Survey: Social Media Influences Nearly Half of U.S. Diners

On the other hand, 21% claim a restaurant’s social media posts – including poor quality content and frequency – have discouraged them from trying it altogether

BALTIMORE (April 15, 2019) – MGH, a full-service restaurant marketing agency, today announced the results of a study that examined how influential a brand’s social media marketing can be when it comes to driving restaurant trial and customer loyalty.

The survey determined that nearly half (45%) of U.S. diners said they’ve tried a restaurant for the first time because of a social media post made by the establishment itself, while 21% claimed posts could be a deterrent. Further, 22% said a restaurant’s social post enticed them to return.

Results from the study demonstrated that positive restaurant-to-consumer social media engagement often leads to increased customer visits. Of respondents who actively follow and engage with restaurants on social media, 74% say they are more likely to visit or order food from those establishments.

“For restaurant marketers, it’s clear that high-quality social media content, along with active engagement practices, still has great relevance to consumers,” said Ryan Goff, Executive Vice President, Social Media Marketing Director at MGH. “When done right, social content marketing can have great influence over where diners choose to spend their hard-earned money.”

Other notable stats included:

• 42% of U.S. diners say they have interacted with restaurants on at least one social media platform. Of that group, 66% said they are more likely to visit or order food from the restaurant.
• 13% of U.S. diners say a restaurant’s social media post has discouraged them from returning to a restaurant.
• 36% of U.S. diners follow restaurants on social media, and 39% of that group mainly do so to help determine if they want to dine in or order food from the restaurant.
• 89% of U.S. diners have a social media account.
• 62% of U.S. diners say they log on to their social media accounts several times per day.

About the Study

In February 2019, MGH conducted an online survey of 1,069 U.S. adults ages 18+ who dine in, order takeout or had food delivered from a restaurant at least once a month. The margin of error is 3% at the 95% confidence level. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.