NEW DATA: From Outdoor Seating to Touchless Payments, Dining Habits Are Changing

When American consumers select a restaurant to order from or visit, they are spoiled for choice. Consumers have long prioritized food quality, convenience and price, but recently they have sought a new kind of experience. The most cutting-edge restaurants can streamline the eating experience using technology that ensures consumers’ favorite meal will be waiting for them error-free when they arrive.

Digital Divide: The Key Factors That Drive Restaurant Choice, a PYMNTS and Paytronix collaboration, surveyed 2,664 consumers in the United States to learn more about how they make the decisions that govern which restaurant to order from or visit. Whether inspired by a discount, the assurance their order will be ready and waiting for them when they get there or COVID-safety protocols, restaurant-goers can identify key reasons for their restaurant decisions.

Key findings from the report include:

• Although consumers’ priorities shift somewhat depending on whether they seek a table-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant (QSR) experience, considerations remain more similar than some might expect. The most important factors for all consumers are the taste of the food they plan to consume, cited as a significant factor by 38% of table-service restaurant customers and 33% of QSR customers, and general convenience, cited by 14% of table-service restaurant customers and 26% of QSR customers.

• Technology drives the modern restaurant, attracting consumers that increasingly prefer seamless ordering experiences. Of those surveyed, 23% said they were more likely to choose a restaurant if they could order food for pickup and the meal would be waiting for them upon their arrival. Twenty-one percent of respondents cited ordering features as the most important motivator.

• COVID-19 still looms large for some consumers, with 34% saying they dine in restaurants less than before the pandemic. The pandemic has severely impacted consumers’ decision-making across the pillars of daily living, and this is true regarding how consumers dine. Many consumers who frequently went out for a bite to eat pre-pandemic would now rather order in, while others have made adjustments such as requesting outdoor seating.

To learn more about how restaurant-goers now make decisions about the eateries they visit and order from, download the report.