The New Foodie Order

Barclaycard handles almost half the country’s debit and credit card transactions and in a recent consumer survey has shed some light on how our dining habits are changing. Just over one in five diners will always check a restaurant’s online menu and social media accounts before visiting and a third of 18-to-24 year olds will rule out visiting restaurants that don’t offer this. More than a quarter of all diners expect to be able to book a table through the restaurant’s social media channels.

Diners use social media accounts for different purposes:

• Reading restaurant reviews (23%)
• Checking out the appearance of dishes (21%)
• Considering what they might order in advance (18%)
• To see how well the food is presented (11%)

But 41% said they also post their own pictures of their restaurant meals on social media with over 100 million instagram photos to date tagged with the hashtag #foodie. In fact, foodie images are now such a trend that 18 per cent of Brits want light filters built into table tops to enhance their photos!

Kirsty Morris, Director at Barclaycard Payment Solutions, says: “Simply being active on social media is no longer enough for restaurateurs, they also need to consider the quality of their content to avoid missing out on potential customers. Not only are diners using social as a research tool to decide where to eat, they are also integrating it into every part of their experience. This is particularly true of younger audiences; whether it’s taking pictures of meals, checking reviews or wanting to book directly from restaurants’ Instagram or Facebook accounts, there’s clearly a new social order for eating out.”