Decoding Diner Discovery: BentoBox's 2023 Diner Journey Report Reveals that Patrons Digitally Connect with Restaurants Before Dining IRL

News provided by

May 17, 2023, 09:00 ET

The report surveyed 2,000 U.S. diners and discovered that most customers engage with restaurants online prior to dining out

NEW YORK, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BentoBox, the restaurant technology company that partners with over 14,000 restaurants worldwide, today released its 2023 Diner Journey Report. The report surveyed 2,000 U.S. diners to explore how personal recommendations, search engines, social media and restaurant websites shape diner discovery. It revealed several key insights that will help restaurant owners understand customer behaviors and preferences.

BentoBox's 2023 Diner Journey Report found that:

Digital front doors make a difference. When diners are looking for new restaurants, they go online to investigate locations and reviews.

A staggering 86% of diners use online research to find new restaurants, and diners rely on online resources almost as much as personal recommendations.
Google Maps reigns supreme as the most-used restaurant-specific review site, with 40% of diners leveraging its insights. Runners-up are Yelp (26%), Facebook Reviews (19%), TripAdvisor (12%) and Zagat (3%).

Third-party reservation platforms don't drive diner discovery. External reservation platforms fall by the wayside amid seemingly limitless options for finding new restaurants.

46% of diners never use reservation platforms to find new restaurants, compared with just 22% for food delivery platforms and 13% for review sites.

Crafting a website with the right details is key. Diner search terms are consistent regardless of the dining experience they're looking for, but the information diners seek on restaurant websites varies.

75% of diners stated that they are more likely to choose a restaurant with a high-quality website over a restaurant with a bad website.
Photo galleries are essential to fine dining, with 53% of people who dine out more than once a week rating it a "very important" feature.
Casual dining websites should prioritize accessibility, with 69% of casual diners rating pricing as "very important."

Social media drives connection, particularly for younger diners, city dwellers, parents and married couples.

70% of fine dining high-spenders use social media for restaurant discovery.
More than half of Millennials (62%), Gen X (63%) and Baby Boomers (54%) use Facebook to find new restaurants, while Gen Z is more likely to head to Instagram (54%) and TikTok (43%). As a result, Facebook is the only social media platform used less by Gen Z than older generations.

To attract anyone, understand everyone. Different types of diners have their own strategies for seeking out new dining experiences.

45% of Gen Z said they use social media for restaurant discovery, the highest of any generation.
50% of high earners search for restaurants based on rating, such as 'best burger' or 'most popular restaurant."
52% of frequent diners strongly agreed that they "always look at a fine dining restaurant's website before deciding to go."

Visit dinerjourney.com to access the full report. For additional information on BentoBox's 2023 Diner Journey Report, please contact [email protected].

About BentoBox
The BentoBox Marketing and Commerce Platform delivers a seamless guest experience dedicated to accelerating growth and helping restaurants thrive. BentoBox empowers modern restaurants to build their online presence, diversify revenue, engage with diners, and increase operational efficiency. To do so, the platform includes products such as websites, ordering (online ordering, pre-order & catering, gift cards, merchandise, tickets), events management, reservations, and marketing tools.

Over 14,000 restaurant concepts worldwide rely on BentoBox as their digital front door. BentoBox is trusted and loved by hospitality groups such as José Andrés's ThinkFoodGroup and Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group and independent restaurants including Emmy Squared, Suerte, and The Meatball Shop. In November 2021, Fiserv, a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology that enables 200,000 restaurants to deliver differentiating experiences, acquired BentoBox. The acquisition will allow BentoBox to support more restaurants than ever before.

Contact:
BentoBox
[email protected]

SOURCE BentoBox