Consumers Want Payments Choice on the Menu When They Eat Out

Perhaps not surprisingly, the taste of the food is the biggest factor that comes into play when consumers choose restaurants.

In fact, about three-quarters of consumers say that’s a factor they consider when selecting a restaurant, according to “The Digital Divide,” a PYMNTS and Paytronix collaboration based on a survey of 2,533 U.S. adults who regularly purchase food from restaurants.

Get the report: The Digital Divide

The next two biggest factors that come into play are consumers’ familiarity with the restaurant’s name and the restaurant’s location. About half of consumers say they consider those factors when deciding between restaurants.

Those are the top three factors consumers consider whether they’re choosing a quick-service restaurant (QSR) or a table-service restaurant.

Beyond those, however, consumers consider different factors when choosing between the two types of restaurants.

The factor that QSR customers rank fourth in importance is everyday prices. Forty-five percent of these customers say that is a factor they consider, compared to 39% of table-service customers.

The factor that table-service customers rank fourth in importance is customer service quality. Forty-eight percent of these customers say they consider that factor, while only 30% of QSR customers say the same.

Three of the factors in the survey have to do with price — everyday prices, promotions or deals and loyalty programs — and QSR customers are more likely than table-service customers to say they consider those factors.

Several factors in the survey have to do with how consumers purchase or acquire their food. Among these, table-service customers are more likely than QSR customers to be interested in the delivery service’s quality, while QSR customers are more likely than table-service customers to consider availability for pickup, multiple ordering options and an easy-to-navigate app or website.

Customers of both types of restaurants are equally interested in their preferred payment method availability, with 18% of each group saying that’s a factor they consider.

Consumers across different U.S. regions rank the taste of the food No. 1 among the factors they consider when selecting a restaurant, but the share of consumers saying that ranges from a high of 84% of table-service customers in the Mountain region to a low of 67% of QSR customers in the Northeast region.