Undertaken by insight agency KAM Media in association with Think Hospitality and Restaurant Marketer & Innovator, the ‘From Plan to Plate’ paper includes insight from 1,000 UK consumers who dined out for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner between 1-15 January.
From this, over half of consumers revealed that they had eaten out at a particular place because they wanted to experience the venue itself. KAM said this shows the “power” of offering an exceptional or unique experience. What’s more, 1 in 3 said they’d ‘make up’ an event as an excuse just to go.
Proving the upward trend of social media and its influence on customers’ eating out decisions, 1 in 3 said they choose particular venues by how ‘photogenic’ its dishes are.
A further 1 in 3 said they have taken photos of their food, and 50% of 18-34 year-olds have posted a photo of their dish on social media.
Strategy and insight director at KAM Media, Blake Gladman, commented: “We decided to launch this report off the back of many conversations (KAM) has had with on-trade and foodservice colleagues.
“It was often put to us that there is a lot of market data available (showing where people go and what they spend their money on), but very little in terms of why they make the decisions they do and how we can better influence them to make the decisions we want them to.
“This is where this report comes in.”
Managing director Katy Moses, added: “This report plugs one of the main knowledge gaps that we still have in the hospitality industry; why and how customers make the decisions they do at all of the touch points along the eating out of home journey.
“It’s a detailed look into the mind of the customer and will help our clients - both operators and suppliers - to better understand how to market to them and how to affect them at each of those touch points.”