Consumer Trends: Page 2


  • A restaurant worker serving someone at the counter on a Square mobile payment platform.
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    Permission granted by Square
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    Sponsored by Square

    Robots in restaurants? What restaurateurs need to know about this growing trend

    What will it look like for restaurant owners to collaborate with robots?

    By Samantha Stone • Feb. 27, 2023
  • The image shows a row of drinks, including coffee and soda, available through Panera's Unlimited Sip Club
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    Courtesy of Panera
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    Panera adds annual membership, $0 delivery to drinks subscription

    The plan offers customers a roughly 17% discount on the Unlimited Sip Club, whose members account for about 25% of the chain’s traffic. 

    By Feb. 23, 2023
  • A photograph of chefs in a kitchen. Explore the Trendline
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    sam edwards via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Restaurant Dive Outlook for 2023

    Restaurants across categories are hungry for growth this year, with many embracing franchising. However, confidence in the ghost kitchen model is waning.

    By Restaurant Dive staff
  • A restaurant worker serving someone at the counter on a Square mobile payment platform.
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    Permission granted by Square
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    Sponsored by Square

    Robots in restaurants? What restaurateurs need to know about this growing trend

    What will it look like for restaurant owners to collaborate with robots?

    By Samantha Stone • Feb. 21, 2023
  • A shopper examines a package in a supermarket.
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    vgajic via Getty Images
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    Grocery inflation continues to decline in January, but still outpaces menu prices

    Food-at-home prices rose in January at an 11.3% annual rate, the lowest rate increase since April 2022, while menu prices increased 8.2%, the third consecutive month of deceleration. 

    By Sam Silverstein , Feb. 15, 2023
  • An image of two people with wine and a bouquet of roses in the foreground.
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    Prostock-Studio via Getty Images
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    63% of consumers plan to order from a restaurant on Valentine’s Day

    Forty-nine percent of consumers celebrating the holiday said they will dine out, while 25% plan to order takeout or delivery, according to a Popmenu study. 

    By Feb. 13, 2023
  • An image of Chick-fil-A's cauliflower sandwich
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    Permission granted by Chick-fil-A
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    Chick-fil-A pilots first chicken-free sandwich

    The cauliflower sandwich, which is marinated, breaded and pressure cooked simiarly to its chicken sandwich, will be available in Denver; Charleston, South Carolina; and in the Greensboro-Triad region in North Carolina.

    By Feb. 9, 2023
  • An Uber Eats order is handed to an end customer.
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    Courtesy of Uber
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    Uber One subscription is boosting delivery spend, frequency and user loyalty for Uber Eats

    Delivery made up 34% of Uber’s revenue, and ongoing investment in non-restaurant categories, like grocery, c-store and alcohol, may help growth.

    By Feb. 9, 2023
  • Eggs on shelves at a grocery store.
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    Catherine Douglas Moran/Restaurant Dive
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    Egg prices to remain high for as long as bird flu continues, experts say

    After prices more than doubled over the past year, producers are grappling with the impact of the virus while politicians and activists call for investigations into potential price gouging.

    By Chris Casey • Feb. 2, 2023
  • Wendy's ghost kitchen
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    Permission granted by Wendy's
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    Deep Dive

    Ghost kitchens need to go omnichannel if they want to survive, experts say

    After a year of dashed expansion plans, closures and high-profile regulatory infractions, segment players may need brand awareness and expanded access points to thrive.

    By Jan. 31, 2023
  • An image of a waitress serving three people at a table.
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    Hispanolistic via Getty Images
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    Study: 55% of diners aren’t restaurant loyalty members

    Over one-third of customers have cut spending on restaurants year-to-year, a William Blair survey finds, forcing operators to look for ways to retain diners.

    By Jan. 24, 2023
  • A Taco Bell employee wearing a mask hands a drive-thru customer their order.
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    Permission granted by Taco Bell
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    Report: QSR traffic down 4.2% in Q4

    Net sales were up 6.1% during the quarter due to an uptick in average check, according to a report from Revenue Management Solutions.

    By Jan. 23, 2023
  • A phone screen displays a window for downloading TikTok.
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    Survey: 10% of small businesses that use TikTok go viral

    TikTok may help small and mid-sized brands compete with major companies on the strength of authentic brand engagement, a Capterra survey shows.

