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If you’re looking for a fast, lean path into the food business, a quick-service restaurant (QSR) may be the way to go. Unlike full-service or hybrid restaurant models that blend traditional dine-in service with takeout, a QSR is built around speed, convenience and efficiency. Customers place their orders at the counter or online and grab their food quickly, with many choosing to eat on the go. That means simpler operations, lower overheads and faster turnaround.
It’s no surprise this model is booming. As people juggle packed schedules and rising costs, they’re opting more and more for fast, affordable meals. According to market intelligence firm Mordor Intelligence, QSRs dominate 47% of the Canadian foodservice marketplace. “Canadian diners are skipping full-service meals more often due to economic pressures, but convenience keeps quick-service restaurants busy,” says Karisa Marra, Head of Sales at Square Canada.
If you’re drawn to the energy of fast-paced service and like the idea of running a focused, streamlined operation, this guide covers how to start a quick-service restaurant, from planning your concept to choosing your tech stack, hiring a team and launching with confidence. You’ll find helpful tips, real examples and links to key tools to help you get up and running.
Create a business plan for your quick-service restaurant
Before you scout locations or order equipment, you’ll need a solid business plan. This will be your roadmap for making smart decisions, getting funding and staying focused as you launch and grow. Here’s how to shape your QSR vision.
Define your restaurant concept and menu
What kind of food are you serving and why? Your concept is the heart of your QSR. It’s what makes your brand memorable and shapes everything from your decor to your menu. Maybe you’re passionate about Mediterranean street food, or you want to serve health-forward smoothies and bowls. Some concepts come from cultural roots or gaps in the local market.
Here are a few examples that show how varied QSRs can be:
- Superbaba: A modern Middle-Eastern QSR featuring freshly baked pita bread and flavourful bowls and wraps.
- Lambo’s Deli: A casual takeout spot serving New York-style deli sandwiches that go viral on social media.
- Downlow Chicken Shack: A Nashville-style fried chicken Vancouver hot spot.
Once your concept is locked in, your menu should bring it to life. When designing your menu, keep it simple and intentional. Quick service thrives on speed and consistency, and a focused menu is easier to execute at volume. Start with your signature items and build around them.
Identify your target market and value proposition
Who are you trying to serve? And what makes you different from everyone else? A clear target audience helps you shape everything from your prices to your branding. You might be going after office workers who need a fast lunch or health-conscious locals looking for clean meals on the go.
Once you’ve defined your audience, think about your value proposition. What’s your unique edge? Maybe it’s speed, maybe it’s flavour, maybe it’s eco-friendly packaging. Whatever it is, make sure it’s obvious in your messaging, your design and your customer experience.
Set clear business goals
Set goals early, so you have something concrete to work toward and a way to measure progress. Your goals might include hitting a daily sales target, breaking even by month six, or opening a second location by year two.
Use the SMART method to define your goals: they should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. That structure helps you stay focused and adjust quickly if things don’t go as planned.
Estimate startup and operating costs
Quick-service restaurants may be leaner than full-service models, but startup costs can still add up quickly. Expect to spend on things like:
- Kitchen equipment (grills, fryers and refrigerators)
- Renovations and signage
- Licences and permits
- Point-of-sale (POS) systems and display tech
- Initial inventory and packaging
Then there are your ongoing costs: wages, utilities, food, cleaning supplies and marketing. Keep detailed estimates for both startup and monthly operating expenses, and plan for some wiggle room.
Define your pricing strategy
Quick-service pricing is a balancing act: low enough to stay competitive, high enough to protect your margins. Start by researching the prices of other restaurants in your area, but don’t stop there. Factor in your costs, your concept and the value you offer.
Combos, bundles and upsells can help raise your average ticket size. And once you’re up and running, use your sales data to test and tweak prices based on what’s selling (and what’s not).
Handle legal requirements and licensing
Before you can start serving food, you’ll need to make sure your restaurant is legally compliant. This usually includes:
- Registering your business structure (sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation)
- Applying for a business licence
- Getting local health permits and food safety certifications
- Passing fire and building inspections
Check with your local government – city or provincial websites are a great place to start – to confirm the exact steps, as they vary from city to city.
