Restaurant market research: a worked example and questionnaire

Start with the decision you need to make

Research becomes useful when it answers a narrow question. Before opening, that could be whether office workers need a quick lunch near a proposed site. For an existing restaurant, it could be whether to add an earlier dinner service or simplify the takeaway menu. Define the customer, occasion, catchment and constraint before gathering data.

• Customer: Who would buy, and who might choose something else?
• Occasion: Is this a weekday lunch, weekend brunch, work break or celebration?
• Location: Which streets, transport links or workplaces put those guests within reach?
• Constraint: What price range, time limit or dietary need affects the choice?
• Decision: What would you change if the research supports the idea, and what would make you stop?

Build a local evidence set

Use several sources because each answers a different question. Public demographic or business data describes the area. Visits and observation show what happens at specific times. Interviews explain why people choose a venue. Reviews reveal experience patterns among people who chose to post. Keep dates and sources, and distinguish observations from assumptions.

• Walk the area at the times your concept depends on. Note pedestrian activity, offices, access and nearby alternatives; repeat on different days.
• Record competitor menus, prices, hours, queue or booking conditions and the customer occasion each venue serves.
• Read recent reviews for your restaurant and realistic alternatives. Tag recurring themes without assuming reviewer counts equal market share.
• Ask potential customers about their most recent purchase, then ask about the proposed offer. Actual behavior is a stronger starting point than a general statement of interest.
• Check the practical fit: service capacity, staffing, ingredient costs and the number of orders needed to cover your planned costs.

Worked example: testing a weekday café lunch

This is a fictional example, not a DiningBrief customer result. A café near offices is considering a takeaway lunch offer. The owner’s question is whether nearby workers want a meal they can collect within a short break. The team observes the lunch period on three weekdays, compares nearby menus and interviews people leaving the area after lunch. It also checks recent reviews for mentions of queues, order accuracy and portion size.

• Observation: nearby alternatives offer sit-down meals or takeaway sandwiches. The team records the actual collection waits rather than assuming either format is faster.
• Interview finding: some respondents describe bringing lunch because collecting food takes too long. Others care more about price or dietary choice. Keep those groups separate.
• Hypothesis: a limited preorder menu might serve workers who prioritize predictable collection. This is a proposition to test, not a proven gap.
• Test: offer a small lunch menu for one week and track paid orders, repeat purchases, collection times and waste. State the test’s success criteria before it begins.
• Decision: compare the observed demand and delivery costs with the café’s break-even requirements. Revise or stop if the offer only works at a price guests will not pay.

Restaurant market research questionnaire: questions to copy

Use these questions with people who could realistically buy from the proposed venue. Ask about their recent behavior before describing your concept. Avoid leading wording such as Would you love our delicious new lunch? Make spending questions optional, and allow respondents to skip anything they do not want to answer.

• 1. Do you live, work, study or regularly visit this area? Include a not-applicable option.
• 2. Think about the last time you bought a meal or drink here. What was the occasion?
• 3. Which venue did you choose, and what made you choose it?
• 4. How often do you buy food or drinks in this area?
• 5. At what times do you usually buy, and how much time do you have?
• 6. About how much did you spend per person on that last occasion? Offer ranges and prefer not to say.
• 7. What, if anything, was inconvenient or disappointing about that visit?
• 8. Are there dietary or accessibility needs that affect where you choose to eat? Keep this optional.
• 9. For this described offer and price, which existing option would you compare it with?
• 10. What would stop you from choosing this offer, and what would you need to know before trying it?

Research before opening a restaurant

For a new site, do not rely only on friends, social followers or the customers of one competitor. Include people who pass the location but do not currently buy there, and record when and where you spoke to them. Check demand at the dayparts you intend to serve. A busy Saturday does not establish weekday lunch demand. Use a pop-up, preorder trial or another paid test where practical before treating stated interest as sales.

Research for an existing restaurant

Start with a question your team can act on. Combine your own order mix, booking patterns and waste records with guest feedback. Then compare alternatives customers mention. If lunch guests complain about speed, investigate ordering, preparation and payment separately before changing the whole concept. Use the post-visit survey guide for satisfaction with a meal already served; use the questionnaire here for market demand and buying decisions.

Turn findings into a decision brief

Summarize the decision, the evidence that supports it, evidence that contradicts it and what remains unknown. Put a source and date beside each claim. Assign one owner to the next test and agree when to review it. DiningBrief supports the review-analysis part of this work by comparing your venue with up to three nearby competitors. It does not replace a site feasibility study or a paid demand test.

Related guides

• Work through a restaurant competitor analysis example
• Ask guests about the meal they already had
• Investigate common restaurant and café complaints

Good to know