    By Jan. 9, 2023
  • A person carrying three plates of food on their arms and hands while they have a square device wrapped around their waist.
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    Permission granted by Square
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    Sponsored by Square

    6 ways restaurateurs can fight “Lunchflation” as costs rise

    With consumers changing their spending habits, what are some ways restaurateurs can fight inflation?

    By Deborah Findling and Kaitlin Keefer • Jan. 9, 2023
  • A man and woman looking at receipts inside a cafe
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    Ridofranz via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    5 trends that will shape the restaurant industry in 2023

    Restaurants will experiment with dynamic menu pricing, cater to diners who are trading down and move away from ghost kitchens as inflation pressures the bottom line, experts predict.

    By , , Jan. 5, 2023
  • Papa John's Papadia sandwich
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    Retrieved from Papa John's/Business Wire on February 26, 2021
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    BTIG: Papa Johns’ value menu attracting new base of customers

    The Papa Pairings platform, which offers guests $6.99 menu items, is attracting customers earning $60,000 or less annually, according to a BTIG report.

    By Dec. 22, 2022
  • wawa
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    Retrieved from Wawa website.
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    Consumers are spending more on c-store foodservice as 2022 comes to a close

    In the three months ending in November, foodservice sales rose 8% and the number of trips where customers bought food and drinks rose 2%, according to The NPD Group.

    By Jessica Loder • Dec. 22, 2022
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    Nadia Bormotova via Getty Images
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    How can c-stores challenge fast food restaurants in 2023?

    Offering more discounts on meals and creating a relaxing in-store environment can go a long way, one expert says.

    By Brett Dworski • Dec. 15, 2022
  • Old Spice's deepfake ad starring Dolph Lundgren
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    Retrieved from Old Spice on February 24, 2022
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    Deep Dive

    9 campaigns that boosted the mood in 2022

    Amid economic woes, an ongoing war and a series of controversies, efforts by McDonald’s, Domino’s and Chipotle found a way to cut through the noise. 

    By Peter Adams , Jessica Deyo , Sara Karlovitch • Dec. 14, 2022
  • Uber Eats online ordering feature that launched July 2020
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    Permission granted by Uber Eats
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    Survey: 79% of diners expect option to use technology to order from casual restaurants

    Online ordering is used most frequently by consumers under 30, followed by phone and the restaurant's app, according to a HungerRush report.

    By Dec. 13, 2022
  • An image of six people at a table in a restaurant wearing Santa hats
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    SolStock via Getty Images
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    NRA: 77% of consumers plan to order from restaurants during the holidays

    A National Restaurant Association survey found strong consumer sentiment for dining out, but data from OpenTable suggests visits still lag behind 2019 levels.

    By Dec. 8, 2022
  • An image of a waitress serving three people at a table.
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    Hispanolistic via Getty Images
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    The biggest factors shaping the restaurant industry in 2022

    Restaurant Dive has rounded up key articles that reflect a year marked by financial struggle, union momentum, continued off-premise development and transitions of power for the segment.

    By Dec. 5, 2022
  • An image of a Taco Bell store.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Taco Bell embraces soccer, Latin culture in new ad

    The chain looks to capitalize on the World Cup in a new soccer-themed campaign featuring a diverse array of talent.

    By Sara Karlovitch • Dec. 1, 2022
  • An aerial image of an A&W double drive-thru restaurant
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    Permission granted by Anthony Walker/A&W
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    How a second drive-thru lane boosted sales for an A&W franchisee

    After investing $80,000 in the drive-thru renovation, franchisee Anthony Walker said drive-thru sales went “through the roof” and total roughly 65% of sales.

    By Nov. 23, 2022
  • An image of a happy hour sign at a restaurant.
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    claudio.arnese via Getty Images
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    Report: Deals, promotions aren’t driving QSR traffic

    Foodservice deal occasions were down 1% and non-deal traffic was down 2% in the quarter ending September, The NPD Group found in its latest data. 

    By Nov. 11, 2022
  • A picture of a brown crispy rice treat from Sweetgreen.
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen enters dessert category

    The salad chain’s Crispy Rice Treat, which costs $2.95, is part of a push to broaden its menu to reach more customers and dayparts.

    By Nov. 7, 2022