New American Diner Study: Flexing Their Muscles
R&I's 2009 New American Diner Study reveals consumers' changing dining habits.
The Editors -- Restaurants & Institutions, January 1, 2009
| R&I’s 2009 New American Diner Study |
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Changing Priorities Decision Makers A Total Experience Habit-Forming |
As concerns about the country’s economic outlook were realized in 2008, consumers made good on their vows to curtail their dining-out spending. Nearly six in 10 respondents (58.7%) to R&I’s 2009 New American Diner Study report that the economy had some effect on their dining-away-from-home behaviors in the last year.
But even as they are forced to make hard, cash-driven decisions, their reliance on—and affection for—foodservice-supplied meals continues to shape their dining behaviors. Even if they adjust their ordering habits, more than half of diners (56.9%) expect to dine out in 2009 at least as often as they did in 2008.
Americans still depend on restaurants as both a time-saving problem solver and a welcome respite, however brief, from the day’s pressures. So they’re improvising, breaking routines, identifying ways to save a few bucks here and there while still being able to take advantage of the convenience and, yes, fun of a dining-out experience. Operators that adapt as diners adapt—offering more small plates and shareables, giving guests options in portion sizes, making an extra effort to be more family-friendly and testing other creative ways to boost perceptions of value—are best poised to ride out the storm along with consumers.
And although diners may have fewer discretionary dollars to spend on grabbing a bite or a beverage away from home, they remain an eager and appreciative audience—one that is enthusiastic about interacting with operators in new ways. Overall, 29.1% of diners say they subscribe to restaurant e-newsletters; 21.5% join online loyalty programs; and 11.8% visit restaurants’ profile pages on social-networking sites.
What follows in this report of the 2009 New American Diner Study is a window into consumers’ mindset and dining behaviors in the past year. The lesson to take is that opportunities abound: With consumers re-evaluating their dining-out habits and loyalties, it’s a better time than ever for creative operators to prove what distinguishes them from the competition.
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