Let’s break it down: simply put, A business diner is an employee spending company money while conducting official company business. And when dining on official business, 70 percent of sales are from out of town business diners and 85 percent of that dining happens occurs mid-week when restaurants need it most. We and our restaurant partners love business diners because they aren’t price sensitive—after all, it’s not their money. This leads to a higher average sale and represents the most profitable guest a restaurant has thanks to a larger average party size combined with the higher-margin menu items they order, including desserts, appetizers and drinks. What’s more, business diners are also the team from the office ordering large catered meals and booking private dining events—both of which are highly profitable to restaurants.
We’ve explained the definition of the business diner, but what are the most common misconceptions of the business diner? Let’s break down the top three misconceptions surfaced in the Corporate Dining Survey conducted by Penton Media, Inc. in August, 2017 survey of over 400 restaurants throughout the U.S.: