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New Dining Out Habits Mean Increased Demand for Value

2010-05-13

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Restaurant News Resource In April 2010, the Harris Poll® reported that more than two in five (43%) U.S. adults said they feel less secure about their personal financial situation when compared to a year ago. One of the outcomes of this sense of financial insecurity is that many consumers have changed their dining out habits.

Economic Pessimism Changes Habits

“Now considering the menu item(s) that you ordered at that fast food restaurant for yourself, how influential were thefollowing when you made your order(s)?”

In fact, both casual dining restaurants and fast food, or quick service, restaurants have experienced the same slow down in the past six months, with 34% and 31% of adults respectively saying they have visited these types of restaurants with less frequency than a year ago. Almost half of Americans (45% and 47%) have respectively visited casual and quick service restaurants at the same level as a year ago. On a more positive note, 13% and 14% say they visited these types of restaurants with more frequency than in the past year.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,755 adults surveyed between April 12 and 19, 2010 by Harris Interactive.

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Perceived Value Dictates Restaurant Choice

Among those who have eaten at a quick service restaurant in the past month, half (50%) said an extremely or very important reason in choosing a particular restaurant was that the prices were in the range they were willing to spend. This attitude is consistent among those who ate a casual dining restaurant with almost half (48%) saying price was an extremely or very important reason for selecting the restaurant.

This attitude is still paramount even among those who have increased their dining out habits. Six in ten diners who increased their visits to quick service (62%) or casual dining restaurants (57%) said prices were an extremely or very important factor when choosing a restaurant. Those who have decreased their dining out habits also hold the same attitude about price - 58% said price was an extremely or very important reason when selecting a quick service restaurant and 57% said price was an extremely or very important reason when selecting a casual dining restaurant.

Price Dictates Menu Items Ordered

Consumer’s sensitivity towards price also dictates the selection of a menu item. More than four in ten (44%) quick service and casual restaurant patrons said that the “price fitting into their budget” was an extremely or very influential factor when ordering from the menu in the past month. Price sensitivity is even more influential among those who have increased their quick service restaurant visitations in the past year with almost six in ten (56%) saying price was an extremely or very influential factor during the ordering process. On the other hand, price is less influential among casual restaurant patrons who have increased their visits (42%), as compared to those who have decreased their visits (56%) in the past year.

So What?

“While there are some indications that the economy is improving, we still see one third of respondents dining out less than a year ago, and there is a much smaller lift in respondents dining out more often,” says Mary Bouchard, Vice President of Research for the Restaurant Industry. “Regardless of how often they eat out, consumers are now expecting value throughout the dining out experience. Although consumers have shown a tendency over the past few years to move their dining out dollars to lower price, quick service restaurants, any restaurant brand that promotes good value as a reason to dine out and then successfully fulfills consumer demand with price-conscious menu items are more likely to draw a greater share of today’s smaller wallet.”


