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Consumers are as interested as ever in heath-conscious eating, and many are turning to protein-packed diets to meet their fitness and wellness goals. We took a closer look at two retailers making a name for themselves in the high-protein, health-centric food space – Wild Fork Foods and Clean Eatz.
Wild Fork Foods is a paradise for meat and seafood lovers. The chain, which boasts nearly 60 locations nationwide, is at once a grocer, specialty products purveyor, and prepared foods destination. While much of Wild Fork’s product selection is frozen-meat-centric, the chain also offers a robust array of prepared foods.
And consumers seem to be resonating with the brands’ offerings – foot traffic to Wild Fork Foods consistently outpaced overall grocery visits, with YoY visits 33.8% higher in February 2025 than in February 2024, while overall grocery visits dropped by 1.7%. While some of this visit growth can be attributed to an increase in locations, Wild Fork’s strong performance bodes well for the brand.
Clean Eatz takes a different approach with its product offerings. While the chain boasts an on-site cafe, its real strength lies in its prepared meals and meal kits, which can be ordered individually or as part of full meal plans for the week. Each plan includes detailed nutrition information, making the chain an ideal option for those looking to take their diet to the next level.
This health-centric approach seems to be resonating with visitors, with Clean Eatz foot traffic outperforming the fast-casual restaurant segment in all months analyzed. And like Wild Fork, Clean Eatz has expanded over the past year, opening 14 locations between Q3 2023 and Q3 2024.
While Wild Fork and Clean Eatz share similarities in foot traffic trends and expansion efforts, a closer look at visitor demographics reveals key differences that highlight their respective strengths.
Compared to Wild Fork, Clean Eatz receives more of its traffic during the weekday – 77.3% of Clean Eatz’ visits take place on Monday through Friday, in contrast to Wild Fork’s 62.6%. Similarly, a higher share of Clean Eatz visitors visit the chain on their way to or from work – 14.9% and 10.0%, respectively – compared to Wild Fork’s 7.8% and 4.8%.
This suggests that Clean Eatz has become a convenient meal option for busy weekdays, while Wild Fork primarily attracts shoppers making planned stock-up trips.
Examining demographic data reveals additional distinctions between Wild Fork and Clean Eatz’ customers beyond their shopping preferences. While both chains draw visitors from trade areas with relatively high median household incomes (HHI), Wild Fork’s captured market skews wealthier, with a median HHI of $106.3K, compared to $83.9K for Clean Eatz.
Wild Fork’s trade area also includes significantly more "Near-Urban Diverse Families" – middle-class households living in or near cities – while Clean Eatz thrived with suburban audiences, capturing a higher share of the "Blue Collar Suburbs" Spatial.ai: PersonaLive segment.
These differences highlight that there is plenty of room within the prepared foods segment for a wide range of concepts. By aligning their offerings with customer preferences – perhaps by expanding into suburban markets or focusing on premium selections – retailers can carve out their own space and thrive.
Wild Fork and Clean Eatz are making names for themselves in the prepared food and gourmet grocery spaces. By tailoring their offerings to different consumer preferences, they’ve proven that multiple concepts can thrive within the high-protein food segment.
Will the space continue to evolve? Visit Placer.ai to find out.
Eatertainment concepts have grown in popularity as consumers continue to prioritize experiences. We dove into the latest location intelligence for one of the leaders in the space – Dave & Buster’s – to explore the consumer behavior and demographics behind its foot traffic growth.
Throughout the first three quarters of 2024, visits to Dave & Buster’s increased year-over-year (YoY), likely due to an emphasis on remodels aimed at improving the entertainment and dining experience, as well as the brand’s continued expansion. And though the chain experienced a moderate visit gap in Q4 2024, it finished out the year with an overall 3.0% YoY increase in visits. Visits to the chain in 2024 were also up 4.7% when compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic) – an impressive showing given the headwinds that have plagued the wider full-service restaurant space in recent years.
Although visits to Dave & Buster’s have lagged YoY most weeks in 2025 so far, this may have more to do with severe weather experienced in large parts of the country than with a sustained decrease in demand for the chain. Indeed, during the week of March 17th, 2025, visits increased YoY, highlighting the popularity of March Madness and Dave & Buster’s spring break promotions – and perhaps signaling a positive start to the chain’s busy spring season.
In 2024, Friday through Sunday accounted for a large share of Dave & Buster’s visits (62.7%), but compared to 2023, the days with the greatest increases in foot traffic were Monday (8.2%), Tuesday (8.0%), Thursday (6.8%), and Wednesday (5.3%). Meanwhile, Friday and Saturday traffic increased by only 1.8% and 1.0% respectively, and Sunday visits were flat YoY. So although the chain received a majority of its visits on weekends (Friday-Sunday), most of its YoY visit growth came from weekday visits.
This validates Dave & Buster’s promotional strategy of incentivizing weekday visits when locations can leverage available capacity.
Dave & Buster’s focus on weekday promotions has likely resonated particularly well with its core audience – consumers with median household incomes (HHIs) slightly below the nationwide baseline. For many middle-income Americans, the chance to indulge without overspending is crucial in a time of rising prices and economic uncertainty, and Dave & Buster’s has effectively met their needs with its discounted midweek food, drinks, and gameplay options.
But in addition to young singles and cost-conscious families (such as the “Family Union” segment, encompassing middle-income, middle-aged families in blue-collar occupations), the brand also appeals to several more affluent consumer segments. In 2024, Dave & Buster’s captured market featured higher-than-average shares of both the “Suburban Style” and “Flourishing Families” segments, which include different groups of affluent, middle-aged couples and families. This broad appeal across a diverse range of consumer groups positions the brand on solid footing as it continues to navigate a challenging economic environment.
Dave & Buster's has seen increased customer traffic, likely due to strategic renovations and an expanded footprint. While weekend visits remain dominant, weekday growth indicates successful promotional efforts that resonate with diverse consumer groups.
