Tim Hortons continued to see traffic softness in the U.S., though ongoing expansion plans suggest confidence in its long-term opportunity. And Popeyes faced continued pressure, with RBI actively working to reposition the brand.

Outperformance in a Tough Market

Both Yum! and RBI are successfully navigating a challenging QSR environment, driven by the strength of their flagship brands, solid performance in fast-casual concepts, and ongoing investments to stabilize underperforming chains. Will the companies be able to sustain this momentum in the coming months?

Follow Placer.ai/anchor to find out.

Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.