TABLE 1
DINING HABITS COMPARED TO LAST YEAR
"Thinking of how often you have eaten at each of those 3 types of restaurant chains in the past 6 months, would you say you have eaten at this type of restaurant…?”
Base: All adults
	More frequently than a year ago	About the same as a year ago	Less frequently than a year ago	I haven’t eaten at this type of restaurant in the past year
	%	%	%	%
Fast Food Restaurant Chain	14	47	31	9
Casual Dining Restaurant Chain	13	45	34	8
Fine Dining Restaurant Chain	6	31	29	34
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 2
FACTORS IN CHOOSING A RESTAURANT – FAST FOOD
"Please think about the most recent visit you had to a fast food restaurant chain and your dining experience there. How important were each of the following when you chose to eat at that fast food restaurant on that occasion?”
Base: Adults who have eaten at a fast food restaurant in the past month
	Extremely/ Very Important (NET)	Extremely Important	Very Important	Important	Not at all/ Somewhat Important (NET)	Somewhat Important	Not at all Important
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
The restaurant’s prices were in the range of what I wanted to spend	50	22	27	33	17	12	5
The restaurant’s location was convenient for me	48	19	29	34	18	14	4
I was in the mood for the type of food (e.g. pasta, salad, sandwiches, burgers or type of cuisine (e.g. American, Chinese, Thai, etc.) offered at the restaurant	41	15	26	37	21	16	6
The restaurant offered a specific menu item that I was hungry for	36	13	23	36	28	17	10
The restaurant menu has a broad variety of menu items to choose from	29	9	20	38	33	22	11
I was interested in the restaurant’s special offer	22	7	15	26	52	27	25
I usually choose this restaurant chain when I go out for a meal	17	4	12	30	53	29	24
They offered healthy menu items that fit my dietary needs	19	7	12	27	54	26	27
The restaurant menu usually has new items to choose from	11	3	8	24	65	30	35
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 3
FACTORS IN CHOOSING A RESTAURANT – CASUAL DINING
"Please think about the most recent visit you had to a casual dining restaurant chain and your dining experience there. How important were each of the following when you chose to eat at that casual dining restaurant on that occasion?”
Base: Adults who have eaten at a casual dining restaurant in the past month
	Extremely/ Very Important (NET)	Extremely Important	Very Important	Important	Not at all/ Somewhat Important (NET)	Somewhat Important	Not at all Important
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
The restaurant’s prices were in the range of what I wanted to spend	48	20	28	36	17	12	5
I was in the mood for the type of food (e.g. pasta, salad, sandwiches, burgers) or type of cuisine (e.g. American, Chinese, Thai, etc.) offered at the restaurant	43	16	28	37	19	15	4
The restaurant menu has a broad variety of menu items to choose from	37	11	26	41	22	16	6
The restaurant’s location was convenient for me	36	12	25	41	22	16	6
The restaurant offered a specific menu item that I was hungry for	33	11	22	37	30	18	11
They offered healthy menu items that fit my dietary needs	23	8	15	32	45	24	21
I was interested in the restaurant’s special offer	21	7	14	30	49	24	25
I usually choose this restaurant chain when I go out for a meal	16	5	11	31	52	28	24
The restaurant menu usually has new items to choose from	15	4	10	29	56	31	25
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 4
FACTORS IN CHOOSING A RESTAURANT – FAST FOOD BY FREQUENCY
"Please think about the most recent visit you had to a fast food restaurant chain and your dining experience there. How important were each of the following when you chose to eat at that fast food restaurant on that occasion?”
Summary of those saying “Extremely Important” or “Very Important”
Base: Adults who have eaten at a fast food restaurant in the past month
	Total	Eats at Fast Food restaurants compared to last year			Eats at Casual Dining restaurants compared to last year
	Total	More Frequently	Same Frequency	Less Frequently	More Frequently	Same Frequency	Less Frequently
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
The restaurant’s prices were in the range of what I wanted to spend	50	62	41	58	60	40	58
The restaurant’s location was convenient for me	48	58	43	52	56	40	56
I was in the mood for the type of food (e.g. pasta, salad, sandwiches, burgers) or type of cuisine (e.g. American, Chinese, Thai, etc.) offered at the restaurant	41	51	37	43	50	36	46
The restaurant offered a specific menu item that I was hungry for	36	43	34	35	46	31	40
The restaurant menu has a broad variety of menu items to choose from	29	38	26	30	36	23	32
I was interested in the restaurant’s special offer	22	31	19	21	27	18	25
They offered healthy menu items that fit my dietary needs	19	28	16	20	26	16	19
I usually choose this restaurant chain when I go out for a meal	17	26	14	15	23	14	17
The restaurant menu usually has new items to choose from	11	21	8	9	17	9	11
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 5
FACTORS IN CHOOSING A RESTAURANT – CASUAL DINING BY FREQUENCY
"Please think about the most recent visit you had to a casual dining restaurant chain and your dining experience there. How important were each of the following when you chose to eat at that casual dining restaurant on that occasion?”
Summary of those saying “Extremely Important” or “Very Important”
Base: Adults who have eaten at a casual dining restaurant in the past month
	Total	Eats at Fast Food restaurants compared to last year			Eats at Casual Dining restaurants compared to last year
	Total	More Frequently	Same Frequency	Less Frequently	More Frequently	Same Frequency	Less Frequently
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
The restaurant’s prices were in the range of what I wanted to spend	48	61	40	54	57	40	57