For more data-driven consumer insights, visit Placer.ai.
Forget water, soda, or tea – coffee reigns supreme in the United States. A recent study reveals that coffee surpasses even water as the nation's most consumed beverage. This continued demand is fueling a robust coffee shop sector that continues to thrive despite economic headwinds.
We took a closer look at industry-wide trends to understand how the segment is performing.
The coffee segment has seen consistent visit growth over the past few years, demonstrating remarkable resilience – a trend fueled by steady consumer demand. Analyzing the baseline change in quarterly visits from Q1 2019 underscores this growth – and also reveals distinct seasonal patterns.
Visits to coffee shops plummeted during the pandemic, as consumers hunkered down at home and many independent coffee shops went out of business – but swiftly rebounded as consumers sought affordable luxuries and a sense of normalcy. Between 2021 and early 2024, coffee foot traffic continued to climb, as chains from Starbucks to Dutch Bros expanded their footprints. The visit growth followed a fairly predictable seasonal rhythm, slowing in the first quarter of the year and peaking in Q4. But though visits in Q4 2024 were slightly higher YoY, they remained relatively flat compared to Q2 and Q3 2024, possibly signaling that the industry may be reaching a plateau.
Looking at the data by region reveals that coffee shop visit growth has been widespread throughout the country, with most CBSAs experiencing growth relative to 2023.
Some areas – like parts of the Midwest and South – experienced especially pronounced growth, suggesting heightened interest in coffee chains in these regions. Coffee visit growth in the South in particular may be partially a reflection of greater market penetration following chain expansions and inflows of domestic migration over the past several years. And while some areas of the country saw YoY declines, most CBSAs saw continued growth, highlighting the consistent appeal of coffee chains across a wide range of markets.
There are hundreds of coffee shops nationwide catering to every kind of coffee drinker – from chains with 2-3 locations specializing in artisanal blends to major players like Starbucks and Dunkin'. And diving into the visit split between small, mid-sized, and large coffee chains shows that mid-sized coffee chains – many of which are drive-thru focused – are gradually claiming a greater share of the market.
Between 2019 and 2024, the share of visitors to mid-sized coffee chains grew from 10.8% to 17.6%. Some of this growth can be attributed to Dutch Bros’ ascendance – but other fast-growing coffee chains like BIGGBY Coffee are contributing to this growth.
Smaller coffee chains also saw their visit share increase, albeit more modestly, from 3.2% in 2019 to 4.4% in 2024. This trend suggests that, while Starbucks and Dunkin' continue to dominate, there remains plenty of room – and interest – for smaller, independent chains to thrive.
Indeed, diving into visitor behavior at small, mid-sized, and large chains highlights the distinct niches these segments effectively fill. Between 2023 and 2024, short visits (<10 minutes) increased more than longer visits at mid-sized and large chains, while large chains actually saw a drop in longer visits, likely a result of increased emphasis on drive-thru and mobile ordering.
Meanwhile small chains saw a greater YoY increase in long visits (+13.4%) than in short ones (+9.1%), suggesting that smaller coffee shops are increasingly filling the niche of a relaxed, destination-oriented experience.
These shifts highlight the different needs that coffee shops can fill within a community, with some offering speed and convenience, while others can meet the desire for a relaxed and personalized coffee experience.
The success of the overall coffee segment highlights the continued consumer demand for affordable luxuries even as economic uncertainty persists, and the benefits of a diverse market that accommodates different visitor needs.
Will the coffee segment continue to thrive into 2025? Visit Placer.ai for the latest data-driven dining insights.
College students make up a small portion of the U.S. population, but they wield an outsize influence in the consumer market. Despite being notoriously budget-conscious, collegians value enjoyment and willingly splurge on experiences. And as tomorrow’s affluent consumers, today’s college students can deliver big future rewards for brands that successfully build lasting relationships with the segment.
So with spring break upon us, we dove into the data to see how today’s college crowd allocates its dining dollars. Where do they like to eat out? And how can brands best cater to their preferences?
Tight budgets notwithstanding, students are always on the hunt for delicious treats that don’t break the bank. And while overindulgence in beer and pizza traditionally led to the dreaded “freshman fifteen”, location analytics show that today’s college students are a bit more discerning. They balance cost with a desire for elevated experiences – while also prioritizing healthier options.
Against this backdrop, it may come as no surprise that fast-casual chains hit the college sweet spot between indulgence and affordability. In 2024, the share of STI:Landscape’s “Collegian” segment in the captured market trade areas of fast-casual chains nationwide stood at 54% above the nationwide baseline – meaning that this demographic’s representation among fast-casual’s visitor base was 54% above average. Specialty drinks – think healthful smoothies, boba teas, and juices – also stood out as particularly popular among the college crowd. Meanwhile, the share of college students in the captured markets of full-service restaurants (FSR), traditional coffee spots, and quick-service chains (QSR) was significantly lower – though still on par with, or slightly above, the nationwide baseline.
Within the specialty drink and fast-casual segments, certain chains attract a particularly strong college following, including Noodles & Company – which likely draws students with its unique twist on comfort foods like mac and cheese. Playa Bowls and Kung Fu Tea are also especially popular among undergrads on the hunt for wholesome, convenient pick-me-ups.
Even within categories that typically see fewer college patrons, such as FSR and QSR, select brands maintain a strong hold on this market. Wine club Postino and KPOT Korean BBQ & Hotpot – both of which offer elevated, unique experiences that deliver plenty of bang for the buck – are popular among collegians. Several mass-market FSR and QSR chains, including Waffle House, Texas Roadhouse, The Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Raising Cane’s, Culver’s, Papa John’s Pizza, and Taco Bell also draw significantly higher-than-average college crowds. And within the coffee space, chains like Dutch Bros, and Scooter’s Coffee that offer specialty beverages like smoothies and energy drinks pull in above-average shares of college crowds.
