Data Point: Factors Other Than Price Are Now Driving 75% of Food Purchase Decisions

No matter how good the prices get, some people won’t be talked into salads, others can’t be steered clear of pizza. It’s a matter of taste — as in, what something tastes like — and it’s more.

In “The Digital Divide: The Key Factors That Drive Restaurant Choice,” a PYMNTS and Paytronix collaboration, over 2,660 U.S. weighed in on the factors that will go into their dining decisions in the second quarter of 2022 — data that can inform everything from discounting structures to program features.

• Seventy-five percent of food purchases are driven by reasons other than price, even with discounting.

People’s mobile order-ahead and on-premise dining choices are affected by prices and discounts, but it’s flavor that makes the final call for most consumers.

Most (66%) cited overall food taste. Interestingly, 37% of those who paid full price gave taste “as a driving element of their purchases, suggesting that while discounts are welcome encouragement, restaurant selection is most often about taste or fulfilling a craving rather than about low costs,” as did 29% of consumers who used discounts to dine.

• Twenty-three percent are more likely to choose a restaurant if they can order ahead for pickup.

We knew it was a winner in 2020 when there was little choice but to order ahead for delivery. Now it’s a lifestyle, and a growing number of consumers consider it non-negotiable.

“Of the restaurant-goers surveyed, 23% said they were more likely to choose a restaurant if they could order food to pick up ahead of time, and they knew the meal would be waiting for them upon their arrival,” the study stated. Twenty-one percent said ordering features were most important, and 17% were most motivated by easy digital payments. Some 13% said loyalty is their main draw.

• Thirty-two percent of respondents — including 43% of those that are “pandemic-concerned” — buy food online more now than before.

Among the most revealing findings from “The Digital Divide: The Key Factors That Drive Restaurant Choice” show how much pandemic fears remain an issue.

While in all 36% of consumers said they order ahead on mobile more often now than before, their reasons for doing so revolve around the food itself, the experience and a feeling of safety.

PYMNTS found that among consumers who identify as “very” or “extremely” concerned about the virus — a grouping we call “pandemic-concerned” — 44% are or recently have used restaurant mobile order-ahead, as do 39% of all frequent buyers. In all, 32% of respondents, including 43% of those that are pandemic-concerned, said they buy food online more now than they used to.

Get the study: The Key Factors That Drive Restaurant Choice