I was in the mood for the type of food (e.g. pasta, salad, sandwiches, burgers) or type of cuisine (e.g. American, Chinese, Thai, etc.) offered at the restaurant	43	56	37	50	52	39	46
The restaurant menu has a broad variety of menu items to choose from	37	53	30	39	48	31	40
The restaurant’s location was convenient for me	36	45	32	39	46	30	41
The restaurant offered a specific menu item that I was hungry for	33	45	29	34	48	28	34
They offered healthy menu items that fit my dietary needs	23	32	16	27	28	22	22
I was interested in the restaurant’s special offer	21	27	18	21	28	18	21
I usually choose this restaurant chain when I go out for a meal	16	27	13	16	24	14	15
The restaurant menu usually has new items to choose from	15	24	11	15	24	12	14
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 6
FACTORS IN CHOOSING MENU ITEMS AT FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS
"Now considering the menu item(s) that you ordered at that fast food restaurant for yourself, how influential were the following when you made your order(s)?”
Base: Adults who have eaten at a fast food restaurant in the past month
	Extremely/ Very Influential (NET)	Extremely Influential	Very Influential	Influential	Not at all/ Somewhat Influential (NET)	Somewhat Influential	Not at all Influential	Not Applicable
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
The price was within my budget	44	23	21	29	23	10	13	4
It’s what I usually order at the restaurant	39	18	21	30	26	15	11	5
The menu item was prominently featured on the menu with a picture	17	6	12	25	51	18	33	8
The menu item was prominently featured on the menu with a description	17	6	11	23	53	21	31	7
The menu item was discounted for a limited time only	16	7	8	18	51	13	38	16
The menu item was available for a limited time only	10	4	6	13	59	13	46	18
I ordered the item based on a recommendation from a friend or family member	7	3	5	15	59	14	45	19
I ordered the menu item based on a recommendation from the restaurant’s staff (i.e. waiter, server)	5	1	4	9	65	13	52	21
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 6A
FACTORS IN CHOOSING MENU ITEMS AT FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS
"Now considering the menu item(s) that you ordered at that fast food restaurant for yourself, how influential were the following when you made your order(s)?”
Summary of those saying “Extremely Influential” or “Very Influential”
Base: Adults who have eaten at a fast food restaurant in the past month
	Total	Eats at Fast Food restaurants compared to last year
	Total	More Frequently	Same Frequency	Less Frequently
	%	%	%	%
The price was within my budget	44	56	38	46
It’s what I usually order at the restaurant	39	53	36	37
The menu item was prominently featured on the menu with a picture	17	35	13	14
The menu item was prominently featured on the menu with a description	17	29	14	15
The menu item was discounted for a limited time only	16	27	13	13
The menu item was available for a limited time only	10	18	8	8
I ordered the item based on a recommendation from a friend or family member	7	20	4	7
I ordered the menu item based on a recommendation from the restaurant’s staff (i.e. waiter, server)	5	14	3	3
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 7
FACTORS IN CHOOSING MENU ITEMS AT CASUAL DINING RESTAURANTS
"Now considering the menu item(s) that you ordered at that casual dining restaurant for yourself, how influential were the following when you made your order(s)?”
Base: Adults who have eaten at a casual restaurant in the past month
	Extremely/ Very Influential (NET)	Extremely Influential	Very Influential	Influential	Not at all/ Somewhat Influential (NET)	Somewhat Influential	Not at all Influential	Not Applicable
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
The price was within my budget	44	23	22	27	25	14	11	3
It’s what I usually order at the restaurant	26	12	15	32	34	15	19	7
The menu item was prominently featured on the menu with a description	23	9	15	31	40	15	25	6
The menu item was prominently featured on the menu with a picture	17	6	11	28	46	16	31	9
The menu item was discounted for a limited time only	16	6	10	20	50	13	36	14
I ordered the item based on a recommendation from a friend or family member	13	4	10	18	57	17	40	12
The menu item was available for a limited time only	10	3	7	16	59	14	44	15
I ordered the menu item based on a recommendation from the restaurant’s staff (i.e. waiter, server)	7	2	4	17	65	21	44	12
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 7A
FACTORS IN CHOOSING MENU ITEMS AT CASUAL DINING RESTAURANTS
"Now considering the menu item(s) that you ordered at that casual dining restaurant for yourself, how influential were the following when you made your order(s)?”
Summary of those saying “Extremely Influential” or “Very Influential”
Base: Adults who have eaten at a casual restaurant in the past month
	Total	Eats at casual dining restaurants compared to last year
	Total	More Frequently	Same Frequency	Less Frequently
	%	%	%	%
The price was within my budget	44	42	37	56
It’s what I usually order at the restaurant	26	30	24	28
The menu item was prominently featured on the menu with a description	23	32	18	27
The menu item was prominently featured on the menu with a picture	17	24	15	18
The menu item was discounted for a limited time only	16	20	17	14
I ordered the item based on a recommendation from a friend or family member	13	22	12	11
The menu item was available for a limited time only	10	17	10	6
I ordered the menu item based on a recommendation from the restaurant’s staff (i.e. waiter, server)	7	10	8	4
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between April 12 and 19, 2010 among 2,755 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

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Q860, 865, 870, 878, 888

The Harris Poll^®#63, May 13, 2010

By Mary Bouchard, Vice President, and Andrew Compagno, Research Manager, Restaurant Research Group, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.