How do college students interact with the dining brands they love? Zooming in on college town venues that cater specifically to the student crowd can shed light on the unique eating-out behaviors of this demographic.
Nationwide, the share of college students in coffee shops’ captured markets is just over the segment’s overall share in the population (+6%). But Starbucks locations near college campuses are positively teeming with students. A remarkable 81.9% of the captured market of the Starbucks near Indiana University, for example (on S. Indiana Ave in Bloomington, IN), belonged to STI:Landscape’s “Collegian” segment in 2024 – 5386% above the national average. Similar patterns were observed at locations near Texas A&M University and Penn State, where the segment made up 70.3% and 61.3%, respectively, of the locations’ visitor bases.
And these students tended to linger far longer than visitors to other Starbucks locations, either to study or hang out with friends – between 28.0 and 34.0 minutes on average, compared to 14.1 minutes for the chain as a whole.
Students also crave quick bites to power them through late-night study marathons and parties. Although most Taco Bells are busiest in the afternoons and early evenings, the one on S. Providence Rd. in Columbia, MO (near Mizzou) – with 68.5% of its market composed of “Collegians” – saw nearly half of visits take place after 8:00 PM last year. The same pattern held true at Taco Bell sites near the University of Florida in Gainesville and Texas A&M in College Station.
Collegian consumer activity typically peaks in August, when back-to-school shopping surges. And this holds true for college town restaurants as well. In 2024, visits to Chili’s locations serving college students – such as the Texas Ave S. location in College Station, TX, where the “Collegian” segment comprises 57.8% of its market – saw a notable visit spike in August. But in December, Chili's busiest month nationwide, things slowed down considerably at the analyzed campus-adjacent locations, as students headed back home for the holidays.
From hearty fast-casual fare to specialty drinks, late-night burritos, and lengthy coffee shop study sessions, college students blend cost-consciousness with a desire for quality and experience. And their loyalty to brands that strike this balance – while catering to their unique preferences and behaviors – can be massive, especially once they leave campus and their spending power grows.
Visit Placer.ai for more data-driven consumer insights.
Why has Old Navy introduced occasionwear? Examining the product selection available at the six brick-and-mortar apparel chains most frequently visited by Old Navy visitors (T.J. Maxx, Kohl’s, Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, DICK’s Sporting Goods, and Macy’s) can shed light on the apparel needs of Old Navy’s consumer base.
Old Navy shoppers seem to like activewear – all six of Old Navy’s biggest brick-and-mortar competitors in the apparel space carry a large selection of sportswear and athleisure. In fact, the apparel selection at DICK’s Sporting Goods – the fifth most frequently visited chain among Old Navy visitors – is limited to only athletic wear. Old Navy already holds a strong competitive position in this category with its popular activewear collection.
But some Old Navy shoppers may be visiting brick-and-mortar apparel chains in search of the perfect evening dress – five of the top six retailers competing with Old Navy for apparel visits carry evening wear. So expanding its product line to include prom dresses and similar items may help Old Navy recapture some of the traffic lost to competitors from customers in search of occasionwear.
American Dream hosted the first ever JonasCon on March 23rd, 2025. How did the event impact visitation trends, and what does the success of JonasCon mean for the future of malls? We dove into the data to find out.
American Dream has emphasized the experiential potential of malls from its inception. The massive shopping, dining, and leisure venue includes a vast array of indoor and outdoor entertainment facilities such as a water park, an indoor ski slope, and an aquarium as well as numerous stores and restaurants. And although the mall – which opened just before the COVID pandemic – has dealt with its share of setbacks, recent data suggests that American Dream has turned a corner, with leasing picking up and year-over-year quarterly visits positive throughout 2024.
American Dream’s position as both a mall and an entertainment complex along with its location in New Jersey – the Jonas Brothers’ home state – made it the natural choice to host JonasCon, a one-day fan convention on March 23rd, 2025 celebrating the band’s twentieth anniversary.
The event proved to be a major success, with visits to American Dream surging 146.5% higher than the YTD average and 72.8% higher than a YTD Sunday. Visitors during JonasCon also stayed significantly longer in the mall, with the average visit on March 23rd lasting 220 minutes – almost four hours – compared to an average stay of 141 minutes for the YTD.
The JonasCon visit spike was driven in part by own-of-towners making the trip especially for the event. On March 23rd, over 25% of visitors to American Dream came from at least 50 miles away, compared to just 17.9% of visitors coming from 50+ miles away for the YTD average. The surge in overall visits, the extended dwell time, and the significant influx of out-of-towners directly translated to increased opportunities for spending across the entire venue.
The event also seems to have attracted more singles from more affluent households compared to American Dream’s regular visitor base: The mall’s trade area on March 23rd included fewer households with children and more one person and non-family households compared to the YTD average, and the trade area median household income (HHI) stood at $93.0K compared to the $89.9K median HHI for the YTD.
The popularity of JonasCon among the coveted demographic of affluent singles highlights how malls can target certain audiences by organizing specific happenings. Most malls offer something for everyone – American Dream in particular has a range of offerings for different age groups and at different price points, including a variety of free exhibits. But while providing options for almost any consumer creates the potential for a large and varied visitor base, certain demographics might need an extra nudge to come through the door for the first time. Offering unique experiences can help malls bring in certain groups of consumers that may be underrepresented in the mall’s regular visitor base – perhaps fostering return visits and growing their regular audience.
Through JonasCon, American Dream has once again cemented its position at the forefront of the experiential mall movement. The venue represents a broader trend as some malls evolve beyond transactional spaces to become centers of shared experience – whether through built-in elements or by offering unique experiences through one-off entertainment and events.
The success of JonasCon along with the ongoing visit growth at American Dream highlights the current consumer appetite for exciting and engaging offline experiences – and malls are extremely well positioned to meet this demand.
For more data-driven retail insights, visit placer.ai.
Sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB boast billion-dollar revenues – and the venues where these games unfold hold significant commercial potential in their own rights. Many stadiums host concerts and other shows in addition to regularly held sporting matches and can accommodate tens of thousands of spectators at once – creating massive retail, dining, and advertisement opportunities.
This white paper analyzes location intelligence metrics for some of the biggest stadiums across the country to reveal the commercial potential of these venues beyond simple ticketing revenue. Where do visitors of various stadiums like to shop? Do specific sporting and cultural events impact the nearby restaurant scene differently? How can stadium operators, local businesses, and advertisers tailor their offerings to a stadium’s particular audience and make the most of the stadium and the space throughout the year?
We take a closer look below.
The three major sports leagues – the National Basketball League (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the National Football League (NFL) – play at different points of the year, and the number of games each league holds during the season also varies.
MLB leads in game frequency, with each team playing 162 games during the regular season, which runs approximately from April through September. Basketball season is also around six months – roughly from mid-October to mid-April – but each NBA team plays only 82 games a season. And the NFL has both the shortest season – 18 weeks running from early September to early January (with the pre-season starting in August) – and the fewest number of matches per team. Understanding the monthly visitation patterns for the various types of stadiums can help advertisers, stadium operators, and other stakeholders ensure that they are leveraging the full potential of the venue throughout the year.
Unsurprisingly, the sports arenas serving the different leagues see visit spikes during their leagues’ respective season. But comparing visit numbers throughout the year to the average monthly visit numbers for each category in 2023 reveals that the relative visit increases and decreases during the on- and off-season vary for each type of stadium.
MLB stadiums display the steadiest visit strength during the on-season – perhaps due to MLB’s packed game schedule. MLB tickets also tend to be relatively affordable compared to tickets to pro football or basketball matches, which may also contribute to MLB’s consistently strong visit numbers throughout the season. During the MLB off-season, baseball fields – which tend to be uncovered – are relatively empty.
The seasonal visit spike to NBA arenas is less steady. The beginning and end of the season see strong peaks, and visits slow down slightly during the mid-season months of January and February. Visits then drop during the off-season spring and summer, but the off-season visit dip is not as low as it is for MLB fields – perhaps because the NBA arenas’ indoor nature make them suitable locations for concerts and other non-basketball events.
Meanwhile, NFL stadiums see the least dramatic drop in visits during the NFL off-season, as these venues’ enormous size also make them the ideal location for concerts and other cultural events that draw large crowds. These arenas’ strong almost year-round visitation numbers mean that sponsors and advertisers looking to expand beyond sports fans to reach a diverse audience may have the most success with these venues.
Although MLB offers the most budget-friendly outing, combining STI: Popstats demographic metrics with trade area data reveals that MLB stadium visitors reside in higher-income areas when compared with visitors to NBA or NFL stadiums.
Baseball fans tend to be older than fans of the other sports, which could partially explain MLB stadium visitors’ higher household income (HHI). The combination of lower ticket prices, higher median HHI among fans, and many games per season offers baseball stadiums significant opportunities to engage effectively with their fan bases.
But while NBA and NFL stadium attendees may not come from as high-income areas as do MLB stadium visitors, fans of live basketball and football still reside in trade areas with a higher HHI compared to the nationwide median. So by leveraging stadium space, advertisers and other stakeholders can reach tens of thousands of relatively high-income consumers easily and effectively.
Sports fans are known to be passionate, engaged, and willing to spend money on their team – but stadium visitors also shop for non-sports related goods and services. Retailers and advertisers can draw on location analytics to uncover the consumer preferences of stadium visitors and tailor campaigns, sponsorships, and collaborations accordingly.
Visitation data to the top five most visited MLB stadiums during 2023 showed differences between the apparel and sporting goods shopping preferences of the various stadiums’ attendees. While 39.4% of visitors to Truist Park also visited DICK’s in 2023, only 30.8% of Yankee Stadium visitors stopped by the sporting goods retailer in the same period. Similarly, while 29.9% of visitors to Yankee Stadium frequented Kohl’s, that percentage jumped to 47.3% for Busch Stadium visitors.
Harnessing location intelligence to see the consumer preferences of a stadium’s visitor base can help retailers, stadium operators, and even team managers choose partnerships and merchandising agreements that will yield the most effective results.
Sports and snacks go hand in hand – what would a baseball game be without a hot dog or peanuts? But while every stadium likely provides a similar core of traditional game day eats, each venue also offers a unique set of dining options, both on- and off-premise. And by leveraging location analytics to gain visibility into stadium-goers dining habits, stadium operators and local food businesses can understand how to best serve each arena’s audience.
Mapping where stadium visitors dine before and after games can help stakeholders in the stadium industry reach more fans.
The chart below shows the share of visitors coming to a stadium from a dining venue (on the x-axis) or going to a dining venue after visiting the stadium (on the y-axis). The data reveals a correlation between pre-stadium dining and post-stadium dining – stadiums where many guests visit dining venues before the stadium also tend to have a large share of guests going to dining venues after the event. For example, the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, saw large shares of visitors grabbing a bite to eat on their journey to or from the stadium, while the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland saw low rates of pre- and post stadium dining engagement.
These trends present opportunities for both local businesses and stadium stakeholders. For example, venues with high dining engagement can explore partnerships with local restaurants, while those with lower rates can build out their in-house dining options for hungry sports fans.
Stadiums looking to enhance their food offerings – or local entrepreneurs thinking of opening a restaurant near a stadium – can also get inspired by stadium visitors’ dining preferences. For example, psychographic data taken from the Spatial.ai: FollowGraph dataset reveals that visitors to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey have a much stronger preference for Asian cuisine compared to New Jersey residents overall. With that knowledge, the stadium can enhance the visitor experience by expanding its Asian food offerings.
On the other hand, MetLife Stadium goers seem much less partial to Brewery fare than average New Jerseyans, so the stadium operators and restaurateurs may want to avoid offering too many Brewery-themed dining options. Stadium stakeholders can reserve the craft beers for Caesars Stadium, M&T Bank Stadium, and Soldier Field Stadiums, where visitors seem to enjoy artisanal brews more than the average resident in Louisiana, Maryland, and Illinois, respectively.
All of the stadiums analyzed exhibited unique visitor dining tastes, a reminder that no customer or fan base is alike. Aligning on- or off-site dining options with offerings that align with a given customer base’s preferences can improve overall visitor satisfaction and boost revenues.
Zooming in to look at consumer behavior around individual events reveals further variability in dining preferences even among visitors to the same stadium, with different types of events driving distinct dining behaviors.
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, is home to the Arizona Cardinals. The stadium hosted the 2023 Super Bowl, but the NFL stadium also acts as a concert venue for acts ranging from Taylor Swift to Metallica. And location intelligence reveals that the dining preferences of stadium visitors vary based on the events held at the venue.
During the Super Bowl, sports bars such as Yard House and Buffalo Wild Wings saw the largest increase in visits compared to the chains’ daily average. A month later, attendees at Taylor Swift's concert gave fried-chicken leader Raising Cane’s a significant boost.
Local restaurants can leverage location analytics to see what types of events are popular with their visitor base and craft collaborations and advertising campaigns that resonate effectively with their patrons.
Sports stadiums and arenas are not just spaces for sports and music enthusiasts to gather; they also offer significant commercial opportunities for the surrounding communities. Stadium operators and local businesses can fine-tune their offerings by utilizing location analytics to better connect with their visitor bases and uncover new retail opportunities.
The dining industry showcased its agility over the past couple of years as it rapidly adapted to shifts in consumer preference brought on by COVID and rising prices. And with a new year around the corner, the pace of change shows no signs of slowing down.
This white paper harnesses location analytics, including visitation patterns, demographic data, and psychographic insights, to explore the trends that will shape the dining space in 2024. Which dining segments are likely to pull ahead of the pack? How are chains responding to changes in visitor behavior? And where are brands driving dining foot traffic by taking advantage of a new advertising possibility? Read on to find out how dining leaders can tap into emerging trends to stay ahead of the competition in 2024.
Comparing quarterly visits in 2023 and 2022 highlights the impact of the ongoing economic headwinds on the dining industry. The year started off strong, with year-over-year (YoY) dining visits up overall in Q1 2023 – perhaps aided by the comparison to an Omicron-impacted muted Q1 2022. And while overall dining growth stalled in Q2 2023, several segments – including QSR, Fast Casual, and Coffee – continued posting YoY visit increases, likely bolstered by consumers trading down from pricier full-service concepts.
Foot traffic slowed significantly in Q3 2023 as inflation and tighter consumer budgets constrained discretionary spending. Overall dining visits fell 2.4% YoY, and full-service restaurants – with their relatively high price point compared to other dining segments – seemed to be particularly impacted by the wider economic outlook. But the data also revealed some bright spots: Fast Casual still succeeded in maintaining positive YoY visit numbers and Coffee saw its Q3 visit grow an impressive 5.4% YoY. As the return to office continues, a pre-work coffee run or lunchtime foray to a fast-casual chain may continue propelling the two segments forward.
Restaurant visitation patterns have evolved over the past few years. Although an 8 PM seating was once the most coveted slot at fine-dining restaurants, recent visitation data suggests that sitting down to dinner earlier is rising in popularity.
But among the QSR segment, the opposite trend is emerging, with late-night visits rising. Analyzing hourly foot traffic to several major QSR chains reveals that the share of visits between 9 PM and 12 AM increased significantly between Q3 2019 and Q3 2023. Even Taco Bell – already known for its popularity among the late-night crowd – saw a substantial increase in late-night visits YoY – from 15.4% to 20.3%.
Who is driving the late night visit surge? One reason restaurants have been expanding their opening hours is to capture more Gen-Z diners, who tend to seek out nighttime dining options. But location intelligence reveals that younger millennials are also taking advantage of the later QSR closing times.
An analysis of the captured market for trade areas of top locations within one of Taco Bell’s major markets – the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan area – reveals a year-over-four-year (Yo4Y) increase in “Singles & Starters.” The “Singles & Starters” segment is defined by Experian: Mosaic as young singles and starter families living in cities who are typically between 25 and 30 years old. As consumers continue to prioritize experiential entertainment and going out with friends, late-night dining may continue to see increased interest from young city-dwellers.
Millennials and Gen-Z consumers aren’t only heading to their favorite fast food joint for a late-night bite – these audience segments are also helping drive visits on the weekends. Smoothie King is one chain feeling the benefits of young, health-conscious consumers.
The chain, which opened in New Orleans, LA, in 1973 as a health food store, has since grown to over 1,100 locations nationwide and is currently expanding, focusing on the Dallas-Fort Worth CBSA. The area’s Smoothie King venues have seen strong visitation patterns, particularly on the weekends – weekend visits were up 3.4% YoY in Q3 2023. The smoothie brand’s trade areas in the greater Dallas region is also seeing a YoY increase in weekend visits from “Young Professionals” – defined by the Spatial.ai PersonaLive dataset as “well-educated young professionals starting their careers in white-collar or technical jobs.”
While some dining chains are appealing to the late-night or weekend crowd, others are driving visits by appealing to sports lovers. How have recent rule changes around student athletes changed the restaurant game, and how can college football teams drive business in their hometowns?
College sports have long been a major moneymaker, with top-tier teams raking in billions of dollars annually. And as of 2021, college athletes can enjoy a piece of the significant fan following of college sports thanks to the change in the NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules, which now allows student athletes to sign endorsement deals.
Since then, multiple restaurants have jumped on the opportunity to partner with student athletes, some of whom have millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. Chains like Chipotle, Sweetgreen, Slim Chickens, and Hooters have all signed college athletes to various brand deals.
How can brands ensure they partner with athletes their customers will want to engage with? Analyzing a chain’s audience by looking at the interests of residents in a given chain’s trade area can reveal which type of athlete will be the most attractive to each brand’s customer base. For example, data from Spatial.ai: Followgraph provides insight into the social media activity of consumers in a given trade area and can highlight desirable partnerships.
Examining the trade areas of Chipotle, Sweetgreen, Slim Chickens, and Hooters, for instance, reveals that Sweetgreen’s visitors tended to have the largest share of Women’s Soccer followers. Conversely, Sweetgreen’s trade area had lower-than-average shares of College Football Fans or College Basketball Fans, while residents of the trade areas of the other three chains showed greater-than-average interest in these sports. Leveraging location intelligence can help companies choose brand deals that their customers resonate with and find the ideal athletes to represent the chain.
Finding the right college athlete partnership is one way for dining brands to appeal to college sports enthusiasts. But dining chains and venues located near major college stadiums also benefit from the popularity of their local team by enjoying a major game day visit boost.
One of the country’s most popular college football teams, the Ohio State Buckeyes, can draw millions of TV viewers, and its stadium has a capacity of 102,780 – one of the largest stadiums in the country. And while tailgating is a popular activity for Buckeyes fans, nearby restaurants are some of the biggest beneficiaries of the college football craze. Panera experienced a 235.3% increase on game days as compared to a typical day, Domino’s Pizza visits grew by 283.3%, and Tommy’s Pizza, a local pie shop, saw its visits jump by a whopping 600.9%.
This influx in diners also causes a major shift in game day visitor demographics, as revealed by changes in visitors at dining venues located near stadiums of two of the nation’s best college football teams – the Ohio State Buckeyes and Ole Miss Rebels. Based on Spatial.ai: Personalive data for the captured market of these dining venues, game day visitors tended to come from “Ultra Wealthy Families” when compared to visitors during a typical non-game day in September or October.
The analysis indicates that popular sporting events create a unique opportunity for restaurants near college stadiums to attract high-income customers game day after game day, year after year.
While some spend game day tailgating or visiting a college restaurant, others hold a viewing party – with a six-foot submarine. And the sub’s popularity extends beyond Superbowl Sundays. Sandwich chains including Jersey Mike’s, Firehouse Subs, Jimmy John’s, and Subway (recently purchased by the same company that owns Jimmy John’s) have seen sustained YoY increases in visits and visits per venue in the first three quarters of 2023.
Some of the growth to these chains may be related to their affordability, a draw at all times but especially during a period marked by consumer uncertainty and rising food costs. And subway leaders seem to be seizing the moment and striking while the iron is hot – Jersey Mike’s opened 350 stores in 2023 and still saw its YoY visits per venue grow by 6.6%. And Subway reported ten consecutive quarters of positive sales, a promising sign for its new owner.
The love for a healthy, affordable sandwich extends across all income levels, with all four chains seeing a range in their visitors' median household income (HHI). Out of the four chains analyzed, Jersey Mike’s – which has long prioritized a suburban, middle-income customer – had the highest trade area median household income of the four chains at $77.3K/year. Subway, known for its affordability, had the lowest, with $62.9K/year. The variance in median HHI combined with the strong foot traffic growth shows that when it comes to sandwiches, there’s something for everyone.
Persistent inflation and declining consumer sentiment may pose serious challenges for the dining space, but emerging trends are helping boost some restaurants. Customers seeking out a late-night bite drive visits to QSR chains, and health-conscious diners are boosting foot traffic to smoothie bars and sandwich shops. Meanwhile, sports sponsorships and game-day restaurant visits can provide a boost to dining businesses that take advantage of these opportunities.
“Retail media networks have turned retailers into ad moguls. That’s a huge change and nobody yet understands all the implications of it.”
Constantine von Hoffman, MARTECH
Companies operating consumer-facing brick-and-mortar venues traditionally relied on selling goods and services as their primary revenue stream. But recently, leading retailers such as Walmart and Target have begun to leverage their immense store fleet into a powerful advertising platform.
Online retailers have been tapping into the advertising power of their digital sites for years by relying on various automated tools to show third-party advertisements to relevant consumer segments. But now, retailers with a strong offline presence can also leverage physical marketing impressions and focus their campaigns while reaching consumers at the point of purchase. Retailers have long recognized the intent that drives a store visit, and understanding the full value of leveraging that visit to its full extent is an important new frontier.
Major retailers are continuing to see their physical visits outnumber their online ones.
And in spite of the gloomy predictions regarding the future of brick and mortar retail, major retailers are continuing to see their physical visits outnumber their online ones. Monthly numbers of visitors to Walmart and Target significantly outpace the brands’ online reach, according to web data from Similarweb. So although, up until recently, these brands have focused their media placements on their digital channels, it is becoming increasingly clear that these chains’ physical stores hold powerful – and currently untapped – advertising potential.
Online visitor data source: similarweb.com
And with the recent rise in digital advertising costs, retail media networks are becoming more attractive for companies looking to make the most of their ad budget. Retail media networks can also help brands reach rural communities, elderly Americans, and other consumer segments that are currently underserved by digital advertisers.
This white paper explores several retailers on the cutting edge of the retail media network revolution. Keep reading to find out how advertisers can use retail media networks to promote to hard-to-reach consumers, segment their ad spending, and optimize their campaigns.
Residents of rural areas use the internet less frequently, and have lower levels of technology ownership than their urban and suburban counterparts. As a result, companies that stick to digital advertising may have a harder time reaching rural consumers. Brick and mortar retailers popular in smaller markets can fill in the gaps and help brands promote their products and services to this hard-to-reach audience.
Brick and mortar retailers popular in smaller markets can help brands advertise to hard-to-reach audiences.
Dollar General saw significant success over the pandemic, with the current economic climate continuing to benefit the brand. Between January and August 2022, nationwide visits to Dollar General venues were 35.6% higher than they were between January and August 2019, while the number of visitors increased 25.4% in the same period.Visit numbers aggregate the visits to the chain’s various locations in a given period, while visitor numbers track the number of people who enter the brand’s stores.
