Competitive Intelligence for Restaurants
See what competing chains charge, launch and open near your restaurants. Then keep your guests when a new opening pushes value meals or a competitor sells a cheaper lunch. The complete guide for marketing, operations and franchise teams at restaurant chains.
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Definition
What is competitive intelligence for restaurants?
For a restaurant chain, competitive intelligence follows what competitors charge, put on the menu, promote and open, and how they sell through delivery apps and franchisees. Most of it is public: menus, app listings, limited-time offers, licence notices, results and franchise documents. It tells you which prices and offers to answer, which items to add and where to open next.
Fast-food chains fight on price, and the market leader has said it will not lose. "McDonald's is not going to get beat on value and affordability," its chief executive told investors in February 2026. Appetite is shrinking too. Cornell researchers found that US households spend about 8% less at fast-food chains and coffee shops once someone starts a weight-loss drug. In late 2025, 12% of US adults were taking one.
Casual dining chains now go after fast-food guests. Chili's grew sales at its existing restaurants by 9.2% in its 2026 financial year with value meals priced against fast-food combos. Fast-casual chains, where guests order at a counter but eat better food than at a burger chain, sit between the two. Sit-down dining also competes with the supermarket. In the year to August 2026, UK restaurant and hotel prices rose 4.1%, against 1.3% for food in shops.
Coffee chains face cheaper competitors that open thousands of shops a year. Luckin had 36,310 at the end of June 2026 and now opens abroad, including in the US. In Britain, the bakery Greggs took 8.6% of all visits for food bought on the go in 2025, in a market where visits fell 3.1%.
Franchisors compete for franchisees as well as for guests. Mixue, a Chinese drinks brand, ended 2025 with 59,823 stores, all but 38 run by franchisees. It opened 14,496 that year and closed 2,527. McDonald's has more than 45,000 locations.
Use cases
How restaurant chains use competitive intelligence
Your guests choose between you, the chain across the road, a delivery app and the supermarket, often in under a minute. Competitive intelligence shows you what each of them offers that day.
Pricing your menu
A burger meal, a fast-casual bowl and a sit-down dinner compete for the same budget. Check competitors' prices monthly, item by item, at the counter and on delivery apps.
Planning limited-time offers
Competitors launch a new burger, drink or dessert for a few weeks at a time. Log each one with its price and dates, plan yours around theirs, and note which ones come back.
Picking new sites
Competitors' new sites appear in licence notices, planning files and job ads months before opening. Map them before you sign a lease or approve a franchisee's site.
Selling on delivery apps
Delivery apps take a commission on every order and sell discounts and placement on top. Watch which competitors run app deals, change plans or launch delivery-only brands.
Recruiting franchisees
Would-be franchisees compare your fees, start-up costs and sales per restaurant with other brands'. In the US, disclosure documents give the first two, sometimes the third.
Hiring and keeping staff
Chains compete for the same cooks, baristas and managers. Competitors' job postings show their pay, bonuses and benefits, town by town, and which sites keep hiring.
In practice
Competitive intelligence examples for restaurant chains
Every move below appears on a menu, an app, a notice or a filing weeks before it reaches your sales. Decide your answer while you still have time to choose it.
Illustrative examples · CompetitorX is a fictional competitor
The competitor move
CompetitorX launches a €5 meal deal for the whole summer.
Your move
Check what the deal includes and what guests add to the bill. Answer with a bundle you can afford to keep, and keep discounts off your best sellers.
Within two weeks.
The competitor move
CompetitorX, a fast-casual chain, brings back last year's spicy chicken bowl for six weeks.
Your move
Look up last year's dates, price and how long it stayed. Move your own launch off those weeks, or answer with a better version at the same price.
Before your next menu change.
The competitor move
CompetitorX, a sit-down chain, applies for a licence two streets from your busiest location.
Your move
Read the notice for opening hours and size. Brief the manager, plan a local offer for its opening week, and check your table times and service there first.
Before it opens.
The competitor move
CompetitorX pays a delivery app for 30% off every order in your city.
