{"id":10017,"date":"2026-10-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/menu\/why-regular-customers-matter-more-than-ever\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T04:00:00","slug":"why-regular-customers-matter-more-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"menu","link":"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/fr\/menu\/why-regular-customers-matter-more-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Regular Customers Matter More Than Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This article is sponsored by Square.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Canadians become more deliberate about where they spend, restaurants are competing for something increasingly valuable: a place in their customers\u2019 regular routines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/squareup.com\/t\/team_integrated_mktg\/funnel_mid\/onbd_both\/cmtp_consideration\/subcmtp_cross_sell\/pr_square_for_restaurants\/tarpr_all_product\/d_branded_content\/tar_prospect\/p_restaurant_canada\/cn_foodandbev\/crim_localeconomyreport\/l_ca\/lang_en?route=\/ca\/en\/clp\/food-and-beverage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Square\u2019s 2026 Local Economy Report<\/strong><\/a> explores how local businesses are connected through the customers they share \u2014 and what those relationships can mean for resilience and growth. Drawing on Square transaction data and a survey of more than 1,000 Canadian consumers and business owners, the research offers a closer look at how Canadians are spending in their neighbourhoods and what keeps them coming back.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For restaurants, the findings arrive at an important moment. When budgets tighten, dining out can be one of the first areas consumers reconsider: 31% of Canadians surveyed said they would reduce spending at full-service restaurants first. But consumers aren\u2019t necessarily stopping spending altogether. Instead, they\u2019re becoming more selective \u2014 looking for experiences that feel worth the money. In fact, 61% said they would continue shopping at a local business even if prices increased, provided they received better value in return.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That makes loyalty particularly powerful. Square found that regular customers generate nearly six times the annual value of one-time visitors nationally, driven not by bigger transactions, but by consistently coming back.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And those regulars don\u2019t exist in isolation. Nearly three-quarters of Canadians surveyed say they sometimes visit multiple local businesses on the same trip, while 49% of Toronto sellers and 55% of Vancouver sellers share regular customers with at least one other local business.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For operators navigating a value-conscious consumer, the takeaway is bigger than discounts. Value, convenience, consistency and human connection can turn an occasional guest into a regular \u2014 and regulars into part of a stronger local economy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Want to dig into the data?<\/strong> Explore Square\u2019s 2026 Local Economy Report for more insights into what Canadian consumers value, what keeps them coming back and how local businesses can build stronger customer relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/squareup.com\/t\/team_integrated_mktg\/funnel_mid\/onbd_both\/cmtp_consideration\/subcmtp_cross_sell\/pr_square_for_restaurants\/tarpr_all_product\/d_branded_content\/tar_prospect\/p_restaurant_canada\/cn_foodandbev\/crim_localeconomyreport\/crcta_explore_the_square_local_economy_report\/l_ca\/lang_en?route=\/ca\/en\/clp\/food-and-beverage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Explore the Square Local Economy Report<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10018,"template":"","menu_author":[471],"menu-category":[500],"menu-tag":[524,481],"class_list":["post-10017","menu","type-menu","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","menu_author-menu-magazine","menu-category-operations","menu-tag-sponsored-content","menu-tag-spotlight"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Regular Customers Matter More Than Ever - Restaurants Canada<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/menu\/why-regular-customers-matter-more-than-ever\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Regular Customers Matter More Than Ever - Restaurants Canada\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This article is sponsored by Square. 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