The company has also been operating a media network since 2018. The Dollar General Media Network (DGMN) enables advertisers to reach Dollar General consumers across the company’s channels to build awareness both digitally and in physical spaces. Advertisers with DGMN can display in-store bollard, blade, and wipe stand signs, security pedestals, basket bottomers, and shelfAdz to deliver in-store messaging from parking lot to purchase. Recently, Dollar General announced that its ad platform was now working with 21 new advertising partners, including Unilever, General Mills, Hershey’s, and Colgate-Palmolive.
Embracing the Power of the Small Market
Advertising partners can leverage the DGMN to promote their goods and services to harder-to-reach consumers.
Dollar General has been serving rural residents for years, with the majority of the company’s stores located in communities with fewer than 20,00 residents. And while the brand is growing nationwide, Dollar General’s strength is particularly evident in small markets – which means that advertising partners can leverage the DGMN to promote their goods and services to harder-to-reach consumers.
Comparing year-over-three-year (Yo3Y) visit change to Dollar General stores in metropolitan and micropolitan core based statistical areas (CBSAs) highlights the company’s success in smaller markets. According to the United States Office of Management and Budget, metropolitan and micropolitan CBSAs have over and under 50,000 residents, respectively. Since January 2022, monthly Yo3Y visit growth to Dollar General venues in select Texas micropolitans has consistently outpaced foot traffic to nearby metropolitan areas. While the Sherman-Denison metro area saw August 2022 foot traffic hit a solid 24.5% increase over August 2019, the Gainesville, Texas micro area – around 35 miles east of Sherman – saw its foot traffic increase 54.5% in the same period.
Dollar General’s presence across a significant number of smaller markets means that advertising partners can use the growing DGMN to increase awareness and drive purchase consideration among these harder-to-reach consumers.
In the digital space, three tech giants – Alphabet (previously Google), Meta (previously Facebook), and Amazon – enjoy over 60% of the digital ad revenue in the United States. This means that companies are competing for impressions on a small number of platforms – and smaller brands geared at specific consumer segments may need to spend significant advertising budgets to outbid the larger players. Retail media networks create additional advertising platforms, and enable advertisers to diversify their ad spend, increase their (physical) impressions, focus on more specialized channels to better reach their audience, and potentially reach customers at their highest point of intent.
Retail media networks create additional advertising platforms and potentially reach customers at their highest point of intent.
Albertsons launched its retail media network, Albertsons Media Collective, in November 2021 with the goal of delivering “digitally native, shopper-centric and engaging branded content to the company’s ever-growing network of shoppers.” Currently, the grocer’s media network is primarily digital, but Albertsons’ head of retail media products Evan Hovorka recognizes the importance of leveraging in-store assets to deliver a unique advertising experience. The company is testing out smart carts that link with “Albertsons for U” loyalty program to display ads to shoppers – and Albertsons is likely to find more ways to reach in-store consumers as it continues to develop its retail media network.
The chain is also one of the most popular grocers nationwide. With the exception of March and April 2022, when inflation and high gas prices temporarily halted growth, the brand’s monthly visits and visitor numbers have consistently exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Monthly visits for Albertsons in August 2022 were up 5.7% and monthly visitors were up 5.4% on a Yo3Y basis. This means that advertisers with Albertsons can increase their reach and grow their physical ad impressions just by displaying their ads in Albertsons locations and tapping into the chain’s growing visitor base.
Looking beyond Albertsons' nationwide average foot traffic trends reveals some important regional differences. Between January and July 2022, visits to the brands increased 4.6% in Wyoming on a Yo3Y basis, while foot traffic to the brand’s locations in Oregon jumped 18.5% compared to January through July 2019. This means that a brand looking to reach consumers in Oregon can contract with Albertsons’ media network to show its ads to a fast-growing pool of visitors.
A larger visitor count translates to an increase in unique ad impressions, while more visits from fewer visitors can drive repeated exposures.
Diving deeper into the data reveals an additional layer of insight. Some states with only moderate visit growth are seeing a surge in visitor numbers, while other states are seeing a drop in visitor numbers but a rise in visits. A larger visitor count translates to an increase in unique ad impressions and more people exposed to the ads, while more visits from fewer visitors translates to more overall impressions that can drive repeated exposure among a smaller group of visitors. So advertisers can use segmented foot traffic data to decide where to focus their marketing depending on the goal of the campaign.
For example, Wyoming's moderate increase in visits hides a significant spike in visitors, which means that advertisers to Albertsons venues in Wyoming can get their impressions before a large number of different potential consumers. Meanwhile, Oregon's 18.5% increase in visits is the result of just a 9.4% increase in visitors – so Albertsons is cultivating an increasingly loyal following in the Beaver State, and the grocer’s advertising partners can expect that the same visitors will be exposed to their brand repeatedly.
So companies that want to increase unique ad impressions and build awareness can advertise to Albertsons customers in Wyoming, where their ads will be seen by a large number of new people. But in Oregon, companies may want to promote a campaign that focuses on moving Albertsons visitors through their funnel.
In order to accurately assess the ad distribution patterns in each location, brands operating retail media networks need to understand both visits and visitors trends in each region and for the chain as a whole.
Advertisers with retail media networks can use foot traffic data to refine their geographic audience by identifying the consumer preferences of a given brick-and-mortar brand on a store or city level.
In August 2020, CVS Pharmacy launched its media network, the CVS Media Exchange (cMx). The company estimates that 76% of U.S. consumers live within five miles of at least one store, and the cMx allows partners to tap into the chain’s reach by giving advertisers access to CVS’ online and offline channels, including in-store ads.
Although CVS has been closing locations recently, the brand is still one of the strongest players in the brick-and-mortar retail space. Its 2022 visit numbers have consistently exceeded pre-pandemic levels nationwide, and data from CVS locations in leading cities shows that its Yo3Y visits per venue and visitor numbers are even higher.
