Food quality and flavor are obviously crucial factors to consumers across the board, and most diners are looking for order accuracy and cleanliness along with a varied menu. But different attributes vary in importance depending on the market.
How do visits compare to national averages?
When it comes to how often consumers visit restaurants, a couple times a week is the most prevalent response. Dallas and Columbus overindex on the multiple-visit-per-week consumer—the national average is 42%. The percentage of consumers in Jacksonville and Seattle who say they frequent restaurants two to three times per month is greater than the national average of 19%. And the percentage for weekly visits is fairly consistent with the national average of 22%, though diners in Minneapolis and Philadelphia skew slightly above that.
Convenience counts
Nationally, 86% of consumers say a convenient location is important. Consumers in areas that rely on driving—especially those with longer distances between restaurants—are likely to care more about convenience, says Robert Byrne, senior manager of consumer insights for Technomic.
Off-premise is key
With the growth of off-premise, takeout is increasingly a consideration for operators and consumers alike. Overall takeout quality is important to more than half of consumers in all 10 markets, and 67% of consumers nationwide say it’s important in deciding where they visit.
Menu innovation
While consumers might not always order the healthy items on the menu, 66% nationally say it’s important that those options are available. Almost nearly as important (62% nationally and varying from 55% to 70% in various DMAs) is the introduction of new and exciting products.
Does tech matter?
Technology is not a priority for the majority of diners. Consumers in Dallas and Charleston rate the use of tech as a deciding factor for visiting restaurants just slightly higher than the national average—39%—with diners in Columbus, Jacksonville and Nashville all skewing lower.
Source: Technomic Ignite consumer data