Nearly Half of Consumers Say Their Favorite Restaurant Chain Has Changed in The Last Year, According to New Report

Tillster’s eighth annual consumer sentiment report reveals a breakdown in loyalty as diners re-evaluate what influences their dining decisions

LOS ANGELES, April 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Loyalty among diners is plummeting, and new data from Tillster, a leading global provider of unified commerce solutions for restaurants, shows that 45% of consumers say their favorite restaurant has changed in the last year. That is a sharp increase from 2025, when one third of diners said the same, indicating that restaurants can no longer rely on being the “go-to” to secure repeat visits.

The 2026 Phygital Index Report surveyed 2,144 U.S. diners to better understand ordering habits, dining preferences and evolving expectations. As consumers adjust their spending, with 69% of diners saying they have decreased or maintained their dining-out budgets due to economic conditions, they are more discerning in how and where they choose to dine out. While price remains a consideration, the data shows that diners are placing more emphasis on the overall experience – food quality (45%), convenience (44%) and speed (34%) are the top three factors when diners decide where to eat.

The findings highlight a disconnect in how brands are approaching growth and loyalty strategies. As restaurants continue to prioritize discounting, they’re overlooking the experience factors that actually drive dining decisions. As a result, consumers are shifting away from their go-to brands, changing how they spend, and shifting toward C-stores and grocery options, creating one of the most fragmented foodservice landscapes in history.

As loyalty breaks down, the data reveals how consumers interact with brands and what they expect from each experience, including:

• Diners are changing both how much they spend and where their dollars go. In addition to dining out less, consumers are making more intentional trade offs within the ordering experience. They’re cutting out delivery, with 61% having abandoned an order due to service fees, while 33% are choosing lower-priced items, 27% are using loyalty programs more often and 26% are tipping less. These shifts show that diners are quick to change brands and behaviors when the experience no longer feels worth it.
• Despite increased investments, loyalty program satisfaction dropped. 28% of diners say they’re dissatisfied with the loyalty programs they belong to, nearly double from 2025 (15%). On top of that, 39% of diners don’t check loyalty programs consistently, if at all, before deciding where to eat. Brands have to deploy more targeted, timely offers to boost engagement, satisfaction and revenue opportunities, particularly as 74% of consumers say these programs drive additional spend.
• Diners expect omnichannel experiences to be seamless and personalized. While brands have expanded ordering channels, they’re still struggling to create consistent experiences across every touchpoint – a disconnect that threatens loyalty further as diners diversify how they engage. 64% of consumers use self-service kiosks regularly, 75% order via drive-thru at least several times a month and 61% order with a cashier just as often. Brands can leverage technology to orchestrate interactions, from connecting loyalty programs across channels to enabling staff with personalized upsells at the register, to bridge the disconnect and create experiences that provide real value.
• Restaurants are losing ground in perceived value in favor of C-stores and grocery stores. The breakdown in loyalty is amplified when looking at how consumers view traditional foodservice versus C-stores and grocery stores. 29% of diners say they go to fast-food chains less frequently, with even more (37%) saying the same about fast-casual chains. Conversely, 36% say they go to grocery stores more and 33% say the same about C-stores. As nontraditional foodservice players win more dining occasions and beat fast-food and fast-casual on perceived value, restaurants must move beyond discounting and prioritize seamless and personalized experiences to stay competitive.
  
  

“The findings from this year’s report point to a fundamental shift in the industry that we’re calling Restaurant 2.0,” said Perse Faily, CEO of Tillster. “As consumers place greater emphasis on experience over price, brands have to move away from the ‘tech for tech’s sake’ mindset they’re operating in today. Restaurant 2.0 is defined by the ability to deliver seamless, consistent experiences across every physical and digital touchpoint, but operators still lack the interconnective systems to truly operate at the level diners expect. That disconnect is what’s driving the erosion of loyalty we’re seeing today.”

To see the complete findings from Tillster’s 2026 Phygital Index Report, and to dive into strategies to capture evolving consumer loyalty, please visit here.

About Tillster
Tillster is the leading global provider of unified commerce solutions for QSR and fast-casual brands.

The company enables operators to own digital and in-store ordering experiences, launch targeted marketing programs and turn restaurant data into revenue.

Tillster’s composable platform spans web and mobile ordering, self-service kiosks, loyalty, couponing, AI-powered recommendations and dynamic menu management – driving larger checks, stronger loyalty and long-term agility across channels. Every component can be deployed individually or together, integrating easily with existing stacks.

With teams in North America, Latin America, EMEA and APAC, Tillster powers more than 180 million orders annually across 40,000+ global locations for leading global and regional brands, including Burger King, Baskin-Robbins, Popeye’s, Porto’s and Pollo Campero. For more information, please visit https://www.tillster.com.

Contact
Tillster PR
tillsterpr@walkersands.com

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