It’s called fast food for a reason, and chains from the up-and-comers to global giants are constantly coming up with new ways to attract and keep customers. This year looks set to be particularly busy as companies continue to cater more for vegetarian and vegan customers, develop high-tech solutions and sleeker ordering systems, and continue to fight the battle for the best fried chicken… Here are the fast food chains with big plans for 2022 and beyond.

It may not be the most famous fast food chain but that could soon change if the owners of Chick N Max have their way. The company, with three locations in Wichita, Kansas, has been gaining wider attention for its posh chicken sandwiches. It hired a fine dining chef, Robert Kabakoff, as culinary director in late 2020 with the aim of streamlining the kitchen for speedier service and revamping menu items such as the Classic Smoked Chicken sandwich.

New menu favorites have been introduced too, such as the Sweet & Spicy tenders and Maple Bacon smoked chicken sandwich. With the menu suitably spruced up, the next phase is to expand beyond its home city. Chick N Max plans to open six new locations in the region in 2022, followed by five more each year beyond that. The chain is targeting states including Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

Burger King was one of the first to commit to a plant-based burger, rolling out the Impossible Whopper across the US in 2019. Then came the Impossible Croissan'wich in 2020. Now it’s trialing Impossible Nuggets, a plant-based alternative to chicken nuggets, encased in golden breadcrumbs. They landed in three restaurants in October 2021: Des Moines, Iowa; Boston, Massachusetts; and Miami, Florida.

The launch and the introduction of other new menu items including the Ch’King, an upgraded chicken sandwich, is part of a broader strategy to claw back a bigger market share. Burger King was overtaken by Wendy’s in a 2020 ranking of the top 50 US chains, after dropping 265 locations to focus on improving its digital ordering experience and revamping branches under its high-tech, streamlined “Restaurant of Tomorrow” model.

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The futuristic restaurants have dedicated areas for mobile ordering and curbside pick-up, plus solar-powered canopies and drive-thru areas with multiple lanes. Burger King’s growth strategy is to work towards remodeling all its locations, along with a focus on advertising and boosting its breakfast offering. Most of its morning sales come from the Croissan'wich and French Toast Sandwich but the company wants to become the go-to breakfast spot in the US.

Pizza Hut made a commitment that by 2022, it would only use chickens that haven't been given antibiotics considered important to human medicine, applying that first to its pizzas and then to its chicken wings. Now its parent company, Yum! Brands, is transitioning to cage-free eggs, with the aim of making the change across most of its locations by 2026 and globally by 2030.

It also looks likely that the pizza chain’s vegan and vegetarian offering, and partnership with Beyond Meat, will continue to grow in 2022. After a US trial of plant-based pizzas in late 2020, the Beyond Italian Style Sausage Supreme, Beyond Beef Sizzler and Beyond Three Meat Three Cheese are now available via delivery in the UK, while a brand-new Beyond Pepperoni – the first of its kind – is being launched in select spots in the US.

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In-N-Out Burger is unusual among the other fast food giants in that it has actually changed little since first opening in 1948. The California-founded chain is largely found in America’s Southwest with a simple menu of burgers, cheeseburgers and skin-on fries (plus a much talked about secret menu). Yet it’s often courted by locations craving its house-made patties and, in late 2020, finally landed in Colorado.

There are now a handful of Colorado outposts, with the possibility of a Denver opening in 2022. A few more locations are also due to open by spring, while rumors of a potential expansion to Florida sparked a social media frenzy. These were later dismissed by the chain, causing disappointment and unsatisfied cravings for a Double-Double (the iconic burger with two beef patties and two slices of cheese).

Jack in the Box is the latest fast food chain to join the plant-based brigade, releasing a meat-free burger with Impossible Foods in October 2021. The patty will be offered as an option at the chain’s restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona for a limited time, with customers able to substitute it for any burger on the menu. If successful, it could soon become a permanent menu item and be rolled out to other locations.

It’s set to be a big year for the chain, known for its burgers and tacos. A total of 111 stores are so far confirmed to open in the US over the next few years, in established markets in California and Texas as well as brand-new cities for the chain such as Salt Lake City, Utah and Louisville, Kentucky.

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Jack in the Box, which first opened in San Diego, California in 1951, plans to introduce new high-tech premises to slash development costs and create a more streamlined operation. The first locations, which will be drive-thru and pick-up only, are slated to open in Oklahoma and California in early 2022. People visiting the restaurants could soon have their fries prepared by automatons, as the chain is also testing robotics at its fries stations in a bid to mitigate staff shortages.

Popeyes is pretty ubiquitous across the US and has more than 3,500 restaurants globally, yet it has only just made its debut in the UK. The fried chicken giant, founded in New Orleans in 1972, opened in London’s Westfield Stratford shopping center in November 2021. And, if all goes well, it won’t be the last. The chain plans to open around 350 locations in the UK in the next 10 years.

Popeyes’ signature menu item is battered chicken spiced with Louisiana flavors, while the London restaurant also serves the chain’s first vegan option, the Creole Red Bean Sandwich. Another recently-added menu item in the US is chicken nuggets, which can be ordered in quantities from four to 36, or, if purchased via the app, 48.

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The big (Mac) news at McDonald's is the expected global roll-out of the vegan McPlant burger, with analysts predicting this will finally happen in 2022. The plant-based Beyond Meat patty is topped with vegan cheese based on pea protein and a dairy-free sauce. It’s already on the menu at eight restaurants in the US and it’s expected that, if they sell like hot burgers, they will soon be popping up elsewhere.

