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If you’ve been to your local recreation center or even shopping center lately, pickleball is definitely still going on strong. Invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, for many decades it was considered more of a seniors’ recreational activity. But with the recent explosion of interest and proliferation of courts, we may be about to see the same snowboarding vs skiing battle that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, except instead of the young punks carving down the slopes, it’s people of all ages carving out Pickleball courts with tape to the dismay of their tennis-loving brethren and sound-sensitive neighbors.
According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), “pickleball continues to be the fastest growing sport in America, having grown 51.8% from 2022 to 2023 and an incredible 223.5% in 4 years since 2020.” The sport has some similarities to tennis, table tennis, and badminton, but one reason it has become so popular is the social nature of it - often played as doubles - and the fact that since the court is smaller, there’s less running to engage in, but there is still the excitement of rapid volleying. The ability to serve underhand also makes it more accessible to new players.
Pickleball America bills itself as “one of the largest indoor pickleball venues in America” and with 80,000 sq ft at the Stamford Town Center, it clearly can live up to that claim. With clever events like “Dinko de Mayo” or resident events to bring a nearby living community together, pickleball could just be the glue that starts to bring people together for socialization and cure the loneliness epidemic. Indoor pickleball venues can also be a source of family fun, with lounges and fresh popcorn available, as well as foosball, table tennis, and essential board games.
Another sport that may be giving tennis and pickleball a run for its money is padel. This sport has the unique benefit of one being able to hit shots off the fence or wall, often made of glass or mesh, that is at the perimeter. So now we’re talking 3D thinking as one figures out what angles to hit.
One can fit about 2 padel courts on a tennis court, and up to 4 pickleball courts on a tennis court. So from an economics perspective, you can definitely charge for more people when playing padel or pickleball. Padel is described more as a mix of tennis, squash, and badminton and is the fastest-growing sport globally with over 25 million players in 90+ countries, per PadAthletes. At P1 Padel in Las Vegas, NV, the most popular times to frequent are in the evening from 6-8 PM. There is also a morning contingent between 9-11 AM.
Padel players at this location are quite loyal, with a majority coming 30+ times in the past 12 months.
With pickleball and padel nipping at its heels, the USTA (US Tennis Association) is fighting back with its own version of more accessible tennis, namely “red ball.” With a smaller court, a smaller racket, and balls that are up to 75% slower, this version helps newbies obtain control over the ball more quickly and has less ground to cover for those lateral runs and quick pivots. Schroeder Tennis Center in Tipp City, OH is one such location that is participating in this USTA pilot program. The bulk of visits are between 4-8 pm, which are prime post-school or post-work hours. According to the Tennis Industry Association, 23.8 million Americans ages 6 and older played tennis at least once in 2023 and 25.1 million Americans who didn’t play tennis in 2023 are “very interested” in doing so now.
Tennis has a long and storied history and iconic locations like Wimbledon and Roland Garros. What young tennis player doesn’t dream of their moment on Center Court? Tennis also has associations with country clubs and networking. It will likely remain the king of racquet sports. But these two new princes of pickleball and padel prove that tennis cannot just rest on its laurels but will need to evolve in order to stay competitive.
We’re in the midst of not only the beginning of the holiday season in retail, but also at the peak of wedding season. September and October are now the most popular months to get married, and fall weddings have become extremely popular with younger generations. Wedding planning encompasses so many different occasions, events and appointments, but none more important than wedding dress shopping.
The bridal retail space across the U.S. is incredibly fragmented, with much of the business being done by local boutiques and small chains with a handful of stores. However, there are still major retailers in the market and more entering each year. Brands in apparel have especially taken note with Abercrombie & Fitch, Reformation and e-commerce brands like Lulus all making a play at capturing a bride’s attention.
Two larger, more established forces in bridal retail include David’s Bridal and Anthropologie Weddings (formerly known as BHLDN). Both concepts have distinct value propositions for their consumers, but both aim at providing an elevated assortment and experience that is also value oriented. As value continues to be a motivating factor across all consumer decision making, both of these retailers have seen positive momentum in 2024.
Looking at year-over-year change in visitation, Anthropologie Weddings locations have consistently seen traffic growth in 2024 and have outperformed the total chain from a visitation perspective. The wedding shop is not located in all Anthropologie stores, but the stores that do have the concept cater to a higher income and trendy consumer; the location selection of towns such as Newport Beach, Westport, CT, and Newton, MA has certainly benefited the stores.
The median household income of visits to Anthropologie weddings is $117K compared to $94K chainwide. Despite the higher income profile of visitors to the wedding focused stores, Anthropologie Weddings still does appeal to value-conscious brides, despite socioeconomic status; most bridal gowns are under $2,500, which is still relatively affordable based on the industry standard.
Looking at the audience segmentation of visitors to Anthropologie Weddings compared to the total chain using PersonaLive, the wedding shops saw almost double the share of visits from Educated Urbanites, a key segment for a bridal business to not only capture, but convert. All of this highlights the success of the brand’s wedding strategy, from its location selection, to assortment and experience, which are distinctly Anthropologie, but also fitting of a special trip. Other retailers looking to make a splash in the bridal market should certainly look to Anthropologie as a case study in brand extension.
David’s Bridal had a challenging start to 2024, mirroring a few years of challenging foot traffic to its stores. However, around the midpoint of the year, there’s been an acceleration in visitation across the chain. Looking at visitation trends for 2023 and 2024, the brand started to close the gap in August. As a true value centered bridal retailer, the brand may have found its moment in the current economic climate.
Looking at the change in visitation throughout 2024, from January to July, on average, visits were down 32% YoY; from August through the most recent week, visits were down only 2% year-over-year. That’s a great improvement in trend against the backdrop of a challenging year, and even more interesting when thinking about the lead time brides have for ordering wedding gowns; most dresses for fall weddings would have been ordered in the winter or spring months, where David’s Bridal sees higher levels of visitation.
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The audience segmentation of the brand has also shifted over that time. Compared to 2023 as a benchmark, the period of August 2024 through present has seen a higher share of visits from Suburban Boomers and Melting Pot Families, and a slight increase in Young Professionals. The brand also stocks special occasion and homecoming dresses, which both could appeal to these groups.
Using Placer’s Frequent Co-Tenants report, David’s Bridal locations tend to be co-located with other specialty retailers, including Five Below, Ulta Beauty, and Ross Dress for Less, who are also value oriented and the latter two retailers have been doing well in securing more traffic. The stores may have benefits from their co-location with retailers that meet current consumer desires.
Weddings continue to be a big business across the U.S., and retailers that support the wedding industry have a lot of opportunities for growth, if they can find and appeal to the right consumer cohorts. Brides of all levels are looking for an elevated experience and selection, no matter her budget.
We’ve spent a lot of time this past year analyzing how consumer behavior has evolved across the broader food and essentials category, noting that consumers continue to shop a wide number of stores across multiple channels for food purchases. With the release of Placer Data Version 2.1, we thought we’d revisit the topic.
Below, we’ve presented total category visits for grocery stores (including both conventional and value grocery chains), superstores (including mass merchants and warehouse clubs), gas stations and convenience stores, dollar and discount stories (including liquidators), drugstores, quick-service restaurants (QSR), and full-service restaurants from 2019 to the trailing-twelve-month period (TTM0. A few takeaways: (1) Dollar stores saw the largest increase in total visits versus the other categories as they vastly expanded their food and consumables offering since 2019 to drive frequency and traffic. However, the pace of growth has decelerated materially over the past twelve months amid increased competitive pressure from superstore and value-oriented retailers like Aldi and 99 Cents Only Stores exiting the market; (2) drugstore visits have remained flat versus 2019 despite most of the major chains in the category undergoing store closure programs. We believe healthcare service and weight-loss drug prescriptions visits have helped to offset some of the store closures, although we continue to see some transfer of visits to other retail categories in this channel; and (3) the decline in full-service restaurants is partly due to permanent closures compared to 2019.
It gets interesting when we compare category-level retail sales data from the U.S. Census Bureau to our visitation data. Below, we’ve taken retail sales (on an unadjusted basis) for the same timeframe that we looked at above to analyze retail spend per visit. A few things stand out here: (1) Three categories saw the average retail sales per visit increase period of the analysis: QSR, full-service restaurants, and drugstores. The increase in drugstores is likely partly to due with the shift in sales mix to more healthcare related services, while the increase in QSR and full-service restaurant retail sales per visit likely explain this summer’s promotional activity to win back customers who traded to other channels; (2) The impact of increased promotional activity and fewer units purchased per transaction can be seen across the other categories, where we saw an inflection in retail sales per visit in 2023 and continuing into 2024 for most.
We also thought we’d assess dwell times across the different food and essentials retail categories (for purposes of this analysis, we’ve removed full-service restaurants, which have gone from an average dwell time of 52 minutes in 2019 to 49 minutes over the past twelve months, although we continue to see fine-dining chain dwell times exceed pre-pandemic levels as consumers look to maximize their experience when dining out). Here, we also see two callouts: (1) As consumers make food purchases across a wider number of channels, dwell time has decreased for most, matching the decrease in units per transaction that we've called out in the past. We did see dwell times increase for a few categories during the back half of 2023 which we believe was due to consumers engaging in price comparisons, but this has reversed in 2024 as consumers have now solidified new shopping routines (i.e., knowing what stores to get what deals); and (2) QSR dwell time remains below pre-pandemic levels, which isn’t surprising given that a higher percentage of transactions are now taking place via drive-thru and takeout orders. However, the increase in dwell time the past few years also suggests the potential for improved drive-thru optimization, a topic we recently analyzed.
Carter’s Inc., owner of the OshKosh B’gosh and Carter’s baby and children’s clothing brands, is a major player in the nation’s $28 billion children's clothing industry. As of the end of 2023, the company boasted nearly 800 physical stores throughout the U.S. And after closing hundreds of stores in 2020, the brand is back to betting big on brick-and-mortar – with plans to open some 250 new U.S. locations by 2027.
