The biggest changes to the fast food industry in 2017

Recent years haven't been easy in the quick-service restaurant segment, which includes traditional fast-food brands and newer, trendier fast-casual operators. Speaking to the National Restaurant Association in May 2017, restaurant trends analyst Nancy Kruse identified the move to fresher, healthier foods as "the No. 1, single biggest trend of the past decade."

Surprisingly, while that sounds like a solid win for kale and quinoa, fast food is flourishing. The quick-service industry started 2017 at an estimated $234 billion in revenues, accounting for a substantial portion of the $799 billion in overall food service sales for 2017, the National Restaurant Association projects. That's not likely to change soon, with consumers spending more on eating out than at home, so the real question is which restaurant brands can successfully capitalize on the new breed of diners?

Here's a snapshot of some of the biggest changes in the fast food industry over the past year, from mergers and acquisitions to revamped dollar menus.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Biggest Changes to the Fast Food Industry in 2017

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