While the fast food giant is keeping any definite global launch under its golden arches, plans to add the vegan burger (pictured) to menus in other markets have already been confirmed. In the UK, trials started in fall 2021 and it’s now sold at more than 250 restaurants, “with a view to rolling out nationwide in 2022”.

Never one to rest on its laurels, McDonald’s has also announced a global partnership with Uber to expand the McDelivery offering. They’ve been working together since 2017 but the latest announcement, in November 2021, means more customers will be able to order delivery from thousands of locations via the McDonald’s app.

After pretty much smashing 2021 with a hugely successful menu refresh, the sub sandwich chain – known for its foot-long rolls and customizable fillings – has no intention of resting on its jalapeños in 2022. Subway recently announced huge plans to expand across South Asia, signing a deal in late 2021 to open more than 2,000 stores in the region. The company is working with private investment firm Everstone Group to open in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka over the next decade.

The chain is also opening at least 145 new restaurants in Saudi Arabia in the next six years, nearly doubling the chain’s presence there, and has signed a master franchise agreement in the United Arab Emirates. All new stores will showcase the “Fresh Forward” design with bright colors and a stronger focus on technology, featuring digital menu boards and LED lighting. Existing stores are also expected to be revamped to fit the new branding.

The menu refresh, which the company is marketing as “Eat Fresh Refresh”, is also ongoing. In October 2021, a few branches in the US began testing Hero Bread sandwich rolls, containing just a single gram of net carbohydrates, with a view to introducing them to menus globally. Other new offerings include the Baja Steak & Jack sandwich: shaved steak with pepper jack cheese, green peppers and red onions.

Philippines-based chain Jollibee has quietly been on a quest to take over the world. The world of fried chicken, that is. Founded in 1978, Jollibee launched several UK locations in 2021 and has slowly been increasing its presence in the US too. Known for its Chickenjoy sandwich and Jolly Spaghetti, topped with chopped hot dogs, the company plans to open at least 50 UK stores by 2025, grow its presence elsewhere in Europe, and increase the number of locations in North America from around 60 to 300.

There are currently restaurants in a dozen US states and four Canadian provinces, and the brand’s recent acquisition spree should help further its ambitions. Jollibee’s parent company already operates Burger King and Panda Express stores in the Philippines, purchased The Coffee Bean & Leaf Tea in 2019 and has a majority stake in Smashburger. It also purchased 51% of Milkshop, a Taiwanese bubble tea shop, in November 2021.

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Chipotle unveiled its first “Chipotlanes” in late 2019 and opened its 250th in summer 2021. The model, effectively offering a super-speedy drive-thru for digital orders, has proved hugely successful. Locations with the units typically achieve around 15% higher digital sales. They’re still only found at a fraction of the 2,850-odd Chipotle restaurants in the US, although the Mexican food chain will continue to add them to new and existing locations in the next few years.

As a knock-on benefit, Chipotle hopes that encouraging more and more customers to order ahead will allow the chain to expand its menu as it frees up time for preparation. That could mean more choices among the usual tacos and burritos, as well as digital-only specials like seasonal quesadillas. A few restaurants are already testing the Pollo Asado, Chipotle’s first new chicken-based item since opening in 1993.

The company has also hinted that it could finally enter the breakfast market. In the past it has experimented with breakfast burritos, but has never fully committed to the morning fast-casual market. Late-night opening of Chipotlanes could also be a possibility, while the chain continues to open new locations and experiment with new formats such as a Chipotlane-only model and an all-digital store.

British fans of Wendy’s had to wait more than two decades for the US-founded chain to return to its shores. The burger restaurant opened a location in Reading, Berkshire, England in early 2021, having previously closed its UK outlets in 1999. It obviously went pretty well, as four others followed. Now 2022 looks set to see a huge roll-out, with plans to open 50 new restaurants across the country.

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The pigtailed redhead is due to pop up elsewhere in Europe too, with the chain seeking franchise partnerships in France, Germany and Spain. Meanwhile, on its home continent, Wendy’s has added a few drool-worthy items to its menu, including the Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger, loaded with crisp bacon, bacon jam, crispy onions and ridiculous amounts of cheese, served in a Cheddar bun.

There could also be a new vegetarian option coming to global menus soon. In summer 2021, Wendy’s began trialing its Spicy Black Bean Burger in three test markets in Columbus, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Jacksonville, Florida. While several other big chains are launching burgers with meat substitutes like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, Wendy’s bucks the trend with its own patty made with black beans and layered with chipotle jalapeños and pepper jack cheese.

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KFC had a busy 2021, unveiling what it calls its “best ever” chicken sandwich, revamping its packaging and launching Quick Pick-Up, an ordering app designed to cut waiting times. The latter is currently available at participating restaurants in the US, but it’s expected to be rolled out to other markets if all goes well. Customers can place an order online or via the KFC app, select their chosen restaurant, park in a dedicated spot and grab their order from a Quick Pick-Up Shelf.

The finger lickin’ chicken chain is also working on its vegan choices. Its Quorn-based chicken burger has been around since 2019 and a few southern California branches trialed a new offering, made in partnership with Beyond Meat, in summer 2020. A plant-based sandwich made by Lightlife is now a permanent menu fixture in Canada too. And, from Monday 10 January, the brand will be rolling out plant-based nuggets for a limited time at stores across the USA. Prices start at $6.99 for six nuggets.

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