Restaurant customer acquisition begins with discovery, but discovery alone does not guarantee a first order or visit. Recent U.S. research measures how often diners try new restaurants, which channels they use, what they value, and how off-premises ordering and loyalty programs affect restaurant choice.
Contents
- How often diners try new restaurants
- Where diners discover new restaurants
- What turns discovery into a first visit
- How value and experience offers attract customers
- How off-premises ordering expands reach
- How loyalty, promotions, and technology support acquisition
How often diners try new restaurants
Restaurant acquisition has a substantial pool of potential first-time customers. In a 2025 blind survey of U.S. adults who had dined in, ordered takeout, or ordered delivery during the prior three months, 64% said they had tried a new restaurant in the past month. The comparable 2024 survey result was 39%. These are survey results for the stated periods, not a count of all U.S. diners. (Toast, “How Guests Discover New Restaurants in 2026”)
The same Toast research found that surveyed guests ordered from an average of 3.3 different restaurants during the past month in 2025, compared with 3.1 in the 2024 comparison survey. The average surveyed guest considered themselves a regular at 2.7 restaurants in 2025, up from 2.4 in the comparison survey. Toast also reported that most surveyed guests visited their regular restaurants somewhere between once a week and once a month. (Toast)
| Measure | 2025 survey | 2024 comparison survey |
|---|---|---|
| Tried a new restaurant in the past month | 64% | 39% |
| Different restaurants ordered from in the past month | 3.3 average | 3.1 average |
| Restaurants considered regulars | 2.7 average | 2.4 average |
For restaurant marketers, these figures describe a market in which repeat habits and experimentation coexist. A diner may be loyal to several regular restaurants while still considering a new option within the same month. The Toast source notes a discrepancy between the number reported in its introduction and methodology; this article does not use a sample-size figure.
Where diners discover new restaurants
Word of mouth was the most commonly reported discovery route in the 2025 Toast survey: 38% of surveyed U.S. guests said it was a way they discovered a new restaurant. In-person discovery, such as walking or driving past a location, followed at 30%. Facebook played a role for 27%.
Several other channels reached meaningful portions of surveyed guests. TV advertisements and map apps each played a role for 18%. Search-engine results reached 16%, while Instagram and YouTube each reached 15%. TikTok reached 14% overall, but it was the number-one discovery channel among surveyed Gen Z guests at 38%. (Toast)
These percentages describe reported roles in discovery, so they should not be added together as if each diner selected only one channel. They point to a multi-channel acquisition path: recommendations, physical visibility, social platforms, maps, and search can all bring a restaurant into consideration.
What turns discovery into a first visit
Being discovered is only the first stage. In the 2025 Toast survey, price or value influenced the decision to visit a new restaurant for 55% of surveyed guests. Food quality influenced 51%. Menu variety and location or convenience each influenced 43%.
Square’s “The Future of Customers: 2024 Edition” adds two results from a 2023 survey published in 2024. In that research, 48% of surveyed diners said in-person dining options would drive them to try a restaurant they had not previously visited, while 45% said a restaurant website would inspire them to try a new restaurant. (Square, “The Future of Customers: 2024 Edition”)
The Square survey also found that locally sourced food interested 35% of surveyed Baby Boomer diners and 34% of surveyed Gen X diners as a reason to try a new restaurant. These results come from a 2023 survey and should remain labeled by that measurement period rather than treated as a current universal estimate. Square’s research covered adults or restaurant owners and managers in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia; the figures are not restaurant-only U.S. estimates unless stated otherwise.
Taken together, the data places acquisition pressure on both marketing and the customer-facing basics: a clear value proposition, credible food-quality signals, an understandable menu, convenient location information, and a website that helps a prospective guest decide.
How value and experience offers attract customers
Value is a prominent acquisition consideration, but value does not always mean the lowest price. In the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Restaurant Industry 2025 report, 95% of surveyed restaurant operators said consumers were more value-conscious than they used to be. In response, 53% of surveyed operators said they added new discounts, deals, or value promotions in 2024, and 47% planned to add new discounts, deals, or value promotions in 2025. (National Restaurant Association, “STATE OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY 2025”)
The 2024 promotion results varied by service model. New discounts, deals, or value promotions were added by 46% of surveyed full-service operators, 60% of surveyed limited-service operators, and 66% of surveyed quick-service operators.
| Operator group | Added discounts, deals, or value promotions in 2024 |
|---|---|
| Full-service | 46% |
| Limited-service | 60% |
| Quick-service | 66% |
Experience can also be part of the value equation. In the association’s 2025 consumer survey, 64% of full-service restaurant customers said the dining experience was more important than the meal price. Among limited-service restaurant customers, 47% said the dining experience was more important than the meal price. Meanwhile, 90% of surveyed fine-dining operators said building on-premises business was more important to success than greater off-premises business. These operator and consumer results apply to their stated groups and survey periods.
How off-premises ordering expands reach
Off-premises ordering gives restaurants additional customer-access points beyond a dining room. The National Restaurant Association reported that nearly 75% of restaurant traffic was off-premises in its 2025 report. Compared with 2019, 58% of limited-service operators said off-premises sales represented a larger share of sales, as did 41% of full-service operators. (National Restaurant Association)
In the association’s 2025 consumer survey, 51% of surveyed consumers said restaurant takeout was an essential part of their lifestyle, while 41% said restaurant delivery was essential. Demand may also exceed current local availability: 66% wished they had more choices of restaurants offering takeout in their area, and 61% wished they had more delivery choices.
Mobile ordering is another access point. Recently, 57% of surveyed adults had used mobile ordering, including 74% of millennials and 65% of Gen Z adults. On the operator side, 65% of limited-service operators offered delivery. Among full-service operators, 43% expected curbside pickup to grow in 2025, 31% expected dedicated takeout counters to grow, and 12% expected drive-through lanes to grow.
Operational quality remains part of acquisition because a poor first off-premises experience can block repeat business. Speed was critical for 94% of surveyed consumers. More than 90% cited customer service as a top priority for off-premises orders, and three-quarters of surveyed delivery customers valued technology-enabled ordering and payments. (National Restaurant Association)
How loyalty, promotions, and technology support acquisition
Promotions can introduce a customer to a restaurant, while loyalty features can influence where that customer orders next. More than 80% of surveyed off-premises consumers used value deals such as buy-one-get-one offers, combo meals, or real-time specials. Loyalty-program membership affected ordering location for 65% of surveyed drive-through users and more than 60% of surveyed takeout users and delivery users.
The quality of the delivered product can widen the menu a customer is willing to consider. Ninety percent of surveyed consumers said they would order a greater variety of delivery items if food maintained on-premises quality. More than half said they would pay more for premium packaging that supported delivery quality. Nearly 9 in 10 said they would use limited-time app-only offers. (National Restaurant Association)
Product format can also create acquisition opportunities. The association reported that 67% of surveyed consumers were interested in bundled restaurant meals, while 70% were interested in restaurant meal kits. These are interest measures, not forecasts of purchases.
The National Restaurant Association figures in this article are U.S. consumer or operator survey results from its 2025 reports unless another period is explicitly stated. The Toast and Square findings have their own survey populations and geographies, so results should be compared by context rather than treated as one combined dataset. DoorDash’s 2024 U.S. Economic Impact Report was not used for the restaurant-specific statistics here because its merchant and consumer figures include local businesses beyond restaurants where the source does not isolate restaurants.