• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, December 14, 2021

Turns out fast-food devotees are a little hungrier for discounts than the rest of the world. A new study finds that the heaviest restaurant users -- both in terms of those who order the most and those who spend the most -- are also the most committed to finding the best deals and loyalty programs they can. 

Paytronix, a customer experience management platform based in Newton, Massachusetts, looked at buying motivation for the biggest fans of restaurants. The company defines high-frequency, high-spending eaters as those spending $40 or more per week on dining in, takeout or delivery.

While they only account for about 25% of all restaurant customers, these frequent fliers are more likely to use aggregators.

Compared to those who use restaurants less frequently, this high-frequency, high-spending segment is much more likely to hunt down special offers and discounts, with 47% doing so, compared to 38% of lower-frequency eaters. And 42% say loyalty programs are why they order directly from restaurants, compared to 27% of less avid diners.

Not surprisingly, younger consumers are more likely to rely more on restaurant meals, with 42% falling in the highest value segment. About 35% of millennials and bridge millennials are in the heavy use category, but just 24% of Gen X-ers and only 12% of baby boomers.

About 44% of those who ordered delivery from a table-service restaurant used an aggregator in the last three months, as did 36% of those buying fast food.

Interestingly, many of those using aggregators say ordering via the platforms is cheaper than ordering via other channels. About 41% cite their ability to use discounts and special offers when ordering this way.

Less-frequent users are less likely to see a cost advantage in using an aggregator.

DoorDash emerged as the most commonly used aggregator, chosen by 58% of these heaviest users. But they were also considerably more likely than other segments to have also used Grubhub and Uber Eats.

“This finding underscores the importance of deals and special offers to win and retain the business and loyalty of the highest-value restaurant customer segment,” the report says.

Paytronix conducted the research with PYMNTS. The study was based on a sample of 2,100 U.S. adults who had all eaten at a restaurant in the past month.