Survey: Consumers content with eating out

By: M. Scott Morris
Published: January 17th, 2024

When it comes to going out to eat, most Americans are satisfied with their options. A recent report from Numerator, Stomach Share: How are Shifting Consumer Preferences Impacting Food Consumption?, offers insight into how consumers are viewing the value of dining out both at limited-service restaurants (LSRs) and in-store eating experiences. After tracking data for a year, here's what researchers found:

• 80% of consumers are satisfied with eating out (+3% vs a year ago), and 45% believe LSRs provide good value (+2%).
• Traffic to LSRs is up by 3% year over year ending Q3 2023. The numbers are driven by Chick-fil-A (+18% in traffic vs a year ago), Dunkin' (+4.5%), Chipotle (+3.7%), and McDonald's (+3.1%).
• More than 1 in 3 (37%) Gen Z consumers say that grocery prices have grown to the point where eating fast food is more affordable. That's the most of any generation. Boomers and older Americans find the least value in eating out (23%).
• In-store prepared pizza and hot dogs grew by 12% and 10% in units vs. a year ago, respectively.
• In-store pizza volume growth was mainly driven by club stores (Costco & Sam's), but Casey's General Store, a Midwest regional convenience store, contributed to 22% of prepared pizza unit growth.
• Among Casey's General Store shoppers, more than 4 percentage points of pizza (frozen, prepared, LSR) unit share has moved to Casey's vs. a year ago, taking share away from Walmart and Pizza Hut.
• Same-day hot dog and grocery trips within club stores grew by 26% year over year, accounting for 12.5 million trips.

Related Stories