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Consumer Trends

America's favorite family-dining chains

By Heather Lalley on Mar. 17, 2020
cracker barrel
Photograph: Shutterstock

There is no doubt that family-dining chains are struggling, with stalwarts such as Friendly’s, Village Inn, Bakers Square and more encountering troubles. While it is hard for such chains to compete with the quick-service sector on convenience, the most-loved family-dining chains set themselves apart in service and hospitality. And innovative breakfast and lunch chains such as First Watch are on the rise. 

family dining
Photograph courtesy of Cracker Barrel

1. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Overall: 58.1%

Service & Hospitality: 66.3%

Ambiance & Appearance: 59.8%

Food & Beverage: 57.9%

Takeout & Convenience: 57.1%

Value: 50.3%

Source: Technomic Ignite consumer data

Learn more about America's Favorite Chains.

first watch
Photograph courtesy of First Watch

2. First Watch

Overall: 56.7%

Service & Hospitality: 65%

Ambiance & Appearance: 55.9%

Food & Beverage: 59.6%

Takeout & Convenience: 56.4%

Value: 43.6%

Daytime-dining chain First Watch continues its evolution, hiring development veteran Greg Barber as its first chief transformation officer early this year. His charge: to craft the concept's business development strategy and further position it for growth.

Source: Technomic Ignite consumer data

Learn more about America's Favorite Chains.

bob evans
Photograph courtesy of Bob Evans

3. Bob Evans

Overall: 51.1%

Service & Hospitality: 60.3%

Ambiance & Appearance: 49.6%

Food & Beverage: 51.7%

Takeout & Convenience: 55.3%

Value: 41.2%

Source: Technomic Ignite consumer data

Learn more about America's Favorite Chains.

Perkins
Photograph courtesy of Perkins Restaurants & Bakery

4. Perkins Restaurants & Bakery

Overall: 47.7%

Service & Hospitality: 60.1%

Ambiance & Appearance: 45%

Food & Beverage: 47.8%

Takeout & Convenience: 52.4%

Value: 38.5%

Source: Technomic Ignite consumer data

Learn more about America's Favorite Chains.

Shoneys
Photograph courtesy of Shoney's

5. Shoney's

Overall: 47.4%

Service & Hospitality: 56.5%

Ambiance & Appearance: 45.6%

Food & Beverage: 47.2%

Takeout & Convenience: 50.9%

Value: 40.9%

Source: Technomic Ignite consumer data

Learn more about America's Favorite Chains.

About the research

The Technomic Ignite: Consumer program is an ongoing study that tracks the performance of leading chains by measuring the consumer experience. This report includes the top chains in the U.S. by sales, plus 53 additional chains to round out categories or capture regional data. The data represents responses from more than 100,000 consumers, collected from Q4 2018 to Q3 2019. Scores represent the percentage of respondents who strongly agree with the statements, on a scale of 1 to 5.

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