How is Carter's faring in 2024? We took a closer look to find out.
Discretionary spending cutbacks and the rise of online shopping have weighed on apparel retailers in recent years. But some clothing chains – including Carter’s – are bucking the trend. Between January and September 2024, monthly visits to Carter’s stores generally outpaced the wider apparel industry, with some months posting double-digit growth.
March and August 2024 saw respective YoY visit increases of 16.0% and 14.4%, likely driven by pre-Easter and back-to-school shopping. (March and August 2024 each also had one more Saturday than March or August 2023 – a busy day for clothing stores.) And Carter’s finished out Q3 2024 with a 4.3% YoY visit increase, even as the broader apparel category saw just a minor 0.8% uptick.
Indeed, examining weekly foot traffic to Carter's highlights the seasonality of the company’s visitation patterns. Visits are typically lower during the colder winter months but pick up in anticipation of Easter and spring break – likely encouraged by spring sales held by the brand.
Carter’s real spike, however, comes during the back-to-school season, when parents head to the store to pick up new clothing for the school year – and when Carter's holds major back-to-school sales. During the week of August 5th, foot traffic surged to 29.5% above the year-to-date (YTD) weekly visit average. And with the holiday season fast approaching – including major retail milestones like Black Friday and Super Saturday – the children's retailer appears poised to enjoy continued success.
Unsurprisingly, Carter's attracts family segments to its stores, and over-indexes for wealthy and suburban family markets.
Using the Spatial.ai: PersonaLive dataset to analyze Carter's trade areas reveals that, on a nationwide level, the company’s captured market has higher shares of wealthy and suburban consumer segments than its potential one. (A chain’s potential market is obtained by weighting each Census Block Group (CBG) in its trade area according to population size, thus reflecting the overall makeup of the chain’s trade area. A business’ captured market, on the other hand, is obtained by weighting each CBG according to its share of visits to the chain in question – and thus represents the profile of its actual visitor base).
Between January and September 2024, the shares of “Wealthy Suburban Families” and “Ultra Wealthy Families” in Carter's captured market stood at 12.5% and 8.9%, respectively – outpacing the company’s potential market shares. This highlights Carter's’ success in attracting these high-income family segments. Meanwhile, households hailing from “Blue Collar Suburbs” were underrepresented in Carter's captured market compared to its potential one. This suggests that, as Carter’s continues to open stores, targeting blue collar suburban areas may pay off for the brand.
Carter's is managing not just to survive, but to thrive. After closing stores during the pandemic, the company is back with full force, driving visits and maximizing high-traffic periods.
Will Carter's continue to outpace the wider apparel category during the upcoming holiday season?
Visit Placer.ai to keep up with the latest data-driven retail insights.
This blog includes data from Placer.ai Data Version 2.1, which introduces a new dynamic model that stabilizes daily fluctuations in the panel, improving accuracy and alignment with external ground truth sources.
Recovering consumer sentiment has provided a boost to restaurants in recent months – but not all dining segments are performing equally well.
We dove into the data to check in with two casual dining steakhouse chains that were recently named America’s favorite full-service restaurants – Texas Roadhouse and Darden’s LongHorn Steakhouse. How did they perform in Q3? And what are some of the factors contributing to their success?
Since April 2024, Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse have both experienced consistently positive YoY foot traffic – outpacing the wider full-service restaurant space. The steakhouses’ strongest months were in May and June, when both chains traditionally draw big Mother’s Day and Father’s Day crowds. In August, too – prime vacation season – Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse experienced 12.5% and 9.3% YoY visit increases, respectively.
On a quarterly basis, YoY visits to Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse increased 5.9% and 4.0%, respectively, in Q3 2024 – while the wider FSR space saw a 2.0% decline. And though some of this growth can be attributed to the chains’ expanding footprints, the average number of visits to each chain’s individual locations also rose YoY (3.0% for Texas Roadhouse and 2.6% for LongHorn Steakhouse).
What is the secret to these steakhouses’ success? One factor that appears to be driving growth for both restaurants is their relative affordability – especially on weekday afternoons. The cost of beef has continued to climb in recent months – and though the two chains have been forced to raise prices, they have remained committed to providing high-quality meals that don’t break the bank.
One way they’ve done so is through weekday specials that allow hungry customers to indulge as they go about their routines. Texas Roadhouse’s Early Dine Menu offers diners a variety of entrees for $8.99 to $11.99 – as long as they snag them before the dinner time rush. LongHorn Steakhouse, for its part, offers a lunchtime special on Mondays through Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, including an $8.99 sandwich combo.
And foot traffic data suggests that these offerings may be helping to drive traffic to the two chains. In Q3 2024 (July to September), both Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse saw significantly higher weekday YoY visit growth during the afternoons – 9.7% and 8.0% respectively, compared to 6.8% and 4.3% after 6:00 PM. The accelerating return-to-office push may also be contributing to the two chains’ YoY visit growth, as commuters seek out affordable places to have lunch with colleagues.
Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse are both major national chains – with locations spread across the continental U.S. But a look at the geographic distribution of visits to the two steakhouse giants shows that each of them has a somewhat different regional focus. Though Georgia – where LongHorn Steakhouse was founded – is the brand’s second-largest market in terms of restaurant count, the Peach State garnered the highest share of visits to the chain in Q3 2024 (13.3%). Next in line was Florida, with 12.6% of visits. For Louisiana-based Texas Roadhouse, on the other hand, Texas was at the center of it all – with Florida coming in a not-so-close second.
Both chains, however, share some major markets – including Ohio (about six percent of visits to each chain) and Pennsylvania (about five percent of visits to each chain) – showing that many regional markets have plenty of room for high-quality, affordable steakhouses.
And a look at the demographic profiles of Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse’s trade areas shows that like other successful chains, both brands appeal to a wide range of audience segments. The eateries’ captured markets boast higher-than-average shares of very different suburban segments – from wealthy and upper-middle-class suburban families to suburban boomers and residents of blue collar suburbs.
Full-service restaurants still face significant hurdles in 2024 – from rising costs to discretionary spending cutbacks. The 2024 consumer prioritizes value and convenience, making it difficult for traditional sit-down eateries to compete. But the continued success of Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse proves that even in today’s difficult environment, FSR chains that succeed in providing affordable, high quality offerings can thrive.
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This blog includes data from Placer.ai Data Version 2.1, which introduces a new dynamic model that stabilizes daily fluctuations in the panel, improving accuracy and alignment with external ground truth sources.
About the Mall Index: The Index analyzes data from 100 top-tier indoor malls, 100 open-air shopping centers (not including outlet malls) and 100 outlet malls across the country, in both urban and suburban areas. Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the country.
It was an amazing summer for malls, with August proving an especially strong month across all three mall categories – indoor malls, open-air shopping centers, and outlet malls. Between huge blockbuster summer releases, rising consumer confidence, and favorable weather, malls drew bigger crowds than they did last year. The week of August 12th saw YoY visit boosts of 5.6% for indoor malls, 5.8% for open-air centers, and 2.8% for outlet malls. (Outlet malls saw a more impressive YoY boost of 5.4% during the week of August 5th).
As the summer wound down and families settled into back-to-school routines, mall traffic leveled off – with weekly YoY visits ranging from -2.9% to 2.2% in September. But September’s relative quiet won’t last long. Mall traffic is expected to ramp up again in October as early holiday promotions begin to draw crowds, as both retailers and consumers gear up for this year’s shorter holiday shopping season — just 27 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
September’s relative quiet notwithstanding, the first Monday of the month – Labor Day – is always a busy one for retailers, and this year was no different. Eager crowds converged on malls during the holiday to take advantage of special sales and enjoy a day of retail therapy.
Compared to the average year-to-date Monday, indoor malls saw a 61.5% increase in foot traffic on Labor Day, while open-air shopping centers saw a 34.1% rise. But it was outlet malls that really hit it out of the park with a remarkable 110.7% boost. Outlet malls often lead during holiday weekends, as shoppers take advantage of their time off for an extended excursion.
What do malls’ 2024 performance thus far tell us about what they can expect this holiday season?
If the rest of the year is any indication, indoor malls and open-air shopping centers are poised for a robust holiday season, having experienced YoY visit growth during every quarter of the year so far. And while outlet mall visits have largely remained aligned with 2023 levels, they are traditionally strong performers during the holidays – so a solid season is still expected for them as well.
Indeed, in past years, outlet malls have proven to be major holiday shopping destinations. Comparing weekly visits to malls in 2022 and 2023 to each year’s weekly visit average shows significant surges in November and December, with outlet malls seeing the most pronounced spikes.
During the week before Christmas in 2023, for example, outlet malls saw visits soar 79.3%, compared to 72.8% for indoor malls and 47.8% for open-air shopping centers. And on Black Friday outlet malls were the clear winners – with a 59.3% visit spike compared to 36.9% for indoor malls and just 18.2% for open-air centers.
This year is expected to follow suit, with all three mall categories likely to see heavy traffic during the peak holiday weeks—and outlet malls expected to shine especially bright as shoppers go the extra mile to seek out the best deals.
The holiday season not only boosts mall traffic but also shifts consumer behavior. Data from the past two years shows that malls’ average dwell times tend to increase during the all-important final quarter. In both 2022 and 2023, indoor and outlet malls saw average Q4 visit durations rise by about a minute compared to the rest of the year. Though a one-minute increase might appear minor, even a small shift in the overall average is significant given the millions of visits that take place during this period.
This trend highlights a shift in consumer behavior during the holidays, as visitors spend more time strolling through malls to snag special deals and seek out ideal gifts for loved ones. Interestingly, open-air shopping centers, which also saw smaller holiday visit peaks, did not show the same shift in dwell time – suggesting that visitor interaction with these centers during the holidays is more in line with that observed throughout the rest of the year.
As October unfolds, and malls begin to fill with holiday scents, music, decor, and promotions, the sector appears well-positioned for a strong holiday season. And this optimism is even further bolstered by predictions of increased consumer spending in the months ahead.
