By Rachel Taylor, managing director, William Murray

I had a great day at the QSR Redcat Media and Awards Conference on 22 June 2026, listening to operators, brands and suppliers unpack the future of growth. 

More data. More tech. More channels. More pressure on margins. 

But walking away, one thought stuck with me:   

Most QSR brands aren’t struggling to grow; they’re struggling to matter where it counts. 

Growth in this sector rarely unravels in strategy decks or boardroom discussions. More often, it is won or lost site by site, in local communities and on local high streets. 

Customers clustered in their differing localities don’t experience “the brand” in the abstract. They experience that single location, in a specific moment, in the context of their everyday lives. And that moment is far more fragile than many assume. 

If the experience feels too generic, inconsistent or disconnected, the decision is simple: customers will be indifferent.  And no one wants that. 

So how do you win? 

Look at how the high street is shifting and being redefined. It’s no longer just a place of convenience. It’s evolved to be something more social, more experiential and more community-driven – a space of connection, routine and identity: 

• where people go to break up their day 

• where older audiences seek a sense of connection over something simple such as a coffee and a slice of cake 

• where date nights, small celebrations and everyday rituals play out 

• where younger consumers spend time, choosing brands that say something about who they are because it’s social currency. 

This all points to the evolving role QSR brands need to play. The question has moved beyond: “How do we drive footfall?” It’s now: “How do we earn a place in people’s lives locally?” 

Are franchisees the most underutilised growth lever? 

Many QSR brands are stronger than ever centrally – with sharper positioning to more sophisticated channels.  But that strength doesn’t always translate consistently at a local level. 

This is where the franchisee comes in. 

They sit closer to what’s actually happening in local markets than any central team ever can. They see the nuances: how footfall shifts, how local competitors behave, what resonates culturally, customer profile types and what falls flat. 

That’s the missed opportunity when it comes to your comms programme.  

When franchisees are properly engaged and contribute to their localised comms plan, believe in it and are equipped to bring it to life, the difference is tangible. A QSR branch becomes embedded within its community, teams operate with more confidence and customers respond differently 

Why community comms is the growth boost needed 

This is where communications plays a far more important role in unlocking growth than it’s usually given credit for. 

Getting under the skin of each community to shape bespoke campaigns that capture attention and win mindshare makes a huge difference in a fiercely competitive market.   

Locally relevant comms strategies should not be viewed as a quick customised bolt-on task.  They are a growth strategy because no two locations behave the same or expect the same things. No single playbook can account for every local nuance. 

In today’s market, local relevance is the strategy. 

 

Want to hear more? 

If you’re looking at how your brand performs site by site and where the gaps are between strategy and reality, it’s worth a conversation. 

At William Murray PR & Marketing, we help QSR brands close that gap, building communications strategies that actually drive behaviour, consistency and growth on the ground.