- Customers spent extra on eating places than new garments, journey companies, and journey in 2023, and anticipate to dine out much more within the new 12 months
- Customers will encounter extra automation in eating places this 12 months as labor gaps proceed
- Restaurant operators really feel meals prices are extra beneath management, anticipating to steadiness menu worth will increase with budget-friendly presents
Sturdy demand for eating places will proceed in 2024, however eating experiences could look a little bit totally different as operators energy via an ongoing staffing scarcity and sharpen concentrate on profitability. Whether or not eating in particular person, ordering on-line or calling to make a reservation, shoppers can anticipate to work together with good applied sciences at extra eating places this 12 months. They’ll additionally anticipate to see extra particular presents and reductions and menu choices which might be simpler on the pockets. That is in keeping with latest research of 1,000 shoppers and 461 restaurant operators throughout the U.S. by Popmenu, a tech chief serving greater than 10,000 eating places.
“Restaurant operators are coming into 2024 with a optimistic, but watchful, outlook as inflationary stress considerably subsides and shoppers’ urge for food for eating out stays sturdy and regular,” mentioned Brendan Sweeney, CEO and Co-founder of Popmenu. “Most really feel optimistic about enterprise prospects and greater than a 3rd plan to open a brand new location or develop an current one within the subsequent 12 months. Nevertheless, intense competitors for labor and friends persists, prompting eating places to rethink advertising and marketing and operational methods. Getting again to fundamental greatest practices to handle and develop their enterprise—with a higher reliance on new and established applied sciences for execution—is a key theme that emerged on this 12 months’s research.”
Shopper Eating Developments
Restaurant gross sales rose steadily in 2023 with shoppers prioritizing eating experiences over different finances objects. In 2023, shoppers spent extra on eating places than the next:
- Streaming companies (Hulu, Netflix, Prime, and so on.) – 36% of shoppers
- Trip companies (Uber, Lyft, and so on.) – 33%
- New garments – 32%
- Gymnasium membership – 27%
- Sports activities occasions – 25%
- Journey – 24%
- Leisure (concert events, films, and so on.) – 22%
- Private grooming – 21%
- House furnishings – 21%
- Cell gadgets – 19%
Three in 4 shoppers (75%) dine out not less than as soon as every week; 26% plan to extend their restaurant spending this 12 months whereas 61% anticipate to keep up their present spend.
Restaurant Outlook
Tech adoption tendencies
Though practically half of restaurant operators say they’ve jobs they can not fill, 33% nonetheless really feel very optimistic about their enterprise prospects in 2024 whereas 56% really feel cautiously optimistic.
To bridge labor gaps and enhance monetary outcomes, 56% plan to automate extra on-line features this 12 months whereas 48% plan to automate extra on-premise features. Among the many applied sciences being applied are functions of synthetic intelligence to reply telephones with customized responses and to create brand-specific advertising and marketing content material and calendars. A rising variety of operators (38%) are additionally turning to social influencers to assist promote their eating places.
Along with adopting new tech, operators are returning to tried-and-true greatest practices akin to constantly reaching out to friends by way of e-mail, textual content, and social (55%), guaranteeing their web site is optimized for Google (48%), and maintaining on-line ordering on their web site (41%).
Menu tendencies
In relation to menu costs, 31% of operators really feel meals prices are extra beneath management in comparison with a 12 months in the past. Though 71% of operators say they’ll increase menu costs in 2024, 47% plan to offer extra particular presents and reductions to friends, and 20% are including cheaper menu choices. Customers may also anticipate extra rotating menus, extra beverage choices, and extra refined children meals.
Operators additionally plan to extend income with specialised menus: 44% anticipate to host on-line ordering occasions with limited-time menus to drive fast spikes in gross sales whereas 85% plan to extend their catering enterprise.
Learn the total report here.
Survey Methodology
Popmenu carried out an nameless, nationwide research of 461 U.S. restaurant homeowners and operators from November 21 to December 10, 2023. The research included single-location and multi-location eating places of every type throughout areas. As well as, Popmenu carried out an nameless, nationwide research of 1,000 U.S. shoppers, ages 18 and older, from November 6 to November 7, 2023.