Will malls meet these high expectations during the upcoming season? Follow our blog at Placer.ai to find out.
This blog includes data from Placer.ai Data Version 2.1, which introduces a new dynamic model that stabilizes daily fluctuations in the panel, improving accuracy and alignment with external ground truth sources.
The New York office scene is buzzing once again, as companies from JPMorgan to Meta double down on return-to-office (RTO) mandates. But just how did New York office foot traffic fare in 2024? How did Big Apple office foot traffic compare to that of other major business hubs nationwide? And how is New York’s office recovery impacting post-COVID trends like the TGIF work week? Are office visits still concentrated mid-week, or are people coming in more on Fridays and Mondays? And how has Manhattan’s RTO affected local commuting patterns?
We dove into the data to find out.
In 2024, New York City cemented its position as the nationwide leader in office recovery. Thanks in part to remote work crackdowns by banking behemoths like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan, visits to NYC office buildings in 2024 were just 13.1% below pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
For comparison, Miami’s office foot traffic remained 16.2% below pre-pandemic levels, while Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Boston saw significantly larger gaps at 28.6%, 37.8%, and 43.9%, respectively.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the Big Apple’s robust year-over-five-year (Yo5Y) recovery, the pace of year-over-year (YoY) visit growth to NYC office buildings was somewhat slower in 2024 than in other major East Coast business centers. Still, New York’s YoY office recovery rate of 12.4% outpaced the nationwide baseline, and came in just slightly below Washington, D.C.’s 15.2% and Atlanta’s 14.6%.
Interestingly, New York’s return to office has not led to a significant retreat from the TGIF work week that emerged during COVID. In 2024, just 11.9% of weekday (Monday to Friday) visits to NYC offices took place on Fridays – only slightly more than the 11.5% recorded in 2023 and significantly below the pre-pandemic baseline of 17.2%.
Meanwhile, Monday has quietly regained its footing as the dreaded start of the New York work week. After dropping significantly in 2022 and 2023, the share of weekday office visits taking place on Mondays rebounded to 18.2% in 2024 – just slightly below 2019’s 19.5%. Still, Tuesday remained the Big Apple’s busiest in-office day of the week last year, accounting for nearly a quarter (24.6%) of weekday NYC office foot traffic.
And diving into Yo5Y data for each day of the work week shows just how much New York’s overall recovery is driven by mid-week visits – and especially Tuesday ones. In 2024, Friday visits to NYC office buildings were down 40.2% compared to 2019. But on Tuesdays, visits were essentially on par with pre-pandemic levels (-0.3%), even as nationwide office visits remained 24.6% below 2019.
Another post-COVID trend that has shown staying power in New York is the growing share of office visits coming from employees who live nearby. As hybrid schedules become the norm, it seems that those commuting more frequently are often just a short subway ride -or even a stroll- away.
The share of NYC office workers coming from less than five miles away, for example, has risen steadily since COVID, reaching 46.0% in 2024. Over the same period, the share of workers coming from 5-10 miles, 10-15 miles, or 25+ miles away has declined.
Looking at commuting trends across the East Coast helps put New York City’s shift into perspective. In 2019, NYC’s share of nearby commuters was on par with Washington, D.C. and slightly below Boston. But while both cities experienced moderate increases in local commuters between 2019 and 2024, New York pulled ahead, outpacing all other analyzed cities in its share of nearby office workers last year.
Miami and Atlanta – two other standout cities in office recovery – also saw significant growth in the percentage of short-distance commuters over the past five years. This trend underscores a broader shift: As hybrid work reshapes commuting habits, employees across multiple markets are more likely to go into the office if they live nearby, reducing reliance on long-haul commutes.
As the nation’s office recovery leader, New York offers a glimpse into what other cities can expect as office visitation rates continue to improve. Even at just 13.1% below pre-pandemic levels, NYC office visit levels continue to rise. And as recovery nears completion, trends that took hold during COVID remain firmly entrenched.
The full-service dining segment has experienced its fair share of challenges over the past few years, with pandemic-era closures, rising food and labor costs, and cutbacks in discretionary spending contributing to visit lags. In 2024, visits were down 0.2% year over year (YoY) and remained 8.4% below 2019 levels – a reflection of the significant number of venues that permanently closed over COVID and a testament to the industry's ongoing struggle to regain its pre-pandemic footing.
Yet, even in a difficult environment, some full-service restaurant (FSR) chains are thriving. These brands aren’t waiting for the industry to rebound – they're becoming trendsetters in their own right, proving that stand-out strategy is everything in a challenging market.
This white paper explores brands that are harnessing three key differentiators – fixed-price value offerings, elevated social experiences, and a laser focus on product – to drive full-service dining success in 2025.
One of the most defining trends over the past few years has been the unrelenting march of price increases. And as consumers continue to seek out ways to save, some chains are staying ahead of the pack with fixed-price value offerings that help diners squeeze out the very best bang for their buck.
