Maccas still junk food kings, but cafes most popular: emma

The emma (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia) Out of Home Dining Industry Report has found that of the 11.5 million Australians who eat at a fast food chain each month, 22% remained loyal to one brand and 19% remained loyal to two brands.

McDonald’s topped the list as the most popular brand among Australians, with 42% of fast food consuming Australians visiting the Golden Arches in the past four weeks. It was followed by Subway (29%), KFC (23%), Hungry Jack’s (16%) and Domino’s Pizza (11%).

Here’s the release:

“Australians make 51.5 million visits to a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) every month, with 40% of these consumers loyal to one to two brands, a landmark report into out of home dining has revealed.

The emma™ (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia) Out of Home Dining Industry Report found that of the 11.5 million Australians who eat at a fast food chain each month, 22% remained loyal to one brand and 19% remained loyal to two brands.

“Interestingly for brands, the study uncovered three key drivers for QSR consumers: price & convenience, health and taste. ‘Price & convenience’ was the most popular choice, with over two thirds of the population choosing a fast food chain on this basis. The next key driver was ‘health’, with a quarter of Australians carefully selecting a healthy option. ‘Taste’ was ranked as a key choice by just 8% of people,” Ipsos MediaCT Managing Director Simon Wake said.

The number of consumers willing to consider eating at Subway is much higher than those who actually visit the chain, with 52% of fast food consumers considering it, but only 29% purchasing. McDonald’s leads on conversion, with 42% considering Maccas and 39% purchasing.

Fast food, or Quick Service Restaurant, consumers prefer to eat on the run or at home, with 30.5 million take away visits compared to 21 million dine-in visits per month.

“Perhaps not surprisingly, it is young people, aged between 14 and 29, that are heaviest users of dining out and takeaway options, with 86% saying they eat out at least once a month and 60% choose Quick Service Restaurants, with McDonald’s, Subway and KFC topping their choice of brands,” Wake said.

“There is also a clear correlation between eating out and takeaway and income, with higher income earners eating out and buying takeaway more frequently. However, this is not the case with Quick Service Restaurants, which attract all levels of income earners.

“It’s students, sales people and labourers who are the heaviest users of Quick Service Restaurants with McDonald’s, Subway and KFC topping their list.”

Overall, cafes are the most popular choice for Australians eating out, followed by Quick Service Restaurants.

While 81% of Australians will eat at out at least once a month, fast food chains account for more than half of visits, with six in 10 Australians choosing them.

The gender split is balanced, with 51 per cent of fast food consumers being male and 49 per cent female.

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