Guests are starting to find restaurants through AI tools, and 94% still want to order on the brand's own site

The first measurable sign of AI changing restaurant demand is not in the kitchen. It is in how guests find the place.

Restaurant Technology News reported on 13 October 2026 on a Popmenu report titled What Restaurant Guests Want Right Now, built from three anonymous nationwide surveys of United States consumers aged 18 and older, 1,000 respondents each, for 3,000 in total. Popmenu is a restaurant technology provider, and the findings reflect stated behaviour and preferences rather than observed purchasing.

The discovery numbers

Eighty per cent use Google or other search engines to find restaurants, and 27% use AI tools such as ChatGPT. On ordering, 94% prefer a restaurant's own website over a third-party platform, and 80% are more likely to choose a menu with photos, videos and reviews. Half pick up orders more often instead of paying for delivery. On AI generally, 60% say they are comfortable with restaurants using it for faster, better service.

The friction numbers

The deterrents are specific enough to act on: 54% are less likely to order if the system is hard to navigate, 54% are deterred by an inability to customise, and 51% by difficulty ordering on mobile.

Spending has softened. Average weekly restaurant spending reached 100 dollars by midyear 2026, up from 90 dollars in February but below 115 dollars in June 2025. Two-thirds spend less than a year earlier and 60% dine out less often. Promotions carry weight: 48% use coupons or rewards points, 62% prefer affordable options and deals, 58% say a discount would prompt more spending, 46% are more likely to choose a restaurant with a loyalty program, 70% would join a mailing list and 79% would download a restaurant's app. Forty per cent are tipping less this year, and of those, 78% are reducing tips at restaurants and bars.

What it means for a franchise network

The article does not address franchise operators specifically. The structural implication, though, is that if a quarter of guests now ask an AI tool where to eat, the answer depends on how accurately a brand's location data, menus and hours are published, and that data lives at unit level in a franchised network. Brands are already building for this: Nation's Restaurant News reported on 7 October 2026 that Toast's new SEO Agent monitors online presence and suggests ways to improve visibility in traditional and AI-powered search. The practical question for a franchisor is who is accountable for each unit's listings, because a single stale address is now a lost answer, not just a lost click.

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