Food & Beverage
Earning Restaurant Loyalty
Report summary
Consumer cutbacks increase pressure on restaurant loyalty efforts. Consumers are still feeling the impact of higher prices and modifying their behavior accordingly. Brands seeking to retain and grow their share of wallet need to ensure all attributes of customer loyalty are on point.
This analysis focuses on the drivers of loyalty for quick-service and casual restaurants, but any brand can learn from the key insights: you can’t earn loyalty without fundamentally delivering on your brand promise. Rewards programs are also effective but won’t overcome gaps in the customer experience.
To better understand what really matters in driving restaurant customer loyalty we surveyed 4,416 U.S. adults and conducted a drivers analysis to determine what attributes lead consumers to call a brand their first choice and favorite restaurant.
Key Takeaways
- Consistency and taste are the top drivers of restaurant loyalty. Delivering on the fundamentals, like quality products across all restaurant locations, is essential for earning customer loyalty.
- Innovation and great customer service help secure favorite restaurant status. After table stakes attributes are met, restaurants should prioritize menu innovation and exceptional customer service to keep customers coming back.
- Discounts and freebies are the most-loved rewards program incentives. About half (53%) of respondents ranked a free item as a top 3 feature of a restaurant rewards program. The data gleaned from these programs is also immensely valuable for brands.
Data Downloads
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Methodology
Morning Consult data featured in this report draws from two surveys:
- The first was conducted July 5-7, 2024 among a representative sample of 2,202 U.S. adults.
- The second was conducted July 3-7, 2024 among a representative sample of 4,416 U.S. adults.
All survey interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate populations of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age and race by educational attainment. Top-line results from the surveys have a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.
If you’re interested in a detailed methodology for our drivers analysis, reach out to [email protected].
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