Marketing In The Restaurant Industry Statistics 2026

With the global online food delivery market projected to reach $162.6 billion in 2023, restaurant marketing has to work twice as hard just to earn attention before the next tap. At the same time, 51% of consumers say they are more likely to use a business that responds to reviews, and 86% would use Google Maps to find a local spot, turning discovery and reputation into the real battleground. Let’s break down the statistics shaping what gets ordered, booked, and chosen.

Key Takeaways

31% of adults say they use online search to find restaurants at least once a week
86% of consumers say they would use Google Maps to find a local restaurant
40% of consumers are influenced by restaurant brand social media posts in making a dining decision (consumer survey)
51% of consumers are more likely to use a business that responds to reviews on at least some platforms
60% of small businesses use email marketing (U.S. survey)
44% of consumers use restaurant mobile apps at least once per month
Global online food delivery market size is projected to reach $162.6 billion in 2023
U.S. restaurant reservations software market is expected to grow to $1.4 billion by 2027
The global digital out-of-home advertising market is projected to reach $46.3 billion in 2025 (relevant for restaurant promotional signage)
Email marketing ROI is reported as $36 per $1 spent by a widely cited U.S. study
SMS marketing ROI of $38 per $1 spent is reported by a survey of marketers
Google Business Profile calls-to-action drive measurable actions; listings with photos receive 42% more requests for directions
Average conversion rate for local landing pages is about 4.3% (benchmark)
Email unsubscribe rates average around 0.2%–0.5% per send (deliverability benchmark)
Facebook advertising costs rise during peak seasons; U.S. Q4 CPM for retail/dining campaigns averages around $6–$10 (benchmark)

Restaurants win more demand and bookings by mastering online search, fast pages, and review responsive marketing.

01 · Category

Customer Behavior6 stats

31% of adults say they use online search to find restaurants at least once a weekhttps://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/05/09/online-searching-is-common/

86% of consumers say they would use Google Maps to find a local restauranthttps://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-decisions-in-2021/

40% of consumers are influenced by restaurant brand social media posts in making a dining decision (consumer survey)https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics

Mobile web traffic accounts for more than 50% of restaurant website visits on average (traffic breakdown benchmark)https://www.similarweb.com/blog/

34% of consumers have used a voice search feature to find a restaurant (voice search survey)https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/

27% of consumers prefer restaurant loyalty programs with digital rewards (consumer loyalty survey)https://www.yotpo.com/blog/loyalty-program-statistics/

Interpretation

Customer Behavior Interpretation

Customer behavior in the restaurant industry is increasingly driven by digital discovery and engagement, with 86% of consumers using Google Maps and 31% searching online weekly, while 40% are swayed by brand social posts and 27% prefer digital loyalty rewards.

02 · Category

User Adoption8 stats

51% of consumers are more likely to use a business that responds to reviews on at least some platformshttps://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/

60% of small businesses use email marketing (U.S. survey)https://www.constantcontact.com/blog/email-marketing-stats/

44% of consumers use restaurant mobile apps at least once per monthhttps://www.yelp.com/about/press/yelp-app-report

86% of consumers say they use search engines to find local restaurants (2019 survey)https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/consumer-insights/how-consumers-find-local-businesses/

53% of consumers are willing to share their location data to receive more relevant restaurant offers (survey-based)https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200120005583/en/App-Data-Landscape-Study-Reveals-Location-Intelligence-Is

18% of consumers say they use loyalty points/membership programs when choosing a restaurant (survey)https://www.loyalty360.org/consumer-survey-loyalty-in-restaurant-segments/

In the U.S., 6 in 10 adults (59%) use a smartphone to get directions or location-related information (2019)https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/consumer-adoption-report-2019

63% of restaurant consumers say they are more likely to order from a restaurant that offers delivery (survey)https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/consumer-survey-delivery-influence/626240/

Interpretation

User Adoption Interpretation

For restaurant user adoption, the biggest momentum comes from digital discovery and convenience, since 86% of consumers use search engines for local restaurants and 63% are more likely to order when delivery is available.

