Connected Dining news and trends

Kroger’s Sushi Sales Blur Line Between Grocery Stores and Restaurants
Retail // September 03, 2023

Consumers prefer to pick up their restaurant meals, but where they purchase them is no longer as clear-cut.  Kroger has been crowned the nation’s top sushi seller, with consumers purchasing more than 40 million pieces from the grocery chain per year. The top title comes as Kroger...

Gen Z Scrimps on Food Quality Amid Restaurant Inflation
Consumer Insights // August 24, 2023

Across generations, consumers are loath to trade down to restaurants with lower-quality food, even as prices rise, but PYMNTS research finds that Gen Z is the most willing to compromise on taste. By the Numbers According to a February survey of more than 1,200 restaurant...

Starbucks Taps Digital Menus to Personalize the In-Restaurant Experience
Earnings // August 01, 2023

Building on its mobile loyalty app, Starbucks is looking to take its data-informed personalization into its physical stores with digital menu boards. On a call with analysts Tuesday (Aug. 1) discussing the brand’s third quarter FY2023 financial results, Laxman Narasimhan, CEO of the Seattle-based restaurant giant,...

Chipotle Looks to Personalization to Boost Rewards Members’ Engagement
Earnings // July 26, 2023

As Chipotle looks to grow its already significant base of loyal customers, the brand is turning to personalized messaging to boost engagement.  The fast-casual giant, which has more than 3,250 restaurants across five countries, on a call Wednesday (July 26) discussing its second quarter FY2023...

Interviews & Exclusives
Gen Z-ers 150% More Likely Than Millennials to Leave Negative Restaurant Reviews

June 22, 2023
Younger consumers tend to be especially harsh on restaurants, PYMNTS research reveals, and given that they are also frequent reviewers, eateries must work hard to get in Gen Z’s good graces. By the Numbers The latest edition of PYMNTS’ exclusive Connected Dining report, “Connected Dining: Word of Mouth in the Digital Age,” which draws from […]

62% of Consumers Discover Restaurants on Google

June 15, 2023
As restaurants look to attract consumers on crowded digital platforms, the most important digital profile, PYMNTS research reveals, is not Yelp, nor is it any of their social media pages....

Customers Still Tip for Restaurant Meals — or Don’t Eat Out at All

June 06, 2023
Consumers may be pressured to reduce tips in this tight economic environment, but data shows they overwhelmingly do not skip tipping, regardless of age, income or financial lifestyle. This is...

Restaurant Operators Want Smarter Software to Simplify Payments Complexity

May 26, 2023
Today’s restaurants are challenged to be more productive than ever, and to meet those challenges, they need smarter workforce management solutions. In a conversation with PYMNTS’ Karen Webster, Tony Smith, co-founder...

Quick Reads
Ghost Kitchens Vanish as In-Person Dining Returns

April 14, 2024
The ghost kitchen industry has become a shadow of its former self. These online-only dining spaces boomed during the pandemic, but as a report Friday (April 12) by The New York Times (NYT) noted, they’ve since begun to fade.  For example, the report said, commercial real estate company CBRE predicted in 2021 that ghost kitchens would […]