Restaurant visits are up 41% this year, says traffic data company

On the 60th day of 2021, restaurant visits were13% higher than they were on Jan. 1. On the 90th day, they were up 33%. And on the 135th day of the year, May 16, they were up 41% from New Year’s Day.

That’s the Everest-high, post-pandemic climb that dining-out has made according to Zenreach, a data company that measures store visits and in-store marketing results.

The largest restaurant revivals took place in California, where Los Angeles County reopened indoor restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters on March 16 (the 75th day of the year.) Dining out in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim was 124% higher last week than it was at the beginning of the year, but San Diego, Chula Vista, and Carlsbad scored the biggest comeback of 136%

Doubling their restaurant business were Denver, Chicago, San Bernardino, and Minneapolis, all of which experienced 92%-plus increases.

“Retailers should leverage these cues to start planning their ramp-up strategies,” said Zenreach marketing VP Megan Wintersteen. “Barring any unforeseen setbacks, we anticipate that these trends will continue to gain momentum moving forward.”
 
Lowest on the list were Cincinnati, Charlotte, and Atlanta at around 30%, though the lower numbers most likely indicated a higher percentage of opened restaurants in those towns during December.