• September 26, 2011

While independent restaurants have been hardest-hit by the economy, they have some significant advantages to leverage, according to Mintel.

Recent research by the firm finds that 43% of Americans who have visited an independent in the past month sought out an independent versus a chain.

Further, 52% of independent restaurant patrons said that they visit these to support their local community/economies, and 51% agreed that independents do a good job of supporting their local communities, compared to 37% saying the same about restaurant chains.

Perhaps most important, most surveyed indicated willingness to pay up to 10% more at indies than for similar food at chains.

In addition, 42% of restaurant-goers overall say that independents are superior to chains when it comes to food quality and the ability to customize their orders.

However, 21% believe that independents do a worse job than chains in regard to convenience, and 20% say that they fall behind chains on fast service.