Golden Corral, the all-you-can-eat buffet chain that lets kids under three eat for free, is one FSR that is benefiting from consumers’ current value orientation. Despite closing several locations in 2024, overall visits to the chain still tracked closely with 2023 levels, declining by just 0.5% – while the average number visits to each Golden Corral restaurant grew 3.8% YoY.
Golden Corral’s value proposition is resonating strongly with budget-conscious Americans eager to enjoy a wide variety of comfort foods at an affordable price. The chain’s visitors tend to come from trade areas with lower median household incomes (HHIs) than traditional full-service restaurant (FSR) diners. And these patrons are willing to travel to enjoy the chain’s value buffet offerings, many of which are situated in rural areas and may require a longer drive. In 2024, 25.2% of Golden Corral’s diners came from over 30 miles away – compared to just 19.2% for the wider FSR segment.
Golden Corral’s continued flourishing proves that in an era of rising costs, diners are willing to go the extra mile (literally) for a restaurant that delivers both quality and affordability.
Children’s party space and eatertainment destination Chuck E. Cheese has had a transformative few years. Following the retirement of its iconic animatronic band, the chain shifted its focus to a new membership model, announcing a revamped Summer of Fun pass in May 2024 – including unlimited visits over a two-month period, steep discounts on food, and up to 250 games per day. The pass proved incredibly popular, with YoY visits surging by 15.6% in May 2024, when the offer launched – a sharp turnaround from the YoY visit declines of the previous months. Recognizing the strong demand, Chuck E. Cheese extended the program year-round – and the strategy has paid off as YoY visits remained positive through the end of 2024.
A closer look at the data suggests that parents are making full use of their unlimited passes: The share of weekday visits was higher in H2 2024 than in H2 2023, likely due to families using their passes for weekday entertainment rather than reserving visits for weekends and special occasions.
At the same time, the share of repeat visitors – those frequenting the chain at least twice a month – also grew. Although these repeat visitors may not purchase additional gameplay beyond the flat fee, their more frequent on-site presence likely translates into increased sales of pizza and other menu items.
While value has been a major motivator for restaurant-goers in recent years, low prices aren’t the only drivers of FSR success. Brands offering unique experiences aimed at maximizing social interaction are also seeing outsized gains.
Though many of these more innovative venues tend to be on the more expensive side, they draw enthusiastic crowds willing to pony up for concepts that combine good food with fun social occasions. And some of the more successful ones bolster perceived value through offerings like fixed-price menus or club memberships.
Korean cuisine has been on the rise in recent years, with restaurants like Bonchon Chicken and GEN Korean BBQ House making significant waves in the dining space. Another chain drawing attention is KPOT Korean BBQ and Hot Pot, which began modestly in 2018 and has since expanded to over 150 locations nationwide.
Diners at KPOT can customize their meals by selecting from a variety of proteins, broths, sauces, and side dishes, known as banchan, while barbecuing or cooking in a hotpot at their table and sipping on the drinks from the menu’s extensive selection. And though pricier than Golden Corral, KPOT also offers an all-you-can-eat experience that lets customers squeeze the most value out of their indulgence.
Location intelligence shows that KPOT’s experiential dining model is resonating with customers: Since Q4 2019, the average number of visits to each KPOT location has risen steadily – even as the chain has grown its footprint – while the average dwell time has also increased. Indeed, rather than a quick dining stop, KPOT has become a destination for guests to linger, enjoying both food and drinks – and an interactive and social experience.
By positioning themselves as gathering places for fine wine aficionados, wine-club-focused concepts such as Postino WineCafe and Cooper’s Hawk Winery are also benefiting from today’s consumers’ emphasis on social experiences. The two upscale dining destinations offer club memberships that combine periodic wine releases with a variety of perks.
And the data suggests that the model is strongly resonating with diners. Both Postino and Cooper’s Hawk have grown their footprints over the past year, driving substantial YoY chain-wide visit increases while average visits per location grew as well – showing that the expansions and experiential offerings are meeting robust demand.
And analyzing the two chains’ captured markets shows that the wine club model enjoys broad appeal across a variety of audience segments.
Unsurprisingly, both wine clubs’ visitor bases include higher-than-average shares of affluent consumers with money to spend, including Experian: Mosaic’s “Power Elite”, “Booming with Confidence”, and “Flourishing Families” segments (the nation’s wealthiest families, as well as affluent suburban and middle-aged households). But the two chains also attract younger, more budget-conscious consumers – Postino, which has many downtown locations, is popular among “Singles and Starters”, while Cooper’s Hawk is popular among “Promising Families” - i.e. young couples with children.
The success of the two brands across various segments underscores the impact of a distinctive experience – especially when paired with a loyalty-boosting membership – in attracting today’s consumers.
Value offerings and unique experiences have the power to drive restaurant visits – but ultimately, a good meal in an inviting atmosphere is a draw in and of itself, as is shown by the success of First Watch and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill.
Breakfast-only restaurant First Watch excels at ambiance and menu innovation, changing up its offerings five times a year and striving to maintain a neighborhood feel at each of its locations.
