Australia

End of season parties, and EDM engagement.

Find out what inspired the new menu item.

It finally goes mobile.

Customers able to pay bill at table without having to flag down and wait for waiter service PayPal Australia has just announced the launch of its new ‘Pay at Table’ feature to its mobile app. The new feature will allow customers to check into a restaurant on their mobile, enter their table number and then pay their bill, with or without tip, removing the sometimes laborious task of having to flag down a waiter. “The Pay at Table feature delivers a tailored solution that gives restaurants and cafes direct access to over 5.5 million account holders using the PayPal digital wallet online, on-the-go and in-store”, says Andrew Rechtman, Senior Director of SMB, Retail and Strategy at PayPal Australia. The announcement dovetails with Europay, MasterCard and Visa changes set to come into effect in August, which are designed to expand PIN at point of sale, meaning customers will no longer be able to sign for transactions. “PayPal’s Pay at Table...has negated what would have been a substantial investment in new fixed terminals or mobile upgrades to comply with the new standards,” Robert Gugliotta, owner of Bravo Trattoria in Sydney said.

Have adopted a new approach to franchise partner recruitment.

Rapid fall from grace for chain.

McDonald’s manages it, other chains lag. Last week we reported on Ipsos MediaCT latest Enhanced Media Metrics Australia report. One of the most interesting findings to come from the report is the disconnect between branch awareness, and brand purchase. emma surveyed people on what QSR chains they would consider eating at, and then what QSR’s they actually ate at. The results are startling. Perhaps unsurprisingly, McDonald’s comes out on top, with roughly equal consideration vs conversion rates i.e. the number of people considering purchasing a meal at the burger chain equates to the number who eventually go on to do so. The brand also has relatively strong consumption rates, with nearly 42% of Australians (14+) eating there. As the survey also went on to rank peoples motivations for eating at a QSR as being based on price, convenience and taste, it could be that the sheer number of McDonald’s stores is working in their favour, though no doubt these results will be giving many QSRs food for thought.

Find out what QSR's got up to this week on various social media platforms.

Store is 69th for coffee chain.

Chicken chain to back pay staff.

Specially developed lunch, or ‘crib’ pack available at new store.

First limited time product launch of the year is southern cajun chicken.

Cromer-Dee Why owner chipped in with time and coffee.

Here’s the blueprint for outrageous marketing stunts.

More than half of population has visited a major fast food chain in the past month. ‘Out of Home Dining’, a new Ipsos MediaCT report, surveyed Australians dining habits with some interesting take outs for takeaways. Key findings included: - Young Australians are the most likely to visit QSRs, with 60% saying they visit one at least once a month, compared with 36% of 45-64 year olds and 22% of 65+ year olds - Although income levels matter when it comes to eating out in general, earnings are less influential when it comes to consumption at QSRs, with little to no difference seen across income levels - 22% of QSR customers remain loyal to one brand, and 19% to 2 brands - The 3 drivers for QSR consumption, in order, are price and convenience, health, and taste

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