Report: Foot Traffic to Major QSRs Down by 50 Percent from Start of Year

December 28, 2020

It’s probably not much of a shocker to learn that far fewer people are venturing inside quick service restaurants (QSRs) these days. There is, after all, a global pandemic that continues to rage across the U.S. But Yahoo Finance posted a story over the weekend with actual data showing just how precipitous the drop in foot traffic has been for a number of major QSR brands.

According to location intelligence service Gravy Analytics, as of December 8, foot traffic to Burger King, Popeyes, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Domino’s, Papa Johns and Starbucks fell 50 percent compared to February 2020. Furthermore, Gravy Analytics reports that foot traffic to Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Dunkin and Chipotle dropped more than 40 percent compared with pre-pandemic levels.

Obviously the key word here is “pandemic,” which forced big changes to restaurants of all sizes here in the U.S. Early on in the pandemic, restaurants in various parts of the country were forced to close dine-in operations entirely. Though many have reopened, most dining rooms still operate under reduced seating capacity and other restrictions as states continue fighting the virus.

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