Recipe for Success: Why Restaurants Should Cater to Prospective Customers

An estimated 66 million consumers, or 34% of restaurant patrons, tried a new restaurant for the first time in late September and early October. Between 10% and 17% of restaurant purchases come from first-time visitors, underscoring the significance of new customers for restaurants.

Restaurants understand how vital first-time customers are to growth and how their success hinges on these consumers’ preferences. In “The 2022 Restaurant Digital Divide: Turning First-Time Diners Into Loyal Customers,” PYMNTS surveyed 2,256 United States consumers to determine what leads them to try a restaurant for the first time.

Here are a few of the things we learned:

• The average check amount for each new restaurant customer in the 30 days prior to the survey was $37. This is $10 more than the average check of all customers and a clear indication of the tendency of new restaurant patrons to spend more than repeat customers.

• Fifty-one percent of millennials ate at restaurants for the first time during late September and early October, leading all other age groups. Younger consumers are more likely than other age groups to experiment with new places to eat.

• Forty percent of consumers with annual incomes of $100,000 or more tried a new restaurant in the 30 days prior to the survey. PYMNTS’ data finds a greater tendency to try new restaurants as income increases.

As restaurants work their way through this time of rapid change, the eateries that develop the most innovative strategies for appealing to new customers will be in the best position to succeed in the long term.

To learn more about the factors that influence consumers to try a restaurant for the first time, download the report.