Profit from our patron research.
We surveyed restaurant-goers to spotlight the passion they have for proteins—and help our industry partners optimize opportunities to better serve their patrons.
In 2026 and 2024, we conducted online surveys of 2,000 U.S. restaurant patrons. Our sample was representative of the U.S. adult population on key demographics such as age, gender and region.
Topics covered included Sandwiches, Bacon, Breakfast, BBQ and Pork. Some notable takeaways: 78% of patrons feel annoyed when a restaurant skimps on meat in their sandwiches. And 71% of restaurant-goers agree everything tastes better with bacon. More than 2 in 5 say the quickest way to their heart is with BBQ. About 1 in 3 say they order pork chops when dining out because they’re a classic comfort food. Dig into all the juicy tidbits we uncovered below.
See the staggering percentage of people who say the quality of deli meat can make or break a sandwich.
71% of restaurant-goers agree everything tastes better with bacon. See our other remarkable takeaways:
See the surprising number of people who say the quickest way to their heart is with BBQ.
Find out why about 1 in 3 patrons say they order pork chops when dining out.
Discover the whopping percentage of people who prefer to order breakfast foods any time of day.
Discover the surprising percentage of boomers who declare that ham makes the sandwich.
Want to capitalize on some key food-driven social media holidays? These should not be overlooked:
FEBRUARY
National Pork Rind Day, National Pizza Day
MARCH
Canadian Bacon Day, National Baked Ham with Pineapple Day
April
National Glazed Spiral Ham Day
MAY
National BBQ Day, National Brisket Day
JUNE
National Detroit-Style Pizza Day, Sausage Roll Day
JULY
National Spare Rib Day, National Hot Dog Day
AUGUST
National Pork Chop Day, International Bacon Day
SEPTEMBER
National Breakfast Month, Pepperoni Pizza Day
OCTOBER
National Pork Month, National Sausage Day
NOVEMBER
National Sandwich Day
DECEMBER
National Bacon Day