First Watch has made a point of leaning into its strengths, eschewing discounts in favor of a consistently elevated dining experience and doubling down its strongest day part (weekend brunch), rather than trying to artificially drive up interest at other times.
And the strategy appears to be working: In 2024, visits to First Watch increased 6.6% YoY – with Saturdays and Sundays between 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. remaining its busiest dayparts by far. Visitors to First Watch also tend to linger over their meals more than at other breakfast chains – in 2024, the restaurant experienced an average dwell time of 54.9 minutes, significantly longer than the 48.7-minute average at other breakfast-focused restaurants.
By focusing on what matters most to its diners – innovative and exciting food and a welcoming atmosphere that allows patrons to enjoy their meals at a leisurely pace – First Watch is continuing to flourish.
Another chain that is growing its footprint and its audience on the strength of a menu and ambiance-focused approach is Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. The chain, known for its “polished casual” vibe and bold, unique flavors, added several new restaurants last year, leading to a 6.5% increase in overall visits. Over the same period, the average number of visits to each Firebirds location held steady – showing that the new restaurants aren’t cannibalizing existing business.
The chain’s success may rest, in part, on its locating its venues in areas rife with enthusiastic foodies. Data from Spatial.ai’s FollowGraph shows that in 2024, Firebird’s trade areas had significantly higher shares of “BBQ Lovers”, “Gourmet Burger Lovers,” and “Foodies” than the nationwide average. This suggests that Firebirds is attracting diners who prioritize the experience of eating – key for a chain that prides itself on putting good food first. The chain is also known for its welcoming decor and design – another aspect that may lead to its strong visit success.
Necessity often serves as the mother of invention, and challenging economic periods continue to spark new trends and innovations in the dining scene. From a heightened focus on value – drawing families and lower-HHI consumers willing to travel for a good deal – to the growing appeal of social dining and the timeless draw of good food – new trends are emerging to meet changing consumer expectations.
Stadiums and arenas – and the communities they call home – have a stake in cultivating engaged team fanbases eager to participate in live events. And venues and teams can employ a variety of strategies to strengthen their connection with fans and draw crowds to the stands.
In this report, we leverage location analytics and audience segmentation to uncover some of the ways that sports franchises and venues are driving engagement – attracting visitors from farther away and appealing to fans more likely to splurge on stadium fare. How does the signing of a star athlete impact arena visitor profiles? What happens to stadium visitation trends when a team’s performance improves dramatically? And how can teams and venues tailor their offerings to more effectively cater to visitor preferences?
We dove into the data to find out.
In sports, the signing of a star athlete can have a ripple effect across the organization, hometown, and league. In addition to driving up overall attendance at games, star power can impact everything from visit frequency to audience profile – and the buying power of stadium attendees.
Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami CF after decades of European play brought a foot traffic boost to Chase Stadium (formerly DRV PNK Stadium). But it also shifted the demographics of stadium visitors and increased the distance they traveled to attend a game.
At Inter Miami’s 2022 and 2023 home openers without Messi (he joined the team mid-season in 2023), only 6.4% and 5.3% of visitors to Chase Stadium came from over 250 miles away. But for the 2024 home opener with Messi on the squad, 31.3% of stadium visitors traveled more than 250 miles to attend.
The demographics of visitors at the home opener also changed with Messi on the team. Trade area data combined with the Spatial.ai: PersonaLive dataset reveals that the 2024 home opener received a smaller share of households in the “Near-Urban Diverse Families” (11.2%) and “Young Urban Singles” (7.2%) segments than the two previous years. Meanwhile, shares of “Sunset Boomers” (13.0%) and “Ultra Wealthy Families” (20.1%) increased, indicating that Messi brought an older and more affluent demographic of visitors to the stadium compared to previous years. Messi’s arrival has generated increased revenue for Inter Miami CF, Major League Soccer, and Apple TV+, which has exclusive streaming rights for MLS games. And an influx of affluent out-of-town visitors also has the potential to drive positive outcomes for tourism and employment in the Miami area.
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut was another star-powered game changer – this time for women’s basketball. After dazzling the sports world during her college basketball career, Caitlin Clark was drafted first overall to the Indiana Fever before the 2024 WNBA season. The superstar’s arrival has had a staggering economic impact on the city of Indianapolis and the Fever franchise, highlighting the benefit of a top athlete within the local community. However, Clark’s stardom also had a far-reaching impact on the league as a whole, adding tremendous value to the WNBA. Trade area analysis reveals that several WNBA arenas saw an uptick in visitor affluence when hosting the Fever with Clark in the lineup – likely driven in part by the elevated ticket prices associated with her appearances.
When the Minnesota Lynx hosted the Fever on July 14th, 2024, for example, the median HHI of Target Center’s captured market shot up to just over $93K/year, well above the median HHIs for the games immediately before and after that event. (A venue’s captured market refers to the census block groups (CBGs) from which it draws its visitors, weighted to reflect the share of visits from each one – and thus reflects the profile of the venue’s visitor base.) Similarly, the Fever’s away game against the Connecticut Sun on May 14th, 2024 at Mohegan Sun Arena drove a higher audience median HHI ($103.6K/year) than either of the Sun’s next two home games.
