Punters Prefer Experiences At Pubs Over Restaurants In September

New statistics from Feed It Back’s monthly social review tracker has revealed that during September the pub and bar sector continued to outperform the restaurant and casual dining sectors in driving positive social reviews across Facebook, Google and TripAdvisor.

The statistics, which were taken from thousands of social reviews across the restaurant, quick service restaurant and pub industries, revealed that the pub and bar sector’s average social review score rose from 4.1 out of 5.0 in August, to 4.2 in September. Meanwhile, the average score for the restaurant and casual dining sectors remained flat at 4.0.

Driving the positive reviews for pubs and bar over September were TripAdvisor scores, which moved from an average of 3.9 out of 5.0, to 4.0; while Google Reviews remained flat at 4.2; and Facebook moved from 4.3 to 4.4, driven in part by its polarised methodology change last month.

Looking at the restaurant and casual dining sectors, TripAdvisor scores stayed at 3.9; with Google also flat at 4.0; and Facebook reviews saw a positive spike, rising from 4.1 in August to 4.3 in September, again influenced by the methodology change.

Across all sectors, Google Reviews remained the most prominent channel for feedback with 59% of all social reviews submitted via this platform in September (up from 56% in August). TripAdvisor accounted for 32% of reviews (down from 34% in August) and Facebook just 9% (down from 10% in August).

Digging deeper into what impacted these figures, the data revealed that, across all sectors, time was a key determining factor in both positive and negative reviews. In particular, allowing guests time to enjoy their meal without being rushed was a key driver in positive reviews, while waiting times continued to drive negative reviews across all sectors.

Commenting on the figures, Carlo Platia, CEO of Feed It Back said: “The data clearly reveals that pubs and bars are winning the battle with restaurants and casual dining outlets to create positive dining experiences. An Indian Summer has helped drive footfall to these outlets and it will be interesting to see if these figures can be sustained over the coming months.

“Google Reviews remain the most prominent channel for feedback, a statistic which surprises many operators who focus the lion share of their attention on TripAdvisor and, in doing so, miss out on a wealth of vital insight about their business. Elsewhere, last month’s Facebook Algorithm change has continued to impact results on the platform. Looking forwards, it will be fascinating to see how these numbers fluctuate and impact Facebook’s percentage of reviews as it looks to grow its presence with location-based prompts.”

This data is part of a regular report Feed It Back runs across social reviews and just scratches the surface of their ability to drive revisits. To understand more about Feed It Back, and sign up for a monthly copy of this report, please email: allears@feeditback.co.uk.

For press enquiries:

Geoff Campion
020 3567 5804 / 07957 251475
geoff@fsc.uk.com

Laura Rogers
0121 262 3900 / 07878 481646
laurar@fsc.uk.com