23% of restaurant visits depend on brand love: study

Younger people are also more likely to love a brand.

Twenty-three percent, or almost a quarter of restaurant visits depend upon how much a customer loves the brand, according to the BrandVue Eating Out study run by Savanta.

The research, which considered the opinions of 100,000 diners across the UK, also noted that there is an extra visit per customer for a 7% increase in brand love. A single point increase in brand love also equates to a 4.6% uplift in eating out footfall.

In terms of demographics, younger people are more likely to love a brand than older people. Customer experience innovation, without involving capital or pricing, can also yield double-digit growth.

QSRs are the most loved type of restaurants in the UK, and have the most visits. UK consumers eat out around 3 times per month and visit 35 brands annually.

At any time, the UK consumer loves an average of 1.2 eating out brands, with Londoners being the most active diners, eating out 3.9 times per month whilst those in Wales are less likely to eat out with an average frequency of 2.3 per month.

Savanta research revealed that customers’ brand advocacy is conditioned heavily by factors such as the deliciousness of the food and the freshness of the ingredients.

“The drivers of brand love, on the other hand, are much more emotional; potentially because love is something more private and intangible, as well as less about defending an opinion,” Savanta said.

“This is about contributing to the delivery of a (consistently) positive personal experience. Our analysis of the key drivers of brand love include prompt and friendly service, as well as the restaurant ambience.”