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Coronavirus driving consumers to eat out less

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March 6, 2020

Many U.S. consumers plan to eat out less on account of the presence of the coronavirus, according to a Techonomic survey conducted with 1,000 consumers from Feb. 28 to March 2 as cited in a white paper the company released.

More than three in 10 consumers said they plan to leave the house less often, not go to restaurants as much or not order food or beverages at away-from-home venues as much, the survey found.

Among those who said they will not go to restaurants as often, 31% said they expected such decreased frequency will last between one and three months. Only 13% said they will order more via restaurant delivery because of the crisis.

Consumers also said they will stockpile grocery foods and beverages instead of purchasing away-from-home meals.

Thirty-seven percent said restaurants should operate business as usual, indicating many are satisfied that food service operators are prepared to mitigate the impact of an outbreak.

The U.S. population at large did not become concerned about this issue until just a week or two ago, the report noted, and the growth-related impact on the food service industry is still to be determined.

In its white paper, Technomic offers some advice for full-service restaurants, business, restaurants, schools, lodging, recreation and airlines.

The white paper also explores potential for positive impact on limited-service restaurants, delivery and supermarket food service.