PPB January 2021

Weary Customers Most restaurant patrons remain cautious about dining indoors. Through promotional campaigns, restaurants can educate them about their safety protocols and highlight other ways to enjoy their foods, from order-ahead services to pick-up shelves. When it comes to restaurants, customers feel comfortable: Getting food from a drive-thru .................................. 78% Getting curbside pickup ........................................ 72% Getting restaurant food delivered.............................. 68% Going inside a restaurant to get a takeout order ........ 65% Dining in a restaurant’s outdoor seating area ........... 50% Getting drinks in a bar’s outdoor seating area ........... 45% Dining inside sit-down restaurants............................ 38% Dining inside fast-food restaurants ........................... 36% Getting drinks inside at bars .................................... 35% Source: QSR Magazine Promo Opportunities: Serving What Customers Want Here’s some insight into the opportunities that restaurants can tap into now: 76% say they are more likely to visit a restaurant with locally sourced food 63% of consumers say they would rather spend money on an experience such as a restaurant meal over purchasing an item from a store 61% of employed adults say they are more likely to pick up takeout food on the way home from work than they were in 2018 58% are more likely to incorporate restaurant-prepared items, such as a main dish, side, or dessert, into their meal than they were in 2018 58% say they are more likely to have restaurant food delivered than they were in 2018 56% of those age 21 and older say they would likely order alcoholic beverages if they were offered as part of a restaurant’s food delivery 52% say purchasing takeout or delivery food is essential to how they live 48% say discounts for dining on less-busy days would make them choose one restaurant over another 49% say they are likely to choose a restaurant based on how much it supports charitable activities and the local community Source: Restaurant.org Res t aur an t s Dragon Images / Shutterstock.com. Lipskiy / Shutterstock.com. 40 | JANUARY 2021 | GROW