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The average adult is willing to spend nearly \u00a330 more at restaurants which look \u201cgood\u201d on social media, a study has found. A poll of 2,000 adults found 41 percent believe a social media presence is now the best way to judge whether a restaurant is worth visiting \u2013 rising to 58 percent of 18-26-year-olds.<\/p>\n
The most sought-after content includes food close-ups (49 percent), restaurant d\u00e9cor (29 percent), and behind-the-scenes footage (28 percent).<\/p>\n
Of those who use social media for this purpose, an estimated 21 percent of the social media posts they view are related to food and eating out.<\/p>\n
Kirsty Morris, MD at Barclaycard Payments, which commissioned the research, said: \u201cOur research shows that a quarter of diners look at the menu on social media before ordering.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just one way the experience is improved for diners \u2013 so they can concentrate on getting that perfect, meal-side shot when they\u2019re dining out.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore and more venues allow you to book, review menus, and even pre-pay via their social media channels.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s a sensible move for those in the hospitality industry to keep sharing content and engaging potential visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The study, which identified Father\u2019s Day as one of the most popular occasions for going out for a meal, also found the typical adult spends 40 minutes researching restaurants on social media before deciding where to book.<\/p>\n
And 17 percent of those who use such platforms, revealed they\u2019ve signed up to a social media platform \u2013 specifically to find out more about particular restaurants.<\/p>\n
Facebook (43 percent) and Instagram (41 percent) are the go-to destinations for finding the best places for a bite to eat.<\/p>\n
But traditional consumer review sites also remain popular among 37 percent of those polled.<\/p>\n
The study, carried out through OnePoll, also identified what makes something worthy of being posted on social media when dining out.<\/p>\n
Presentation of the food (33 percent) came top, followed by views from the restaurant (28 percent), and \u201cjazzy cocktails\u201d (17 percent).<\/p>\n
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Kirsty Morris added: \u201cSocial media channels provide a \u201cshop window\u201d for restaurants to market their food.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd after a turbulent few years for hospitality, it\u2019s a valuable way of attracting new customers to a venue.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also emerged 20 percent of consumers are dining out less frequently \u2013 instead opting to \u201cgo big\u201d when they do venture out, by visiting higher value \u201cspecial\u201d eateries.<\/p>\n
Following these findings, a further poll of 200 restaurant owners, also by Barclaycard Payments, found 66 percent have joined platforms like Instagram and TikTok to make their venue more appealing.<\/p>\n
To ensure their content is top-notch, many have even upgraded their smartphone (32 percent).<\/p>\n
And in shifting to social, restaurateurs have seen an increase in bookings through these platforms by 80 percent.<\/p>\n