Quarter of consumers demanding more from venues

The research was taken from CGA’s Reputation survey of about 2,300 consumers in Britain, France and Germany who have visited the on-trade in the past six months in November and December 2022.

Furthermore, 65% of British consumers polled reported they were worried about price hikes amid the cost-of-living crisis while 42% stated they were dining out less frequently than prior the pandemic.

Guests were also asked about the most important factors when choosing somewhere to eat or drink out.

Price topped the list, followed by quality and range of food, customer service and quality of previous visits.

Digital impact

The report also looked at the digital platforms consumers interact with before, during and after visiting a venue.

Some 46% of British consumers look at menus while 40% check opening hours and a similar proportion (39%) check prices.

Almost three in 10 (28%) read written reviews and the same amount (28%) check if the business is currently open for eating in.

About a quarter (26%) look up location and directions while 17% said they make a booking online, see a star rating or find image and videos of food and drink with 16% having said they find images and videos of the venue.

Post-visit, a fifth (20%) of consumers typically leave a review after experiencing the venue with Google ranking the top platform of choice (34%) and TripAdvisor second (28%).

Consumer priorities

Reputation CX strategy director Chris Sparling said: “While consumers are still keen to treat themselves, they are pulling back on the frequency of pub, bar and restaurant visits, making every step in the customer journey a make-or-break moment for operators.

“With consumers prioritising the best value for money, hospitality industry leaders must find ways to elicit, analyse and take action on customer feedback, so they can make continuous improvements to the guest experience.”

The cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact on consumers’ discretionary spending and their expectations of eating and drinking out have substantially risen, according to CGA director of hospitality operators and food EMEA Karl Chessell.

He said: “Our research shows their love of pubs, bars and restaurants is undimmed but they want to stay laser-focused on guests’ habits and priorities and be agile and fast when they act on feedback.

“Despite all the challenges, brands that make continuous improvements to their customer experiences have a lot to look forward to this year.”