03 · Category

Market Size9 stats

Global online food delivery market size is projected to reach $162.6 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/671519/online-food-delivery-market-global-revenue/

U.S. restaurant reservations software market is expected to grow to $1.4 billion by 2027https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/restaurant-reservation-market-118291455.html

The global digital out-of-home advertising market is projected to reach $46.3 billion in 2025 (relevant for restaurant promotional signage)https://www.statista.com/statistics/273269/global-digital-out-of-home-advertising-spend/

Global social media advertising spending is projected to reach $226.2 billion in 2024https://www.statista.com/statistics/199305/social-network-advertising-spend-worldwide/

Online food ordering market in the U.S. is projected to exceed $250 billion in 2024https://www.statista.com/statistics/189316/online-food-ordering-revenue-in-the-united-states/

$1.79 billion in Google Ads revenue share from food delivery listings indicates search-driven restaurant demandhttps://blog.google/products/ads/

$37 billion annual spend in the U.S. for digital coupons and promotions (market estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/coupon-market-103037

$1.2 billion U.S. market for restaurant loyalty apps (estimated by vendor research for 2024)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/restaurant-loyalty-app-market-106058

Online food delivery accounted for $109.0 billion in global revenue in 2023 (estimate)https://www.businessofapps.com/data/online-food-delivery-market/

Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

With global online food delivery reaching $162.6 billion in 2023 and the U.S. online food ordering market projected to exceed $250 billion in 2024, the Market Size data shows that restaurant marketing is rapidly shifting toward large-scale digital channels and measurable demand generation.

Food Service RestaurantsRestaurants Hospitality Industry Statistics

04 · Category

Performance Metrics6 stats

Email marketing ROI is reported as $36per $1 spent by a widely cited U.S. studyhttps://www.litmus.com/blog/email-marketing-roi-statistics/

SMS marketing ROI of $38per $1 spent is reported by a survey of marketershttps://www.g2.com/articles/sms-marketing-statistics

Google Business Profile calls-to-action drive measurable actions; listings with photos receive 42% more requests for directionshttps://www.google.com/think/ads/consumer-insights/

Companies can increase conversions by 4%–6% by improving page speed from 1 to 3 seconds (web performance benchmark relevant to restaurant pages)https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/mobile-speed-research/

Search engine traffic accounts for 46% of all website traffic for local businesses (2019 study)https://www.alexa.com/topsites/study/local-business-website-traffic-sources

A 1-second improvement in page speed can increase conversions by 27% for mobile users (Google benchmark study)https://web.dev/vitals/

Interpretation

Performance Metrics Interpretation

For performance metrics in restaurant marketing, the data shows that small efficiency gains drive outsized results, such as faster page speeds improving conversions by 4% to 6% and mobile conversions jumping 27% with just a 1-second improvement, while high ROI channels like email at $36 and SMS at $38 per $1 spent reinforce the payoff of measurable optimization.

05 · Category

Cost Analysis4 stats

Average conversion rate for local landing pages is about 4.3% (benchmark)https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/conversion-rate/

Email unsubscribe rates average around 0.2%–0.5% per send (deliverability benchmark)https://www.mailchimp.com/resources/email-marketing-benchmarks/

Facebook advertising costs rise during peak seasons; U.S. Q4 CPM for retail/dining campaigns averages around $6–$10 (benchmark)https://www.socialbakers.com/blog/facebook-ad-benchmarks/

Mobile accounted for 67% of local digital ad clicks in 2023 (industry measurement)https://www.mobilemarketer.com/local-digital-ads-mobile-share-2023

Interpretation

Cost Analysis Interpretation

From a cost analysis perspective, the main lever for keeping restaurant marketing efficient is improving mobile driven conversions since mobile made up 67% of local digital ad clicks in 2023 and local landing pages convert at only about 4.3%, meaning better conversion can reduce the impact of higher seasonal Facebook CPMs that average $6 to $10 in the U.S. Q4 for retail and dining campaigns.

06 · Category

Industry Trends1 stats

52% of restaurant marketers say social media is the most effective channel for driving awareness (survey)https://restaurant-hospitality.com/marketing/restaurant-marketing-survey-social-media

Interpretation

Industry Trends Interpretation

Industry trends show that 52% of restaurant marketers say social media is the most effective channel for driving awareness, making it the clear go-to tactic for restaurants looking to stay competitive.

Reference

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APA

Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Marketing In The Restaurant Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-restaurant-industry-statistics

MLA

Christopher Morgan. "Marketing In The Restaurant Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-restaurant-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Marketing In The Restaurant Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-restaurant-industry-statistics.