Main reasons for choosing a QSR for sit-down dining in the U.S. 2021

As of January 2021, consumers in the United States were surveyed on the most important factors when choosing a quick service restaurant (QSR) for sit-down dining. The majority of respondents, 49 percent, stated that cleanliness was the most important factor when it came to choosing a QSR for sit-down dining. Meanwhile, only five percent of respondents stated that the availability of an online order option was the most important factor.

What impact did COVID-19 have on U.S. restaurants?

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused considerable damage to the United States' restaurant industry. Due to social distancing measures and general caution in public places, consumers dined out less and less in 2020. As a result, the number of sit-down diners in the U.S. dropped by 100 percent in March of that year. Food service and drinking place sales in the U.S. also dropped by over 150 billion U.S. dollars in 2020.

How did COVID-19 change eating out behavior in the U.S.?

With fewer consumers eating out as a result of the pandemic, the behavior of would-be restaurant-goers in the United States shifted toward digital delivery services. So much so that food service transactions initiated via an ordering app in the United States doubled from 2019 to 2020. In 2019, six percent of food service transactions were initiated via an ordering app. By 2020, 15 percent of food service transactions were initiated via an ordering app.