GRBJ: Michiganders spent 11% less on dining out in 2020

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michiganders spent 11% less on dining out than they did in January 2020 as restaurant industry shutdowns continued due to COVID-19, according to a new report.

Zenreach — a brick-and-mortar marketing firm that has been tracking restaurant foot traffic across the country — found in a study done in partnership with TOP Data that overall nationwide restaurant spending is only down 1% from where it was in January 2020, and many states have seen an increase in restaurant spending since the pandemic started.

However, Michigan was among the top 10 states that saw a decrease in restaurant spending.

John Kelly, Zenreach CEO, said there’s still a long way to go before restaurants fully recover.

“With the number of COVID-19 cases skyrocketing and with the return of more business restrictions, it’s clear we will not be out of the woods for a bit,” he said. “The difference, however, between this recent wave of closures and the ones that took place earlier in the year is that we now better understand the formula for getting through this challenging period. If you can create a safe dining environment, effectively target your best customers and maintain (or even boost) your marketing spend, the more likely you are to successfully drive customers into your locations and sustain your restaurant business during this challenging time.”

The top states where residents are currently spending more at restaurants than they did in January 2020, in terms of percent increase, are as follows, according to the study:

1. Washington, 26%
2. Utah, 24%
3. South Dakota, 20%
4. Alaska, 19%
5. Alabama, 18%
6. Nebraska, 18%
7. North Dakota, 16%
8. Indiana, 15%
9. Montana, 15%
10. Kentucky and Delaware, 14%

The study found the states where residents spent less at restaurants than they did in January 2020, in terms of percent decrease, include:

1. Idaho, -47%
2. Massachusetts, -41%
3. Rhode Island, -34%
4. California, -29%
5. New Jersey, -24%
6. New Hampshire, -19%
7. New York, -18%
8. Connecticut, -17%
9. Florida, -11%
10. Michigan, -11%

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