Top Choices According to an early 2017 Market Force poll of more than 11,000 consumers, In-N-Out Burger was #1 in the burger category by being rated first in all 8 customer- experience categories. Culver’s was second and Five Guys Burgers was third. In the Mexican food category, Chipotle returned to the top position, followed by Moe’s Southwest Grill and El Pollo. Marco’s Pizza was first in the pizza category for the first time, with Papa Murphy’s a close second, and then Pizza Ranch. Chick-fil-A was first in the chicken category for the third consecutive year, followed by Raising Cane’s and Zaxby’s. Firehouse Subs moved from second in the 2016 poll to first, with Jersey Mike’s and Jason’s Deli second and third.

Understanding Influential Diners To provide more insights into restaurant diners, Acosta has defined four types of influential diners. Its latest research found that 40% of all diners are either Explorers or Connectors and spend significantly more on food at restaurants than other diners. For Explorers and Connectors, the primary attraction is the dining experience, as 73% of Explorers and 84% of Connectors love to try new restaurants. Although Connectors are most focused on mealtime as a family activity, 81% of them are male while females are more likely to be Bargain Seekers, 65%, and Habituals, 60%.

Satisfying Millennials’ Taste Buds Harris Poll’s 29th annual EquiTrend Study (May 2017) revealed that Millennials are driving the brand equity of coffee and quick service restaurants brands much greater than Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers were responsible for reducing the brand equity of pizza and fast casual Mexican restaurants, at -8.0 and -7.6 points, respectively, which is likely because older patrons want to eat healthier and don’t have to cater to children’s food choices. Acosta research from early 2017 found that 51% of Millennials look online for restaurant coupons and offers, but larger percentages of Gen X diners and diners with kids want those deals, at 57% each. Baby Boomers were last at 44%.

Let’s Do Lunch! A somewhat surprising result from The Hartman Group research is that people are less likely to eat lunch with their friends than anyone else. Only 16% eat with friends; 19%, couples; 21%, family; and 44% alone. Where Americans purchase lunchtime food and beverages is also different than what might be expected, as just 33% make those purchases at restaurants while 43% make them at grocery stores. In what is a likely reflection of Americans’ focus on healthier eating, 75% said that fresh, less processed lunchtime menu items were their key need, which was tied with quick and easy; followed by flavor distinction, 67%; and moderation, 65%.

A Menu of Customer Challenges Although AlixPartners’ February 2017 survey of more than 1,000 adults revealed that 57% planned to visit restaurants during the next 12 months as many times as they did during the previous 12, high-frequency diners were planning to reduce their visits. Fast-food and fast-casual patrons who eat there at least twice a week said they would be reducing their visits by 8% and 13%, respectively. For example, they planned to eat 4.11 fast-food meals per month instead of the previous 4.37. Another challenge for restaurants is attracting more of the lightest visitors, or those who visit once or less per week. According to research from The NPD Group, one additional visit per year from 50% of the lightest visitors would increase sales $1.1 billion.

Advertising Strategies The Acosta report on Influential Diners seems to indicate that family-style restaurants should target men more than women and offer a return-visit coupon for the following week since 83% of Connectors ate a restaurant meal at least once per week. Since The Hartman Group found that most people eat lunch alone, restaurants may want to offer group, couples and/or family specials to encourage more of these lone patrons to invite others to join them for lunch. Based on The Media Audit data, restaurants that use early-morning local TV programming to attract lunchtime patrons may want to offer a dinnertime coupon/discount for the next day.

New Media Strategies Use a social media poll of patrons to determine who are the lightest visitors (visit once or less per week) and ask them what incentives would compel them to increase their visits. Offer patrons a dessert discount if they complete the restaurant’s customer satisfaction survey online during their meal. Because a larger percentage of Gen X diners with kids look for online restaurant coupons than Millennials, offer coupons to families with older kids, such as Tweeners and teenagers, who are more likely to have Gen X parents.