Choose the right location and layout
Your restaurant concept might be perfect, but if it’s tucked away where no one can find it, you’re going to struggle. A quick-service restaurant’s location affects everything, including visibility, accessibility, foot traffic and the bottom line. Here’s how to choose the right location.
Look for high-traffic areas
Quick-service restaurants thrive on volume. That means you need to be where the people are. Think busy downtown corners, office-heavy neighbourhoods, shopping strips, university zones or anywhere with a steady flow of hungry people in a hurry. Good signage matters too. If people can’t see you from the street or figure out what you’re offering at a glance, you’re missing out on easy wins.
Beyond foot traffic, weigh up practical stuff: Is rent sustainable long-term? Can delivery drivers get in and out easily? Will your suppliers be able to unload without hassle? These are the small details that make or break daily operations.
Optimize your layout for speed and efficiency
Once you’ve found your spot, it’s time to plan the flow inside. A smart layout can cut wait times, reduce staff stress and create a better customer experience.
Start by thinking in zones: where food gets prepped, where it’s cooked, where it’s packed and where it gets picked up. Each station should feed into the next with as few steps (and slowdowns) as possible.
Next, learn how to create a restaurant floor plan that supports fast service without compromising quality. An open kitchen layout can also improve communication and transparency, letting customers see the action behind the scenes. For dine-in or takeout setups, make sure your payment stations and pickup shelves are easy to spot and access.
Acquire equipment and supplies
Once your space is ready, it’s time to outfit it for daily operations. A QSR setup doesn’t need every bell and whistle, but you do need reliable, commercial-grade equipment that can keep up with peak demand and help you move fast.
Essential equipment checklist
Let’s start in the kitchen. You’ll need the essentials:
- Prep tables to organize ingredients and streamline assembly
- Commercial fryers, grills or ovens based on your menu
- Refrigerators and freezers to keep ingredients fresh and food-safe
- Warming stations to keep food hot during busy rushes
For the front of house, you’ll need equipment that supports speed and accuracy:
- Digital order screens or printers that connect directly to the kitchen
- Self-service kiosks or ordering terminals to speed things up
- Clearly labeled pickup shelves to organize to-go and delivery orders
- Payment devices that support tap, chip and mobile wallets for fast checkout
Before you start shopping, create a full equipment checklist. This will help you stay organized and ensure that your tools work well with your POS system and other tech.
Lease vs. buy decisions
Here’s the big question: Should you buy your equipment or lease it?
Buying gives you full control and can save you money in the long run. You’re not locked into contracts, and you can customize the setup as your kitchen evolves. But the upfront cost is substantial, especially if you’re building from scratch.
Leasing, on the other hand, keeps startup costs lower and may include maintenance or upgrades. It’s a solid option if you’re conserving cash or testing out your concept. Just keep in mind that lease terms vary, and long-term costs often outweigh the purchase price.
So, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It comes down to your budget, your long-term plan and how much flexibility you need. Whichever route you choose, focus on equipment that supports fast service, food safety and a smooth experience for staff and customers alike.
Hire and train your staff
Your team is the face of your quick-service restaurant. Even the best menu and tech won’t matter if your staff can’t deliver fast, friendly and consistent service. Hiring well and training smart is what keeps orders flowing and customers coming back.
Hire for speed and reliability
In the QSR business, reliability and speed matter just as much as experience. You’re looking for people who show up on time, stay calm during rush hours and can follow procedures without compromising on quality.
Most quick-service restaurant teams include cooks, cashiers, food runners and cleaning staff. But beyond job titles, attitude is everything. Prioritize people who are positive, coachable and team-oriented. And hire the right manager. This person sets the tone, keeps everyone on task and steps in fast when something goes off track.
Pro tip: Consult our hiring checklist for a full run-down of what you need to know before, during and after you hire new staff.
Train for consistency and efficiency
Fast food doesn’t mean sloppy food. A strong training program will make sure every order meets your standards, no matter who’s on shift.
Start by training people for their specific roles, but don’t stop there. Cross-training employees to handle more than one task (like having your cashier jump in to pack orders during a lunch rush) keeps things running smoothly when it gets busy. It also helps with scheduling flexibility and boosts team morale.
Use workforce management tools
Managing your team with spreadsheets and sticky notes might work at first, but it won’t scale well. As your business grows, you’ll need tools to help you manage schedules, track hours and communicate with staff in real time.
