Transactions at U.S. quick service restaurants declined 7% the week ending on March 15 as a greater number of people began working at home and practicing social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the NPD Group.
“The U.S. restaurant industry situation remains very fluid and the most recent week read of customer transactions reflect performance before mandated on-premise restaurant closures were implemented in multiple states,” says David Portalatin, NPD food industry advisor and author of Eating Patterns in America.
Overall restaurant transactions declined by 8%, while casual and family dining transactions declined 22% and 24% respectively.
Quick service chain customer transactions, which make up the bulk of U.S. restaurant transactions, saw a 7% decline during the week ending March 15. Transactions at quick service restaurants were up 4% the previous week. Placer.ai noted a similar rise in daily traffic for quick service restaurants from February 26 – March 7, 2020. Chicken chain Chick-fil-A showed an 11.9% growth in foot traffic during that period compared to the year before.
“So far, quick-service chains, especially those offering significant chicken menu items, appear to be the most popular food and beverage destinations for hungry people attempting to avoid infection,” the Motley Fool noted.
Many QSR’s close dining rooms
Starting on March 16, most major quick service restaurant chains began announcing that they would be closing their dining rooms, shifting focus to serving customers through drive-thru, takeout and delivery options.
New ad campaigns have encouraged consumers to stay home – but keep ordering takeout. One spot from Popeyes Louisiana Chicken encouraged customers to “fried chicken ‘n chill,” another spot from McDonald’s reminds consumers that the “safety of our communities and people is our top priority.”
In response to shelves that have been emptied at grocery chains as consumers prepare ‘pandemic pantries,” chains are quick to reassure the public that they have more than enough food to feed customers for the foreseeable future.
“We are well positioned to continue to meet demand out there,” Jose Cil, CEO of Restaurant Brands, parent company to Popeyes, Burger King, Tim Hortons and others, told Yahoo Finance’s The First Trade.
View our continuing coverage of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.
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