Knowledge is power, isn’t it? Whether you’re in the restaurant industry or not, it’s best to be prepared.
Read ahead for a comprehensive list of essential stats every restaurant owner should know.
Social Media
1 Word-of-mouth is quite effective on Facebook. 72% of customers look to Facebook comments and images shared when making restaurant/retail purchasing decisions. (Empathica)
2. 49% of people use Facebook when searching for restaurants. (M Booth and Beyond)
3. Want people to like your page? Incentivize them. 79% of people will follow your page on Facebook seeking discounts and other incentives. (Market Force)
4. 56% of restaurant franchise operators consider social media comments to have a larger influence on store traffic than traditional advertising and promotions. (Business Wire)
5. 89% of US restaurant customers have a social media account, while 62% login to their various social media networks several times a day. (MGH)
6. 57% of every million restaurant mentions on Twitter are about quick service restaurants. (Statista)
7. 82% of US restaurateurs are investing the majority of their marketing budget into social media. (TripAdvisor)
8. Gen Z is 59% more likely than all other generations combined to connect with brands on social media. (Nielsen)
9. 90% of Baby Boomers prefer Facebook to Instagram. (Olapic)
10. The optimal time for an Instagram post is while your followers are eating and looking at their phones. Think around breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Napoleon Cat)
Reviews
11. Reviews are a big deal. 61% of consumers read restaurant reviews online. (Website Builder)
12. 26% will avoid your brand because of a negative review they’ve read online. (Empathica)
13. It gets even worse if the reviews start talking about your restaurant’s cleanliness. 75% won’t go to your restaurant if they read a negative review concerning its cleanliness. (Business Wire)
14. 45% of restaurant franchise operators believe online consumer reviews (on sites such as Yelp!, UrbanSpoon, etc.) and search engine rankings are more important than traditional advertising and promotions. (Business Wire)
Loyalty
15. Loyalty programs are a big deal. Half of consumers will choose one restaurant over another based on the availability of a loyalty program. (National Restaurant Association)
16. More than 70% of Americans go out to eat for their birthdays. (National Restaurant Association)
17. 82% of millennials are interested in redeeming accumulated loyalty points for a gift card. (Hawk Incentives)
18. More than half of millennials (52%) are interested in engaging with restaurant loyalty programs via their mobile devices. (Oracle)
19. Repeat customers spend 67% more than new customers. (Bain & Company)
20. Furthermore, loyalty program members wind up spending 37% more than your average customer. (Bond)
21. Want a customer to join your loyalty program? Give them an immediate hook. 76% of restaurant guests find instant benefits more appealing than building up points for rewards in the long haul. (Oracle)
22. 37% of consumers prefer to access rewards program info through a text message link. For this specific survey, this option ranked highest, compared to using a mobile app (28%) or from a website (19%). (CodeBroker)
23. 84% of consumers rank word-of-mouth recommendations as the most trustworthy source. (Nielsen)
24. 90% of email newsletter recipients not only read them, but find them to be useful at some point in time. (Modern Restaurant Management)
Trends
25. Nearly 77% of chefs ranked cannabis/CBD-infused drinks as the top trend in 2019. (National Restaurant Association)
26. A survey of about 650 professional chefs listed the following as hot beverages to watch in 2019: Craft house, roasted coffee; onsite barrel aged drinks; locally produced spirits, wine and beer; culinary cocktails; Rosè cider. (National Restaurant Association)
27. Delivery keeps growing. Delivery sales could end up rising an annual average greater than 20%. By 2030, sales could grow from $35 billion to an estimated $365 billion worldwide. (UBS)
28. 44% of total restaurant sales stem from off-premise dining. (Modern Restaurant Management and ezCater)
29. 61% are eating healthier choices at restaurants than they were two years ago. (National Restaurant Association)
30. The availability of healthy menu choices had an impact on 70% of consumers when deciding where to eat. (National Restaurant Association)
31. Within the next two years, 23% are expecting to consume more vegetarian foods, while a close 21% are expecting to consume more vegan choices. (Technomic)
32. As younger, more environmentally-conscious generations age up, sustainable trends are only becoming more prevalent. Zero-waste cooking ranks third on the National Restaurant Association’s list of overall trends this year. (National Restaurant Association)
33. 66% say their favorite restaurants serve flavors that are difficult to recreate at home. (National Restaurant Association)
34. 72% of customers expect restaurants to allow them to customize their meals. (Technomic)
35. 56% of diners are more likely to visit restaurants offering discounts at off-peak hours. (National Restaurant Association)
Succeed With CoGoBuzz
Now that you’re up to speed, it’s time to start marketing your restaurant like a pro. And we’ve got the solution for you.
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Have any restaurant marketing facts to share? Let us know in the comments!