A Shift in Consumer Behavior

As restaurants and bars across the country fight to stay in business, recent data shows that chain restaurants are bouncing back quickly. From Kansas City to New York City, takeout and delivery options are in demand and keeping business’s lights on. 

2020 has been a challenging year for restaurants and business owners alike, yet Yelp’s third-quarter Economic Average report presents promising data. According to the new data, released on October 22, reveals that 6,497 new restaurants and food businesses opened in September. 

The owners that opened their doors in the third quarter implemented specific measures such as order ahead menus and distant friendly layouts, the report said. 

P.F.Chang’s, the Asian-inspired restaurant chain, has measured such consumer habits and is expanding its off-premise restaurants as a result. In New York’s theatre district, the chain has opened its first to-go location in the state. P.F. Chang’s opened three to-go locations in Chicago earlier this year. 

“Our new To Go model is effectively a response to consumer behavior,” P.F. Chang’s CEO, Damola Adamolekun, told FOX Business. “We’ve noticed an increase in off-premise engagement with delivery, catering, takeout, which grew to be about 25% of our business in 2019. With that continuing growth, the To Go concept is really a way to reach more guests in more places.”

Three more to-go locations will follow the theatre district’s opening by the end of the year, with additional plans to add another 20 locations nationwide by 2021. 

P.F. Chang’s new model focuses on densely populated urban areas and smaller footprints. This allows the chain to have a place in larger market spaces and attract new customers. Each to-go location will be approximately a quarter of the size of their traditional restaurants, making them more affordable and manageable. The chain also plans to integrate delivery services in the near future. 

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