Your move
Check whether your orders on that app drop, and on which items. Answer with a lower delivery fee or an offer in your own app rather than a matching discount.
Within a week.
The competitor move
CompetitorX's new disclosure document shows sales per restaurant up 12%.
Your move
Read how many outlets it opened and closed, its fees and its accounts. Brief your sales team before candidates ask why your figures look lower.
Before candidates' next meetings.
The competitor move
CompetitorX's coffee shops sell a latte at half your price in their app.
Your move
Check what guests give up: size, seats, speed or quality. Keep your price where guests value what you add, and answer with a breakfast bundle where you lose most.
Within a month.
What to know
What to know about each competing restaurant chain
A competitor's menu, app and latest results hold most of these answers. Opening plans take longer, so ask your local managers.
Menu and prices
- What do its best sellers cost, at the counter and on delivery apps?
- Which items did it add, drop or change this year?
- Which value deals and bundles does it run, and at what price?
Offers and marketing
- Which limited-time offers did it run, and on which dates?
- What does its own app give guests that yours does not?
- Does it take bookings, and how full is it at peak times?
Locations and delivery
- Where did it open, close or refit sites this year?
- Which delivery apps does it use, and does it deliver itself?
- How do guests rate its service, speed and cleanliness?
Franchising and results
- What does it charge franchisees, and what does a new restaurant cost?
- How many outlets opened, closed or changed owner last year?
- Are its average sales and guest numbers rising or falling?
Sources
Where restaurant chains find competitive intelligence
Competition is local, so the best intelligence sits in each town: on menus, apps, notices and job ads. Your own teams see the rest.
What you already hear
- Restaurant managers
- They see competitors' openings, offers and queues first. Ask them for a line a week on what changed nearby.
- Guest comments
- Guests name the places they compare you with, in surveys and on review sites. Read them for competitor names monthly, next to those competitors' offers.
- Franchisees
- They talk to other brands' franchisees and see local competitors every day. Collect their notes at regional meetings.
- Franchise candidates
- Candidates weigh your brand against others. Ask which brands they also considered, and why they signed or walked away.
What competitors publish
- Menus and price lists
- Competitors post menus on their sites and apps. Keep a dated copy every month, and web archives show what an item cost a year ago.
- Delivery apps
- Delivery apps show a brand's menu, prices, deals and delivery fees for a given address. Check the same addresses monthly, since app prices often differ from counter prices.
- New items and offers
- Competitors announce new items in press releases and in their apps, sometimes days before launch. Log the price and the end date.
- Social posts
- Competitors tease launches and test new items on social media. Note what they post and which posts guests share most.
- Licence notices
- In England and Wales, a new licence to sell alcohol or late-night hot food is advertised on a pale blue notice at the premises for 28 days. It also appears in a local newspaper.
- Planning files and job ads
- A planning application, or competitor hiring for a manager in a new town, often comes months before an opening.
- Franchise disclosure documents
- US franchisors update theirs each year. They list fees, start-up costs, outlets opened and closed by state, planned openings and audited accounts. Minnesota posts them online for free.
- Calorie labels
- In England, food businesses with 250 or more staff must show calories, even on delivery apps. US chains with 20 or more locations have to show them too. A changed count often means a new recipe or portion.
- Results and earnings calls
- Listed chains report sales at existing restaurants, and many give guest numbers too. On their earnings calls, managers talk about value deals, delivery and competitors.
- Booking sites
- Table booking sites show competing sit-down restaurants' set menus, opening hours and free tables at peak times. Check them before Valentine's Day and the holiday season.
- Official price figures
- Statistics offices compare restaurant prices with food in shops every month: the BLS in the US, the ONS in the UK and Eurostat across the EU.
Stay on the right side of the line
Never agree prices, discounts, wages or hiring limits with a competing chain or its franchisees. In 2025, the EU fined two delivery apps €329 million, partly for agreeing not to hire each other's staff. Visit competitors as a paying guest, and never pose as a franchise buyer.
Signal vs noise
Which competitor moves to answer, and which to let pass
Competitors change something every week. Act on what changes your guests' choice: price, a new reason to visit, or a location nearer than yours.
