Spotlight: Essential Touchpoints of the Dining Journey
By Kana Feng
What do you think of when ordering at a fast-food restaurant? It’s still common to imagine the process of looking up at the menu board, going up to a counter, placing an order, and waiting for your food…but as we know, this is not the norm anymore!
Photo by Yusuf Evli on Unsplash
Some restaurants now have ordering kiosks, some have employees with tablets outside, and others have AI prompts at drive-thru speaker boxes. So, what makes up the current quintessential fast-food experience? What are the essential moments and touchpoints and what are the extras that elevate the experience? Let’s check out this recent W5 project to go deeper.
Uncovering the Essential Touchpoints of the QSR Dining Journey
A national QSR (quick service restaurant) brand partnered with W5 to uncover the answer to these questions to gain a detailed understanding of customers’ dining journeys—from trigger to post-meal reflection.
APPROACH
W5 developed a multi-module approach, starting with qualitative research to explore consumers’ real-world dining behaviors and decision paths. Participants completed digital diaries documenting restaurant consideration, menu exploration, ordering decisions, and post-visit impressions over the course of a week. This was followed by in-restaurant dine-alongs at the client brand and key competitors, allowing W5 to observe behaviors, interactions, and emotional highs and lows as they happened.
Key touchpoints and moments uncovered in the qualitative phases then informed a quantitative survey designed to validate and prioritize the touchpoints and drivers uncovered in the qual.
RESULTS
Our research revealed the touchpoints and moments essential to all fast-food restaurants as well as those that elevate the experience and reflect positively on the client brand.
Additionally, W5 developed a comprehensive dining journey map outlining the key stages of the dining experience and the moments that shape customer perceptions.
Insights enabled the client to prioritize strategies across the most impactful touchpoints, both inside and outside the restaurant, to drive stronger guest experiences and repeat visits. Not only is it valuable to strategize ways to enhance the experience, but it is also just as valuable to keep and protect foundational elements that align with customers’ expectations.