How today's diners define value

“Value” can be a hard concept to pin down, but one thing remains clear: It’s key for consumers. Nearly three-fourths say it is a very important factor in their dining decisions, according to Technomic. The problem is, consumers’ definition of value is always changing. Here’s what diners say value means to them now, and what operators can do to meet those evolving demands

Thirty-one percent of consumers ages 18-34 said so.

“Before, I was just looking at price. Now, I look at the quality of food and service,” said one survey respondent.

Source: Technomic Value & Pricing Consumer Trend Report

That's down from 57% in 2017. 

“Entree price increases at these segments have not outpaced the FSR average, suggesting dissatisfaction more likely lies on the food or service side of the value equation,” Technomic said.

Source: Technomic Value & Pricing Consumer Trend Report

That’s about a 5 percentage-point decrease from what the average consumer would normally tip.

“For operators who may be implementing service fees to offset base wage increases, they will need to ensure that wage increases will offset the tip losses that are likely to result,” Technomic said.

Source: Technomic Value & Pricing Consumer Trend Report

That said, close to 40% of consumers said they’d be highly unlikely to purchase such a subscription.

Source: Technomic Value & Pricing Consumer Trend Report

Thirty-five percent cite a specific pickup area in the restaurant for online orders as a value creator.

Source: Technomic Value & Pricing Consumer Trend Report