Staff management tools make it easy to plan shifts, run payroll and send updates to your team. The more you can automate admin work, the more time you’ll have to focus on training, coaching and building a positive culture behind the counter.
Implement the right technology for your quick-service restaurant
In a quick-service restaurant, the right tech setup can mean the difference between chaos and smooth service. Whether it’s taking orders, managing inventory or handling delivery, the goal is to move fast and minimize mistakes without sacrificing the customer experience.
Choose an all-in-one POS system
Your POS system is the control centre of your restaurant. It’s where orders come in, payments go out and performance gets tracked. Instead of juggling multiple tools, look for an all-in-one platform like Square for Restaurants that covers everything from front-of-house ordering to back-of-house kitchen workflows.
A smart POS system should help you:
- Accept payments quickly (tap, chip and mobile)
- Track sales and trends in real time
- Manage team performance and permissions
- Sync directly with kitchen display systems to streamline order prep
By connecting your front and back of house, kitchen display systems help your team prioritize tasks and prep efficiently, especially during rush hours.
Offer ordering options that reduce wait times
Most quick-service customers don’t want to wait in line. After all, speed is one of the biggest draws of the QSR model. Offering alternative ways to order can keep things moving and improve the overall experience. Self-service kiosks, for example, let customers place their own orders, freeing up your staff and reducing mistakes.
You can also use QR code menus that let people scan, order and pay right from their phones. These tools don’t just reduce wait times, they also increase order size, since customers tend to add more when there’s no pressure to rush.
Integrate with delivery apps
Delivery has become a key revenue stream for most QSRs. But entering orders from third-party apps manually can create confusion and mistakes. Instead, connect your POS directly with delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats or Skip . This way, orders go straight to the kitchen without any re-entry, keeping things fast and accurate.
With a setup like this, your team can focus on fulfillment while your systems handle the rest. It’s a smoother experience for your staff and a better one for your customers, too, wherever they’re ordering from.
Market your quick-service restaurant
You’ve nailed your concept, picked the right tools and hired your team. Now, it’s time to get people through the door. A smart marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Focus on building local buzz, showing up online and keeping customers coming back.
Start with local marketing
Start close to home. Print some flyers, hang posters in nearby coffee shops or gyms, and hand out branded freebies during peak foot traffic. Even better, team up with neighbouring businesses to cross-promote.
Hosting a soft opening is another great move. Invite friends, family and local influencers for a trial run before your official launch. You’ll get valuable feedback and create word-of-mouth buzz in the process.
Build your online presence
Even if most of your customers are walk-ins, your online presence plays a major role in helping them discover you. Start by setting up a Google Business Profile to market your QSR restaurant. This ensures people can find your hours, location and reviews with a quick search.
Next, create social media profiles on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Share behind-the-scenes prep, new menu items, staff stories and short videos of your food prep. The goal is to stay top of mind in your community.
Launch with promotions and loyalty programs
A strong opening week can build lasting momentum. Offer discounts, free upgrades or combo deals to draw people in. Once they’re through the door, give them a reason to come back.
Loyalty programs are simple but powerful. Something like “buy five, get one free” gives customers a reason to return and spend more. Tools like Loyalty programs and Square Marketing let you set up automated email and text campaigns, promote special offers and even request Google reviews. These simple systems make it easy to build lasting connections and keep your spot busy well beyond launch.
Quick service FAQs
What is a quick-service restaurant?
A quick-service restaurant is a type of eatery that features fast, convenient food service with minimal wait times. Customers typically order at a counter, kiosk or online.
How much does it cost to start a quick-service restaurant?
Unfortunately, there’s no one-size answer. Startup costs for a quick service restaurant vary depending on location, size and equipment needs, but generally include expenses for commercial kitchen equipment, renovations, permits, initial inventory and technology like POS systems.
Can I add delivery to my quick service restaurant?
Yes, adding delivery is a great way to expand your quick service restaurant’s reach and boost sales. The best practice is to integrate delivery directly into your POS system, so online orders flow straight to your kitchen without needing to be re-entered. This cuts down on mistakes and keeps service fast, even when juggling dine-in, takeout and delivery.
Looking for more general tips on starting a restaurant? Check out our complete guide on how to open a restaurant, from business planning to opening day.