CVS’s nationally distributed fleet means that the brand’s locations in different regions attract distinct consumer bases.
CVS carries a varied product mix of daily essentials in addition to its healthcare offerings, so the brand attracts a wide range of consumer segments. And the chain’s nationally distributed store fleet means that CVS has locations in different regions that attract distinct consumer bases who do not all have the same lifestyle preferences. By using foot traffic data to understand the regional consumer preferences of CVS consumers beyond the store, advertising partners can refine their market and make the most of the cMx.
Different regions have different fitness cultures. Chains catering to health-conscious consumers can use retail media networks and foot traffic data to focus their efforts on areas where inhabitants exhibit a high demand for regular workouts.
Analyzing cross-visit data from CVS locations across five major urban centers in the U.S. shows that the percentage of those who also visited gyms or fitness studios varied significantly across each DMA. In the New York area, 62.7% of those who visited CVS in Q2 2022 also visited a fitness venue during that period, in contrast with only 38.0% of CVS visitors around Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX in the same period. This information can help advertising partners in the health and wellness space decide where to place their campaigns.
Looking at cross-visit data on a city-wide level can provide a sense of the consumer culture in each area, but advertisers that dive into foot traffic data for individual stores can refine their messaging even further.
On average, 43.8% of CVS visitors in the Chicago DMA also visited a gym in Q2 2022. But drilling down to the top CVS locations in the city reveals that the rate of cross-visits varies significantly from location to location. Both the E 53rd Street and W 103rd Street locations have a relatively high share of visitors who visit fitness locations – 52.5% and 49.2%, respectively. Meanwhile fitness cross-visits were at just 36.6% for the South Stony Island Avenue location. Advertisers promoting health and wellness related products and services may want to focus on the 103rd St. and 53rd St. CVS locations.
Diving into a customer’s behavior and preferences outside the store can help retail media network operators and advertising partners find the areas and locations best suited for each type of ad.
Cross-visit data is one way to identify consumer preferences beyond the physical store. Advertisers can also analyze digital preferences of offline visitors to focus their marketing on the most appropriate locations.
Advertisers can also analyze digital preferences of offline visitors to focus on the most appropriate locations.
Over the past couple of years, Macy’s has been finding ways to reinvent itself and optimize its store fleet – and foot traffic data indicates that the retailer's efforts are paying off. In the first half of 2022, Macy’s exceeded its H1 2021 overall visit and average visits per venue numbers and posted a positive year-over-year (YoY) visitor count. In Q2 2022, despite the wider economic challenges, Macy’s visitors, visits, and average visits per venue saw YoY increases of 3.4%, 4.0% and 9.9% increases.
Like CVS, Macy’s launched its media network in August 2020, and by February 2021 the Macy’s Media Network was already generating $35 million annually. In addition to advertising on the company’s digital channels, Macy’s also offers partners the use of in-store screen displays, package inserts, and the brand’s iconic billboard in New York City’s Herald Square.
Advertisers can optimize their advertising by analyzing the differences in consumer profiles between a chain’s various stores.
Advertisers that understand the differences in consumer profiles between a chain’s various stores can optimize their advertising efforts. While looking at variations in cross-visit trends is one way to identify interested brick-and-mortar consumers, diving into visitor’s digital behavior and online preferences can also provide valuable insights.
Tools such as Spatial.ai’s GeoWeb, which tracks online engagement with various trends and topics by neighborhood, can reveal how offline consumers behave online. An index score of 100 indicates that consumers in an area have an average interest in a given topic, while scores over (or under) 100 indicate that consumers are more (or less) interested in the topic when compared to the national average interest.
We used Spatial.ai’s GeoWeb tool to analyze the online behavior of consumers in the True Trade Areas (TTA) of five Macy’s locations in the Philadelphia, PA DMA – and found that residents of the different TTAs stores showed differing indexes. For example, the Macy’s in the King of Prussia Mall location showed a high index of 161 in “Men’s Business Clothes Shoppers,” while the Cottman Ave. location had an only slightly above average index of 102. This means that advertisers of men’s business apparel may see more results by focussing their advertising on visitors to the King of Prussia location.
Advertisers that use retail media networks do a lot more than just reach in-store shoppers. Stores exist in the physical world, so advertisers can also reach passers-by through physical venues’ windows, blade signs – or in the case of Macy’s, through its Herald Square Billboard. Here too, foot traffic data can reveal the consumer preferences of people walking by the sign.
We looked at the online behavior in the TTA around the traffic pin on the corner where the billboard is located (Broadway/6th Ave and 34th Street in New York) to understand which advertisers might benefit most from a billboard at that location. While the “Men’s Business Clothes Shoppers” category was over-indexed compared to the national average, as would be expected in midtown Manhattan, “Women’s Fashion Brand Shoppers” had an even higher index. “Gen Z Apparel Shoppers” were over-represented, but “Leather Good Shoppers” and ”Athleisure Shoppers” were under-represented. So a brand that carries both elegant wear and athleisure may want to display its less casual clothing lines on the billboard.
Understanding how consumers behave both on and offline can help retail media networks and advertising partners promote their campaigns most effectively.
To transform their physical store fleet into a media network, brands and companies need to analyze the reach of each venue. The same chain operating in multiple regions may be reaching different types of consumers in each area, or even in various neighborhoods of the same city. These distinct audiences may have contrasting products, brands, and shopping preferences.
Retailers that leverage their brick and mortar presence can transform the advertisement space as it exists today.
Retailers can also partner with advertising partners who wish to promote goods and services not carried by the retailer. For this to succeed, the retailer will need to analyze how consumers behave outside of its stores. Understanding what characterizes the overall behavior of consumers in each locations’ trade area will allow the retailer to reach a larger audience and truly compete with the digital giants. And by leveraging their brick and mortar presence, brick and mortar retail can transform the advertisement space as it exists today.
