Customer Experience Pays Off: Leading U.S. Restaurants Grew Twice as Fast as Rivals, Realytics Study Finds
Cover of Realytics’ “CX Leaders and Laggards” report (2020–2024), highlighting the performance gap in the U.S. café and restaurant industry.
Realytics logo — representing the company’s mission to deliver AI-powered competitive intelligence and performance analytics for consumer businesses.
Five-year study: CX-focused U.S. restaurants doubled growth, increased market share by 76%, and outperformed rivals in every segment.
Customer experience isn’t just about good service, it’s about building a business that can grow, adapt, and thrive over time”
DELAWARE, DE, UNITED STATES, August 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Five-year analysis shows customer experience as the strongest driver of sustained growth, expansion, and loyalty— Tony Popov, CEO of Realytics
Restaurant brands that consistently invested in customer experience (CX) between 2020 and 2024 outperformed competitors on every major performance metric, doubling their growth trajectory, expanding their market share by 76%, and opening significantly more locations, according to a new five-year study by Realytics, an AI-powered performance analytics platform for the restaurant and retail industries.
The analysis, covering more than 350,000 U.S. restaurant locations and 50,000 brands, reveals a widening gap between CX Leaders and Laggards across all segments and price tiers. CX Leaders not only grew faster but also showed greater resilience through periods of crisis and recovery.
“Customer experience isn’t just about good service, it’s about building a business that can grow, adapt, and thrive over time,” said Tony Popov, CEO of Realytics. “Our data shows that brands prioritizing CX win more customers, generate higher check sizes, and strengthen their market position, even in challenging market conditions.”
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What Set CX Leaders Apart
• Across-the-Board Outperformance: CX Leaders outperformed peers in every segment and price tier, while CX Laggards saw steeper declines across key indicators.
• Customer Satisfaction Resilience: Most CX Leaders kept CSAT declines below 3.5 percentage points, with some mid-sized chains posting gains. CX Laggards recorded drops of up to 12 percentage points.
• Market Share Gains: CX Leaders grew market share by +76% since 2020. Laggards lost -41% in the same period.
• Expansion Pace: Large CX Leaders expanded outlet counts by +55%, accelerating after 2022. Laggards grew by only +3.6%, with many stagnating or contracting.
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Why It Matters for Operators
While many operators respond to rising costs and competition with promotions or operational cuts, this study points to a different playbook: investing in CX pays off with stronger loyalty, larger ticket sizes, and a bigger footprint. Sustained focus on staff training, ambiance, and service consistency drives measurable business returns.
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About the Study
This five-year analysis uses Realytics’ proprietary dataset to track:
• Foot traffic volumes
• Review sentiment and CSAT scores
• Outlet openings and closings
• Average check value
• Market share index
The report covers large, medium, and small chains across different price segments, allowing brand managers and operators to benchmark against national peers.
📄 Download the full report: CX Leaders & Laggards 2020–2024
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About Realytics
Realytics is an AI-powered platform for competitive intelligence and performance analytics, purpose-built for consumer businesses. Tracking over 200 million physical locations in 215 countries, Realytics delivers actionable insights on customer behavior, market shifts, and competitor performance, without setup or integration. The platform is available in 23 languages and trusted by operators worldwide to make faster, data-driven decisions.
Recognized by the industry:
• Top 15 Startup, MURTEC 2025
• Top 3 in Retail Operations, NRF APAC 2025
Maria Nikitina
Realytics Corp Limited
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