Track
Act within a week
- A price cut or value deal on one of your best sellers
- A limited-time offer in your best category
- A new opening near one of your sites
- A new delivery app deal or delivery fee
- A competing brand's new fees or start-up costs
Skim
Monthly roll-up
- Packaging changes
- TV and poster campaigns
- Refits
- Sustainability pledges
- Celebrity collaborations
Ignore
Unless it repeats
- Viral food trends
- Rumoured openings with no application
- One angry review
- Chains in towns you are not in
- Award lists
Single prices mislead most. A deal on one item can hide a rise elsewhere, so compare the full bill for the same order, fees included.
Catch competing restaurants' new prices and offers
Get competitors' menu changes, price rises and limited-time offers while you can still answer them.
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Distribution
Who sees competing chains first, and who acts on it
Local managers spot competitors' moves before anyone, in the street. Marketing, menu, operations and franchise teams decide the answer.
What comes in
Local managers
Openings, offers and queues next door.
Franchisees
What other brands' franchisees say and do.
Delivery team
Competitors' app deals, fees and rankings.
Guest services
Competitors named in comments and surveys.
What goes out
MarketingOffer plan
Competitors' limited-time offers and value deals.
Menu teamMenu review
Competitors' new items, prices and portions.
OperationsArea meetings
Competitors' new sites near yours.
Franchise salesCandidate calls
Competing brands' fees and figures.
LeadershipStrategy review
Market share, delivery costs and new entrants.
Area managers already review every site's sales weekly. A short note on new competitors nearby tells them why a number moved.
Franchise sales works like any sales team: it needs short answers on competing brands. The marketing team usually owns the reply to competitors' offers. Chains held by private equity investors use the same facts to decide which brands to buy, merge or sell.
The deliverable
A sheet for each competing chain, ready for every price decision
Ahead of a price rise, a new item or a new site, put all competitors in the same format, with a date on each line.
01Prices and deals
Best sellers, value deals and app prices.
02Limited-time offers
Each offer with its price and dates.
03Sites
Openings, closures and planned sites near yours.
04Delivery
Apps used, app deals and delivery fees.
05Guests
Who it targets, and what reviews praise or blame.
06Franchising
Fees, start-up costs and outlet counts.
07Sales and guests
Sales growth and guest numbers.
08Your advantage
The items and towns where you beat it.
To keep prices and offers for every competitor in dated rows, use a competitor tracking spreadsheet.
Before a price change, a pricing teardown template sets one competitor's menu prices, sizes and deals next to yours.
The restaurant calendar
Menus, offers and openings across the restaurant year
Menus and offers follow the seasons, and results and disclosures follow the financial year. Last year's calendar tells you when competitors will move.
- 1
New year and Valentine's Day
January to February- Guests cut spending after the holidays, and many brands answer with lighter dishes and value deals. Then Valentine's Day on 14 February fills sit-down restaurants.
- Note who leads with price, who with health, and what each set menu costs.
- 2
Results and disclosures
February to April- Listed groups report the full year. US franchisors must update their disclosure documents within 120 days of their year-end, so late April for a franchisor whose year ends in December.
- Read both for planned openings and average sales.
- 3
Spring and summer
April to June- Cold drinks, salads and outdoor seating return, with summer value deals.
- Record each competitor's launch dates and prices.
- 4
Summer trading
July to August- School holidays move guests from offices and city centres to holiday areas.
- Compare how competitors' offers and opening hours change by area.
- 5
Autumn drinks and launches
Late August to October- Coffee chains bring back autumn drinks, and others launch their main new items.
- Plan your answer to their autumn launches before they land.
- 6
Holiday season
November to December- Holiday drinks and menus return, gift card sales rise, and offices book their parties.
- Save competitors' holiday prices for next year's comparison.
Routine
A competitor routine for menus, deals and openings
App deals change weekly, menus monthly and results quarterly. Give each a slot of its own, and add one more before every menu change.
Weekly
30 minutes- Check competitors' new items and app deals.
- Read managers' notes on nearby openings.
