Restaurant Subscribers Want Convenience and Value

Consumers choose the restaurants they patronize not only because of the taste of the food, but also because of their familiarity with the restaurant’s name and the restaurant’s location.

Those are the three qualities ranked highest by customers of both table-service restaurants and quick-service restaurants (QSRs), according to Digital Divide: Restaurant Subscribers And Loyalty Programs, a PYMNTS and Paytronix collaboration based on a survey of 2,054 U.S. adults who regularly purchase food from restaurants.

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About one-fifth of consumers say the availability of multiple ordering options is important. Eighteen percent of table-service customers and 21% of QSR customers say that’s a key factor in choosing a restaurant.

Digital features drive the restaurant choice of less than one-fifth of consumers, with 13% of table-service customers and 18% of QSR customers saying an easy-to-navigate app or website encourages them to patronize a specific restaurant.

Price is a factor ranked in the top five by both groups of restaurant customers, with 36% of table-service customers and 39% of QSR customers citing everyday prices as something influencing their choice of a specific restaurant.

Delivery service quality affects the choice of more than one in 10 consumers, with 15% of table-service customers and 13% of QSR customers saying that is a key factor of restaurant choice.

Figure 1

There are several differences between how the average restaurant goer decides where to eat compared to a consumer who has a restaurant subscription service.

Restaurant subscribers are more likely to consider convenience and value-focused customer experience elements. More often than other restaurant goers, subscribers say the availability of a loyalty program, healthy food, an easy-to-navigate website and the ability to use a preferred payment method are key factors when choosing a specific restaurant.

Figure 2