News

Canadian diners want quality, convenience and ambiance

May 30, 2014

New research from Technomic’s Canadian Consumer Brand Metrics program reveals that Canadians attribute positive dining experiences to five main attributes — quality, service, convenience, value and ambiance.The "Setting the Stage: Consumer Assessments of Décor, Music and Atmosphere at Leading Canadian Restaurant Chains” research finds that although ambiance can be easily overlooked because of its intangible nature, it can also be an important factor in a consumer's decision to visit a restaurant.

"It's essential for operators, particularly in the full-service segment, to consider how atmosphere can play a role in the way consumers rate their overall dining experience," Technomic EVP Darren Tristano said in a news release. "Tracking consumer perceptions of restaurant ambiance over time, operators can obtain a clear vision of how consumers experience a brand when dining in and how it measures against their experiences at leading competitors."

Highlights from research include:

• Restaurant ambiance drives traffic across segments: Eighty-six percent of casual dining restaurant patrons say that an appealing ambiance influences their decision to visit a particular concept. For quick-service restaurants, 82 percent of customers say it is important.
• Ambiance ratings correlate to overall satisfaction: Ninety-eight percent of consumers who rated a restaurant's atmosphere and ambiance as very good also rated their overall visit favorably (excellent or good). In comparison, less than half of those who rated the overall ambiance as very bad (47 percent) gave their visit a favorable rating.
• Chains' ambiance scores vary by region: The following chains represent the leading brands in each region based on ambiance attributes: British Columbia: Milestones Grill & Bar; The Prairies: Moxie's Grill & Bar; Ontario: Moxie's Grill & Bar; Quebec: The Keg Steakhouse & Bar; Atlantic Canada: Pizza Delight.