How to Start a Quick Service Restaurant: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Are you flirting with the idea of opening a quick service restaurant? Before you do anything else, you need to learn what that entails. And that’s why we’re here.

We’ll show you how to start a quick service restaurant, from the research phase to the marketing phase and everything in between. Let’s dive in!

A quick service restaurant, often abbreviated to QSR, is a restaurant serving affordable meals fast. This type of food business often has limited table service and packages food for takeaway.

The 4 types of quick service restaurants you most often come across are:

• Burger joints
• Sandwich shops
• Pizzerias
• Fried chicken shops

If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between a fast-food restaurant and a quick service one is, the answer is there is no difference.

QSR is the term used within the restaurant industry to refer to fast food restaurants.

These are the main features characteristic of a quick service restaurant:

• Simple, short menus
• Low prices
• Limited seating
• No table service
• Long opening hours, often late into the night

According to quick service restaurant research, the industry was valued at $316 billion in 2024 and is poised to reach $384 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.3%.

The average profit margin for quick service restaurants is between 6 and 9%, which is higher than most other types of food businesses.

The reason why quick service restaurants are more profitable is because the food and labor costs are lower than say, a table service restaurant.

Before you take the plunge into the QSR industry, you need to understand the market, its unique challenges, and competitiveness.

Research the area where you want to open your quick service restaurant to see:

• What your target audience would be;
• If there is demand for such a restaurant;
• And if there’s strong competition in the area.

This information will help you come up with a unique selling proposition (USP) that shows what makes your restaurant stand out from the competition. It will also lay the foundation for your business plan, which is the next step you must take.

A quick service restaurant business plan should contain:

• Executive summary: This is where you add your unique selling proposition, restaurant culture, and goals.
• Company overview: What is your business module, ownership, and structure? Will you open the restaurant as a standalone or franchise? Will you be the sole owner or will you open an LLC?
• Industry analysis: Gather target audience data, location analytics, and competitor data (you should already have most of these from the previous step).
• Financial forecast: Think of the startup costs you’ll have, as well as the expected profit margin and sales forecast.
• Operations: Write down your plan for personnel, suppliers, and customer service, and how you will run the restaurant day by day.
• Menu breakdown: What type of food do you plan to serve? Will you offer dine-in services only or delivery too?
• Marketing: How do you plan to spread the word about your restaurant? What will be your strategy for attracting new and returning customers alike?

Opening a restaurant is no easy task and it requires a large initial investment. Most people who dream of opening a restaurant won’t get the funds they need without financing.

There are several types of financing you can consider based on your needs and existing capital:

• Small business loans: With low interest rates and long repayment periods, SBA (Small Business Administration) loans are a great option. However, they can be very competitive, and you need to meet certain requisites to be eligible. You can read more about SBA loans here.
• Line of credit: You can also borrow a smaller sum of money from a financial institution. The most appealing thing about a line of credit is that you only pay interest on the money you draw from it.
• Bank loan: Given by traditional banks, loans usually have fixed interest rates and repayment terms. You also need to meet some requirements to qualify for one, such as a good credit score and even collateral.
• Merchant cash advance: A financing company can also advance you cash. In return, you provide them with a percentage of your sales, plus a fee. Look for such options in your area to see if they’re a good match for you.
• Equipment loans: If you only need money for equipment and appliances, there is such a thing as equipment loans where the equipment acts as collateral.

You’ve heard it before: “Location, location, location!” There’s a reason why your location is vital for the long-term success of your restaurant.

If the area doesn’t get enough traffic or the location is close to an established competitor, it might be difficult for you to draw business in.

Here are the questions you should ask when researching a quick service restaurant location:

• How is the foot traffic at all times of the day?
• Is the location easily accessible on foot and by car?
• Is there parking in the area?
• Is the location next to office buildings or other businesses that might complement yours?
• Is there direct competition in the area?
• Is your target audience likely to frequent this area?
• Is there room outside the location for you to hang signs that will attract customers?
• Are the rent and utilities affordable?
• Is the area likely to change and grow in the future?

Before we get too far into the exciting aspects of learning how to start a quick service restaurant, let’s deal with the logistics first.

The licenses and permits you’ll need to open a quick service restaurant will depend on your location. You need to check your local regulations to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

However, here are the minimum requirements for a restaurant in the US:

• Business license
• Food service license
• Food handlers permit
• Building and zoning permits
• Employee identification number
• Sales tax license
• Insurance

Other licenses and permits such as an alcohol license, signage permit, or music license depend on your unique needs.

A QSR restaurant menu is typically short and sweet, relying on only a few ingredients. It also usually provides menu and bundle options that customers can combine to create their desired meal.

Here are some QSR menu ideas to help you attract a wide audience and cater to varied tastes:

• Incorporate healthier options such as vegan or vegetarian dishes;
• Provide nutritional information and a list of allergens;
• Rely on seasonal ingredients to lower food costs and keep your menu fresh;
• Focus on dishes that are fast and easy to prepare to lower customer wait times;
• Optimize communication between front of house and back of house using a POS system and multiple printers assigned for various kitchen stations;
• Keep the menu new and exciting with limited-time menu items or promotions;
• Keep a close eye on your POS reports to ensure you only keep the items that bring in sales.