- Log each new offer with its end date.
Monthly
2 hours- Price the same order at every competitor, at the counter and on apps.
- Check licence and planning notices near your sites.
- Read guest comments for competitor names.
Each quarter
3 hours- Go through competitors' results and note their guest numbers.
- Refresh every restaurant competitor sheet.
- Tell leadership what changed in prices, openings and share.
Before a menu change
1 day- List competitors' prices for the items you are changing.
- Check their current offers and their dates.
- Decide what you will do if they cut prices in reply.
To line up several competitors' prices for the same order, a pricing comparison prompt turns saved menus into one table.
Freshness
How quickly your notes on competitors go out of date
An app deal can end in days, while start-up costs stay fixed for a year. Write the date beside every fact, and look again as soon as its trigger shows up.
| What you track | Goes stale in | Update it when |
|---|---|---|
| App deals | Days | A new promotion on the app |
| Limited-time offers | Weeks | A launch or return date |
| Menu prices | Months | A new menu or price rise |
| Delivery fees and commissions | A year | A new app plan or fee |
| Planned openings | Months | A licence notice, planning file or job ad |
| Recipes and portions | A year | A changed calorie count |
| Franchise terms | A year | The yearly disclosure update |
| Sales growth | A quarter | Results day |
| Pay rates | Months | New job ads |
| Guest reviews | Weeks | Several reviews on the same problem |
Competitors are most likely to answer you right after your own price change, so check their prices and apps twice a week at that point.
Metrics
How your chain compares with competitors, in three numbers
You already track sales per site, guest numbers and average spend. Three more place you against the places your guests also choose.
Competitive pricing index
your price ÷ median competitor price for a matched configuration × 100
Price the same order, such as a burger meal and a coffee, at three competitors per town, at the counter and on every app.
Share of search
your branded search volume ÷ total category branded search volume
Searches for a brand by name, often with "near me", come before a visit. Compare yours with your closest competitors' every month.
Win rate
won competitive deals ÷ (won + lost competitive deals)
For franchise sales, count the candidates who chose you or another brand, and record which brand won each one.
Add one guest number every quarter: the change in your guest numbers at existing locations, next to what listed competitors report.
Pitfalls
Six mistakes when watching competing chains
Most mistakes come from reacting to one price, one restaurant or one sector, instead of what guests actually compare.
Answering every price cut
A price war cuts margins for every brand in town. Answer with a bundle or an offer you can hold for months.
Ignoring supermarkets
Your guests also buy supermarket meal deals and cook at home. Track those prices next to your competitors'.
Comparing counter prices only
Delivery apps show different prices, service fees and delivery fees. Compare what guests pay on every app.
Hearing of openings late
A licence notice appears weeks before the doors open. Check notices near your sites monthly.
Judging from one location
One location's queue or reviews can mislead. Compare competitors across many towns.
Skipping franchise disclosures
In the US, competitors' fees and outlet counts are public. Read them before your candidates do.
Automation
How to automate competitive intelligence for restaurants
Competitors change menus, deals and offers every week, on their sites, apps and social media. By the time a manager reports a new offer, it may already be over.
No team can check all of that by hand every day, which is why competitive intelligence platforms exist. Flares follows competitors' websites, menus and price pages, social media, job ads, ads and reviews, and tells you which changes touch your guests, prices or sales. Licence notices, disclosure documents and official price figures sit outside its reach, so check them in your monthly routine.
Competitor alerts
A new price, item or offer at a competing chain, sent to the team that answers it.
Weekly competitive digest
Menu, price and offer changes at competing chains, in one email every Monday.
Live battlecards
Competing brands' fees, costs and claims, kept current for your franchise sales team.
Answer competing restaurants before your guests switch
Flares sends a weekly digest of competitors' menus, prices and offers, sorted by what your teams must answer.
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FAQ
Restaurants competitive intelligence FAQ
How do restaurants use competitive intelligence?
Restaurant chains use competitive intelligence to price their menus, plan limited-time offers, choose where to open, sell on delivery apps, recruit franchisees and hire staff. Marketing follows competitors' offers, operations their openings, and franchise teams competing brands' fees.
