It is a truth universally acknowledged that finding a restaurant goes better when you can rely on the recommendation of a friend.
But according to a new report from the restaurant management platform SevenRooms and data analysis firm YouGov, that might be changing.
Before I started freelancing, a good chunk of my job involved mining through Instagram, searching for the coolest new restaurants and bars in major cities before they even hit sites like Eater and The Infatuation. It’s clear that visits from influencers have a significant impact on the future success of a restaurant’s online profile, but no one has really known how that translates to actual customers until now.
By analyzing the social media profiles of 1,206 volunteers this past September, YouGov’s researchers found definitive information on where people are getting restaurant recommendations. Their findings are interesting, but not unexpected.
Finding a new place to eat out can be a trying process and as such 53% of those surveyed turn to friends and family first when they’re looking for a new spot to try. A surprisingly low 30% look at restaurant review sites and 10% do a quick scroll through their Instagram feed.
