Restaurant customer preferences combine familiar food, flexibility, convenience and value. The latest available findings show that menu favorites matter most across service types, while delivery customers also weigh ordering technology, payment options, speed and packaging quality. The figures below keep each survey’s audience, geography where stated by the source, and measurement period explicit.
Contents
- Full-service menu preferences
- Limited-service menu preferences
- Delivery menu preferences
- Ordering, payment and loyalty technology
- Value and changing restaurant budgets
- Off-premises quality and experience
Full-service menu preferences
The STATE OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY 2025 report measures what full-service customers consider important when choosing a tableservice restaurant. Familiarity leads the list: 93% say having some of their favorite foods on the menu matters. Comfort food is also important to 82%.
Flexibility is another major theme. A choice of portion sizes matters to 76% of full-service customers, and 75% value the option to order daily specials that are not regularly on the menu. These preferences suggest that diners want a dependable menu with room for different appetites and occasional discovery.
Health and originality remain substantial considerations. Healthy options matter to 73% of full-service customers, while 72% value innovative or creative food they cannot replicate at home. Food they have not tried before matters to 68%, and sharable food options matter to 66%.
The same 2025 report finds that 64% consider locally sourced food important. Food grown or raised in an organic or environmentally friendly way matters to 57%. More specific menu accommodations are important to smaller, but still meaningful, groups: 44% value a children’s menu and 41% value diet-specific food such as vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options.
Limited-service menu preferences
The menu priorities of limited-service customers—people choosing a quickservice restaurant, snack place or deli—are similar in order, with a few notable differences. According to the STATE OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY 2025, 92% say having some of their favorite foods available is important. Comfort food follows at 80%, while 82% value a choice of portion sizes.
Daily flexibility is important to 66% of limited-service customers, who value the option to order specials not regularly on the menu. The same share, 66%, values innovative or creative food they cannot replicate at home. Healthy options also reach 66%.
Sharing and discovery are somewhat less common priorities than familiarity, but they still reach majorities. Sharable food options matter to 62%, and food customers have not tried before matters to 59%. Locally sourced food matters to 56%, while environmentally friendly or organic production matters to 52%.
Children’s menus matter to 45% of limited-service customers, and diet-specific food matters to 39%. The figures do not show that these needs are universal; they show the share of customers who called each feature important when choosing among limited-service restaurants.
Delivery menu preferences
Delivery customers also begin with food they already know. The STATE OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY 2025 reports that 89% say having some of their favorite foods on the menu is important when choosing a restaurant for delivery. Comfort food reaches 83%, and a choice of portion sizes reaches 80%.
Delivery adds a strong social and convenience dimension. Sharable food options matter to 75% of delivery customers. Daily specials matter to 74%, and 72% value innovative or creative food they cannot replicate at home. Food they have not tried before matters to 68%.
Healthy options matter to 66% of delivery customers. Locally sourced food matters to 63%, and food grown or raised in an organic or environmentally friendly way matters to 62%. A children’s menu matters to 53%, while diet-specific food such as vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free matters to 46%.
The following comparison keeps the three customer groups together. Each figure is the percentage saying the feature is important in the 2025 report.
| Menu feature | Full-service | Limited-service | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite foods | 93% | 92% | 89% |
| Comfort food | 82% | 80% | 83% |
| Choice of portion sizes | 76% | 82% | 80% |
| Daily specials | 75% | 66% | 74% |
| Innovative food not replicable at home | 72% | 66% | 72% |
| Healthy options | 73% | 66% | 66% |
| Sharable food | 66% | 62% | 75% |
| Locally sourced food | 64% | 56% | 63% |
The clearest contrast is sharable food: 75% of delivery customers value it, compared with 66% of full-service and 62% of limited-service customers. Portion choice is strongest among limited-service customers at 82%, while favorite foods lead all three groups.
Ordering, payment and loyalty technology
Restaurant technology preferences are measured in the Restaurant Technology Landscape Report 2024 and RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE 2024. Deals are broadly relevant: 70% of adults look for deals when ordering takeout or delivery or dining in a restaurant.
Among limited-service customers, 70% say they would be likely to place an order using a smartphone app. Delivery customers report high willingness to use several channels if offered by a restaurant or fast-food place they use for delivery: 84% would use a restaurant website, 80% a smartphone app, and 71% a third-party service such as DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats or Postmates.
Payment convenience is also prominent. In the 2024 delivery findings, 79% say they would use contactless or mobile payment options if offered, while 73% would use a digital wallet such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet, PayPal or Venmo. Voice-enabled ordering is less widely preferred, but still reaches 45% when platforms such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home or Siri are offered.
Preferences are not uniform. Technology-enhanced delivery is preferred by 53% of delivery customers, compared with 47% who prefer traditional delivery by employees. At the same time, 37% want restaurants to provide more technology options in the delivery experience, while 18% want fewer. This split indicates that availability matters, but customers do not all want the same level of digital involvement.
Loyalty is another established part of the restaurant relationship. The Get with the program: Building loyalty grows business report says 52% of customers already participate in loyalty or reward programs at restaurants, coffee shops, snack places or delis that offer them. The statistic describes participation where a program is available, rather than participation across all restaurant customers.
Value and changing restaurant budgets
The Quarterly Consumer Insights Survey provides a separate snapshot for Q3 2026. It reports that 34% of consumers regularly spend more than they bring in each month, while 27% occasionally do so. Half, 50%, say covering expenses is more difficult than a year earlier; 20% say it is easier.
Restaurant activity continued during the survey’s Q3 2026 reference week: 53% of consumers went out to eat at a restaurant, and 50% ordered takeout or delivery. Value-seeking was visible in the same survey period, with 40% saying they used more discounts or value promotions than usual in Q3 2026.
These figures describe consumer responses during the stated quarter and reference week. They are not a forecast of future restaurant traffic, and they should not be treated as a universal measure of every household’s finances. They do show why deals and flexible menu choices are relevant to restaurant decisions alongside food and experience.
Off-premises quality and experience
Convenience does not mean customers accept lower quality after food leaves the restaurant. The Increased sales come in the right packages report says 90% of off-premises customers would likely order a greater variety of takeout or delivery items if upgraded packaging preserved temperature, taste and quality.
More than 50% of off-premises customers say they are willing to pay extra for takeout or delivery when packaging helps maintain food quality. The share rises to 60% among Gen Z and millennial adults. The report uses “more than 50%” rather than an exact percentage, so it should not be converted into a more precise estimate.
Speed and service are also central. In the From trend to transformation: Off-premises dining now essential for restaurant consumers, operators, 94% of restaurant consumers say speed is critical for off-premises orders. More than 90% cite customer service as a top priority for those orders. These findings are from 2025 and concern off-premises ordering, not every restaurant visit.
Taken together, the available statistics describe a customer who often wants familiar favorites, but also values choice: different portions, specials, shareable items, healthier options and food that feels distinctive. For delivery, the experience extends beyond the menu to ordering channels, payment, speed, service and packaging that protects the meal’s quality.