Research Shows Consumers Respond to Restaurant Deals
By FE&S Staff -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 10/29/2008 6:41:00 PM
Discounted price, dollar menus and other promotions are driving customer traffic and keeping the restaurant industry afloat during wayward times, according to research by The NPD Group, a market research company based in Port Washington, N.Y. Total restaurant industry traffic increased 1 percent for the quarter ending in August, and the gain, albeit modest, was due primarily to these deals, the research found.
Twenty-three percent of consumers responding to the NPD study said they were prompted to dine out by perceived deals, which represented an increase of 9 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago, the firm said. Non-deal restaurant traffic decreased by 1 percent.
The quick-service segment accounts for 78 percent of all restaurant visits, and traffic at those restaurants increased by 10 percent, according to the NPD study. Thirty percent of all visits to these outlets were driven by deals, an increase of 20 percent since last year, which shows that the quick-serve segment is a leader in this deal forefront. The NPD study further showed that consumers took advantage of these deals more at lunch than breakfast and dinner — 38 percent to be exact.
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