Having a superstar on the roster can drive positive outcomes locally and league-wide – but overall team success is the ultimate goal for any franchise. So it may come as no surprise that stadiums and arenas can drive engagement when their home teams perform well on the field or court. And teams that reverse their fortunes often spark even greater excitement, boosting visitor loyalty, visit duration, and other key metrics.
The Baltimore Orioles had one of the worst records in baseball just a few years ago. But since 2022, the team has flipped the script – stringing together winning seasons and postseason berths. And location intelligence shows that as the team finds success, fans are becoming more engaged with their hometown stadium.
During the 2019 regular season, one of the worst for the club in recent history, stadium attendance suffered, with only 8.3% of visitors to Oriole Park at Camden Yards visiting the stadium at least three times. But during the 2024 regular season, Oriole Park’s share of repeat visitors (those who visited at least three times) was almost double 2019 levels (16.3%) – consistent with a sharp increase in sales of multi-game ticket packages.
In addition to attending games more often, visitors to Oriole Park also appear to be spending more time at the ballpark. During the 2019 regular season, visitors spent an average of 150 minutes at the stadium, but in 2024, the average time at the park increased to 178 minutes – potentially boosting ancillary spending and in-stadium advertising exposure. The increased dwell time of visitors is particularly noteworthy when considering that MLB’s rule changes have significantly shortened average game time.
The more engaged fandom engendered by team success not only impacts stadium visitor behavior, but also has the potential to drive revenue. The Orioles added 20 new corporate sponsors before the 2024 season, likely due to the attention garnered by the well-performing club.
The NFL’s Detroit Lions provide another example of team success that has driven visitor engagement. As the franchise has improved its record in recent years, the trade area size of its stadium – Ford Field – has also increased, indicating elevated attendance from fans living further away.
The Lions finished the regular season with losing records from 2019 to 2021, but finished over .500 in 2022 (9-8), 2023 (12-5), and 2024 (15-2). And with the team’s increasing wins each consecutive season, the size of its stadium's trade area has also increased steadily – reaching 81.3% above 2019 levels in 2024.
This underscores just how much team success matters to fans, who may be more inclined to travel longer distances if they believe their team is likely to win. Ultimately, broader fan engagement across a wider trade area also increases a team’s growth potential beyond in-stadium attendance – driving merchandise sales, increasing viewership, and benefitting both the team and the league as a whole.
While stadium attendance and visitor behavior is often correlated to the performance of the sports teams that play in the arena, sporting venues can also drive fan engagement in ways that aren’t solely tied to team success or big-name athletes. By adapting their concessions and venue operations to visitor preferences, stadiums and arenas can better serve their audiences and strengthen their community presence.
Consumers have been feeling the pinch of rising food costs for quite some time, but at least one NBA team has responded to make concessions at the game more affordable for fans. In December 2024, the Phoenix Suns announced a $2 value menu for all home games at Footprint Center – delivering steep discounts on hot dogs, water, soda, and snacks.
Location analytics suggest that since the value menu launch, more fans who would have otherwise waited until after leaving the venue to grab a bite are now enjoying food and drinks inside the arena. Analysis of five Suns home games just before the value menu launch – between November 26th and December 15th, 2024 – reveals that between 7.0% and 9.3% of stadium visitors visited a dining establishment after leaving the arena. But following the value menu launch before the December 19th, 2024 home game, post-game dining decreased to under 6.0% through the end of the year.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s announcement of the new menu called out the need for affordable food options for families at Suns games. As the season progresses, the new menu may drive a larger share of family households to Suns games, which could provide opportunities for advertisers and other stadium partners.
Consumers in Washington – and especially Seattle – are known for their affinity for plant-based diets and environmentally-friendly lifestyles. And that goes for local football fans as well: Audience segmentation provided by the AGS: Behavior & Attitudes dataset combined with trade area data reveals that during September to December 2024, households within Lumen Field’s potential visitor base were 36% more likely to be “Environmentally Conscious Buyers” and “Environmental Contributors” and 39% more likely to be “Vegans” compared to the nationwide average. By contrast, across all NFL stadiums, potential visiting households were 2%, 1%, and 3% less likely, respectively, to belong to these segments.
And Lumen Field has been actively catering to these consumer preferences. The stadium, which has been experimenting with plant-based culinary options for quite some time, was recently recognized as one of the most vegan-friendly stadiums in the NFL. And in December 2024, Lumen became the second stadium in the league to achieve TRUE precertification for its efforts to become a zero-waste venue.
By remaining aligned with its visitor base – including both football fans and people that visit the stadium for other events – Lumen Field encourages visitors to feel at home at their local stadium. And fans may be more connected to their team knowing the club shares their values and respects their lifestyle.
Stadiums and arenas can leverage a variety of strategies to engage visitors in attendance as well as wider audiences. Signing a star athlete, putting together a winning club, or adapting to local preferences are just some of the ways that sports franchises and athletic venues can find success.
