Diner mindset survey offers restaurant planning help

The Pragma Consulting poll, which assessed the eating out habits of 1,000 people, found that 14 per cent fell into the ‘indulgent’ diner category - the most valuable segment in terms of dining out spend per head. Of this group, 57 per cent were men and 30 per cent had a penchant for Italian restaurants.

The England-wide survey was conducted to identify key differentiators for understanding food and drink customers and found crucial demographic and regional differences in attitudes and behaviour.

The findings showed that almost half the respondents (42 per cent) were ‘safe’ diners, most likely to be found in the South West and the ‘least affluent’. They tended to opt for traditional fare at reliable establishments, were least likely to experiment with new restaurants and spent on average £62 per month. 

Meanwhile, ‘experimental’ diners made up over a quarter (28 per cent) of respondents, and were willing to try new places and different cuisines. Often found in London, they averaged 39-years of age - slightly younger than the survey average of 44 - ate out 6.7 times per month, and had a relatively high average monthly spend of £89.

Health conscious customers (16 per cent) were most likely to be women (57 per cent) who enjoyed Thai cusine and health foods such as pomegranate, coconut water and quinoa frittering on average £64 per month.

Mindsets​

Restaurateurs should consider different consumer mindsets when planning location strategy, menu flexibility, price architecture and communications in order to target the appropriate audience, the research suggested. 

“In the crowded F&B space the key thing that will drive success is effectively matching the proposition to the wants and needs of the target audience," said Helene Mills, director at Pragma.

“This work has shed light on some of the softer elements which influence where consumers choose to eat and drink. Segmenting the audience by mindset provides a useful framework against which we can consider concept relevance as well as highlighting elements which may need to be flexed or adapted in regional expansion."