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The Restaurant and the Radio
July 18, 2024
There’s a pretty popular Kenny Chesney song called “The Road and the Radio.” We can call this missive, “The Restaurant and the Radio.” Or maybe, “Road to the Restaurant”? We’ll think about a good title and get back to you. Here’s one thing we are sure of, though: a majority of radio listening happens in the car. Our medium has often been referred to as a “point of purchase” contact. Consumers are on the move, running errands, and spending money. Many of these trips involve going out to eat.
Ask yourself this: how often have you gone out for a meal and made the decision about which restaurant to eat at while on the move? While we cannot confirm this behavior with hard data, it’s safe to say there is a nonzero chance this happens.
It would be safe to assume then, that advertising your eating establishment on the radio could, ahem, drive more business.
It could also have a positive impact on your wait staff and servers. You see, according to the data below, radio listeners are quite a bit more likely to tip than non-radio listeners.
The RAB Radio Matters blog recently highlighted a study by Provoke Insights about the power of radio in the restaurant category. The study polled 1,502 adults aged 21-65. Of these adults, 714 were radio listeners. The results are fantastic news for radio. When comparing radio listeners to non-listeners, the study revealed the likelihood of tipping at the following types of eateries.
That fast food category is not surprising – who tips at a fast food restaurant after all? – but it’s worth noting that radio listeners are more likely to tip for takeout.
According to Scarborough, radio reaches 84% of those who patronize a quick serve restaurant and 85% of all sit-down restaurant patrons.
In our work with clients, we routinely find that radio has the power to influence purchasing decisions across a wide range of categories. This study is further proof of that fact.
The question for any restaurant should not be “Why radio?” – it should be “How much radio should I be buying?”
You can read about how “Radio is on the Menu for Restaurants” here.
Bon appetite.
-Bethany Barsoian, Client Services Consultant
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