Consumer Trends

Greater selection, higher sales

Today's restaurant diners are an experimentation-heavy group, and they're contributing to the relentless growth of craft beer in the US, with 350 new breweries having opened since June 2011. According to a recent Consumer Edge Insight study, Alcoholic Beverage DemandTracker, providing more craft beer options to your diners makes them more likely to order beer, and more of it. Especially if they are already a regular craft beer drinker.

  • 33% of alcohol drinkers who visit restaurants regularly report that they are more likely to order beer when offered a large selection
  • 26% of them are likely to order more servings of beer than they would have otherwise
  • 36% of consumers say they are more likely to choose a brand they haven’t tried before
  • 19% say they are more likely to order a brand they have not drunk in a long time
  • 44% of craft drinkers say that a large selection of brands makes them more likely to order beer, and 34% of them are more likely to order more servings of beer
  • Only 28% of alcohol drinkers say that a larger beer selection has no effect on their beer consumption or brand selection

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

In Red Lobster, a symbol of the challenges with casual dining

The Bottom Line: Consumers have shifted dining toward convenience or occasions, and that has created havoc for full-service restaurant chains. How can these companies get customers back?

Financing

Crumbl may be the next frozen yogurt, or the next Krispy Kreme

The Bottom Line: With word that the chain’s unit volumes took a nosedive last year, its future, and that of its operators, depends on what the brand does next.

Technology

4 things we learned in a wild week for restaurant tech

Tech Check: If you blinked, you may have missed three funding rounds, two acquisitions, a “never-before-seen” new product and a bold executive poaching. Let’s get caught up.

Trending

More from our partners