Orlando named best market for fast food

The city that UCF calls home has been ranked as the top growth market for quick-service restaurant growth.

QSR magazine recently named Orlando as the top market for those restaurants that include everything from traditional fast-food eateries to places where diners order at the counter and are not expected to leave a tip.

This ranking is largely in part to do with the student population of UCF, the second-largest university in the country with more than 58,000 students enrolled.

College students typically dine at quick-service eateries because of the convenience and the relatively low bill.

For some students, it is easier to purchase a meal than cook it themselves after leaving home.

"They don't know how to cook or don't want to cook at home," said David Michael, a graduate student earning his master's in business. "Some dorms don't even have kitchens."

Brett Penta, also a graduate student earning his master's in business, points to the variety of quick-serve options already in the UCF area.

"[It's] convenient," Penta said. "And there are not many mom-and-pop places to choose from that are cheap."

UCF is projected to enroll more than 60,000 students by fall 2012 and add more than 10,000 more students in 10 years.

Orlando's metropolitan area now has more than 2 million residents and is estimated to grow by another 10 percent within the next five years, according to the QSR report.

According to a report from the Daily Beast last year, Orlando also has the highest number of fast-food restaurants per 100,000 people. And many are expanding, such as Panera Bread, Five Guys and Bojangles.

Panera Bread is expected to open at least 20 more stores in the next three years and incorporate drive-thru windows.

Many quick-serve restaurants call Orlando home and have ties to the community, such as Tijuana Flats. Each has expanded beyond the Central Florida area.

The combination of the UCF student population and Orlando's tourism attractions certainly makes the area a hotbed for quick-serve restaurants.

With Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World, Orlando attracts more than 50 million visitors each year.

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said at a press conference last May that Orlando had recently been ranked the No. 1 tourist spot in the country.

These attractions are why Burger 21, managed by Front Burner Brands and founded by the owners of The Melting Pot, will make Orlando its top priority in terms of expansion.

Founded in Tampa, Burger 21 is a quick-serve burger restaurant, a concept becoming increasingly popular.

"Orlando's tourist attractions draw a large number of families who are ideal customers for Burger 21," said Alisha dos Santos, communications manager for Front Burner Brands.

Between the steady increase of the UCF student population and the planned expansions of theme parks such as Disney's Fantasyland and Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Orlando can expect to be a top market for quick-serve restaurants for a while.