How do you do a competitor analysis for a restaurant?
List the places your guests also use within a few minutes of your restaurants, including coffee shops and supermarkets. For each, record prices, best sellers, offers, delivery apps and recent openings, all dated. Then compare town by town, because competition is local. A competitor one-pager keeps every competitor's facts on a single page.
How do you compare menu prices with competitors?
Pick an order your guests often buy, such as a burger meal and a dessert. Price it at every competitor in the same town, at the counter and on delivery apps, fees included. Save each menu with its date, because competitor pricing changes without notice.
How much do delivery apps charge restaurants?
Most charge a commission on every order. DoorDash's US plans take 15%, 25% or 30% of a delivery order, and 6% of a pickup order. In 2025, DoorDash also bought Deliveroo, which operates in nine countries, including the UK and France. Check which plan and deals your competitors use, since they shape their prices on the app.
What is a limited-time offer?
A limited-time offer is a menu item or deal sold for a few weeks only, such as a seasonal drink or a returning sandwich. Brands use them to bring guests back and test new items. Log competitors' offers with dates and prices, so your competitive response is planned before theirs launches.
How are weight-loss drugs changing restaurant visits?
They reduce how much users eat out. A Cornell study found that US households spend about 8% less at fast-food chains, coffee shops and similar restaurants within six months of someone starting a weight-loss drug. In late 2025, 12% of US adults said they were taking one. Watch which competitors add smaller portions or high-protein items.
Are supermarkets competitors for restaurants?
Yes, for every meal a guest can buy in a shop instead. In the year to August 2026, UK restaurant and hotel prices rose 4.1%, against 1.3% for food in shops. In the US, prices for food away from home rose 3.4%, against 2.2% for food at home. Compare your lunch prices with supermarket meal deals near your busiest restaurants.
How can casual dining chains compete with fast food?
Some now win fast-food guests on value. Chili's priced meals with a starter, a main and a drink against fast-food combos, and its sales at existing restaurants grew 9.2% in its 2026 financial year. Compare the full price of a sit-down meal with a fast-food order nearby, and show guests what the extra buys them.
How do coffee chains compete with cheaper competitors?
Few win on price alone. Luckin grew to 36,310 shops by June 2026, with low prices and orders taken through its app, and now opens in Singapore, Malaysia and the US. Track where low-price chains open, what they charge in their apps and what they leave out, such as seats. Then track your market share in each city they enter.
What is a franchise disclosure document?
In the US, it is the document a franchisor must give would-be franchisees before they sign. It lists fees, start-up costs, outlets opened, closed and planned by state, and audited accounts. Some franchisors add sales per restaurant. For a private chain, it is one of the few public sources of competitor revenue.
How do franchisors compare themselves with other brands?
They put competing brands side by side on what candidates weigh: fees, start-up costs, sales per restaurant, growth and closures. In the US, most of it comes from each brand's disclosure document. A competitive benchmarking template scores every brand against the same list.
How do you know where a competitor will open next?
Watch licence notices, planning applications and job ads for managers in new towns. In the US, franchisors also list their planned openings by state each year. A hiring signals prompt counts a competitor's job ads by role and town, so new locations stand out.
Should a restaurant chain match a competitor's price cut?
Matching on the same item is rarely the best answer. A matched cut costs you margin on every sale and starts a price war. Answer with a bundle, an app offer or a better item at the same price, and match only when guests leave in numbers you can measure.
Is competitive intelligence legal for restaurants?
Yes. Reading competitors' menus, apps, notices and filings, and eating there as a paying guest, is fair. Never agree prices, discounts, wages or hiring limits with a competing chain or its franchisees. In 2025, the EU fined two delivery apps €329 million, partly for agreeing not to hire each other's staff.
What tools do restaurant chains use for competitive intelligence?
Most of the sources cost nothing: menus, delivery apps, licence notices, disclosure documents and results. Paid panels add visit and spending data. On top, competitive intelligence software reports new prices, items and offers from competitors' sites every day.
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