Ideally, to keep up with the fast-paced quick service industry, you should allow customers to order and pay by scanning a QR code.

Here’s why replacing paper menus with QR code menus is the way to go:

• Faster ordering & checkout process;
• Lower wait times;
• Faster table turnover;
• Serve more customers daily;
• Improve the customer experience;
• Make unlimited changes to the menu instantly without having to reprint them.

With GloriaFood, you can create your quick service menu in minutes using our intuitive menu editor. You can add:

• Menu categories & items;

• Add-ons such as toppings, crust types, sauces, etc.;

• Choices such as adding fries to a burger;
• Ingredients for every dish;
• Nutritional information and menu labels;

• Allergens;
• Menu bundles and combos;
• Menu item stocks so you can easily keep track of inventory;

Once you’ve created the perfect menu, simply generate the QR code following our simple setup wizard, display the QR codes on the tables, and you’re ready to accept your first order.

This is how ordering and paying will look for your customers:

Your staff is at the heart of your restaurant. Whether they prepare the delicious dishes that customers rave about, or they interact with your clients every day, you need people you know you can count on.

The restaurant industry is facing high turnover rates, with many employees being dissatisfied with what restaurants have to offer in terms of salary and benefits.

If you want to attract quality employees who will be with you for the long haul, consider offering these benefits besides an attractive salary:

• Health insurance;
• Opportunities for development within the restaurant;
• Incentives for a job well done;
• A good work-life balance;
• Free or discounted food from the restaurant;
• Team building events.

When it comes to quick service restaurant technology, a POS should be at the top of your list.

The GloriaFood quick service restaurant POS software is designed to address the pain points of a fast-paced environment with features such as:

• Color-coded menu categories that make it easier for your staff to operate the POS;

• Fast payment processing for any type of payment, from credit and debit cards to digital wallets;
• Built-in online ordering so you can manage both in-store and online orders on the same device. Online orders are automatically sent from the POS to their designated kitchen stations, so the chefs can start cooking immediately.

• Offline mode so you don’t miss a beat even when the internet is down. You can continue to open and close checks, process payments, and run reports, even when you’re offline.
• Intuitive POS gestures designed to speed up check actions such as:

➡️ Swipe to remove a menu item

➡️ Click to increase the quantity

➡️ Click and hold to reset the quantity

As the grand opening approaches, it’s time to purchase all the equipment you will need for your quick service restaurant, such as:

• Fryers
• Grills
• Ovens
• Microwaves
• Toasters
• Cutting boards
• Knives
• Slicers
• Mixers
• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Beverage dispensers
• Smallware
• Sinks
• Dishwashers
• Cleaning supplies

Next, think about where you’re going to get your ingredients and other supplies from. You should look for local suppliers first, for several reasons:

• Local ingredients will be fresher and cheaper;
• They will arrive faster;
• This will lower your carbon footprint, making your restaurant more environmentally friendly;
• Customers love restaurants that support the local economy.

Nowadays, it’s difficult for restaurants to thrive by relying on dine-in sales only. That’s why most quick service restaurants also offer online ordering.

We have excellent news for you: You don’t have to look elsewhere to find an in-house online ordering system for your QSR. GloriaFood enables you to accept pickup and delivery orders on your website, at zero cost.

It’s as simple as adding a button on your website following this video tutorial, no tech knowledge required:

You can choose to accept orders manually by installing the free order-taking app on a mobile device, or you can set them to be automatically accepted by the POS and sent directly to the kitchen. Your call.

Pro tip: Speed up online ordering even more by allowing customers to pay for their food online by card or other digital wallets.

The Online Payment service also unlocks digital tipping. Studies have shown that customers tend to tip 11% more when tipping digitally. Here’s how easily you can enable this feature:

Finally, before you open your quick service restaurant, you need to have a clear idea of how you’re going to market it online and offline.

Here are all the marketing features you can enjoy as a GloriaFood customer:

• Menu ordering smartlink for social media: Simply add it in your bio to enable customers to order with just one click.

• Online ordering flyer generator: Create and print flyers with an exclusive offer and distribute them around the neighborhood to motivate more customers to place their first order online.
• Promotions module: Create any offer you can think of using our 13 built-in templates or setting up your own promo logic.

• Email marketing automation: Choose from the three campaigns designed to encourage second orders, engage dormant customers, and prevent cart abandonment. Once you set up the campaigns, they will run on autopilot with no effort on your part.
• Google Business Profile scanner: Put your restaurant on the map by creating a Google Business Profile and adding your opening hours, address, website, and more. In the GloriaFood dashboard, you can scan and analyze your Google Business Profile to find out what else you need to optimize to rank higher.
• Website builder with built-in SEO optimization: If you want more customers to discover your restaurant online and place an order, you can generate an SEO-optimized website designed to rank high in local searches.

Now that you know how to start a quick service restaurant, you’re only moments away from the grand opening.

Once you have everything in place, from your menu to the technology you need to run like a well-oiled machine, organize a soft opening with friends and family. This will give you excellent insight into what works and what you need to improve before the big day.