Restaurants Take Center Stage in Travel: How Can Tourist Demand Be Transformed into Revenue for Businesses?

Restaurants in a destination are no longer just stops to satisfy hunger during vacations. They are becoming one of the factors that influence travel plans.

According to the National Restaurant Association's Summer Travel & Dining Trends research for summer 2026, 98% of consumers planning personal travel with at least one overnight stay in the U.S. are considering dining at restaurants during their trips. Restaurant visits rank ahead of shopping at 85% and sightseeing at 83%.

The survey was conducted in May 2026 with 1,003 adults. 93% of participants indicated they plan to dine in restaurants, 90% plan to use takeout, delivery, or curbside pickup services, and 84% plan to visit coffee shops and snack spots.

Since these figures pertain to U.S. consumers, they cannot be directly adapted to Turkey. However, they provide significant insights for restaurant and hotel businesses in understanding tourist dining behaviors.

Local food is now part of the travel experience

79% of survey participants say they want to try local food and drinks in the areas they visit. 88% plan to try restaurants they have not visited before.

When these two data points are evaluated together, a significant opportunity arises for restaurants in tourist areas.

Travelers are not just searching for good food. They also want an experience that allows them to connect with the city or region they are in.

Therefore, local cheese, regional fish, products with geographical indications, traditional desserts, local drinks, or a dish that is uniquely associated with that city can be a stronger reason for tourists to choose over a regular menu item.

American Express's 2026 Global Travel Trends research also points to a similar trend. 66% of participants indicate they want to try foods they cannot easily find where they live during their travels. 45% say supporting local businesses influences their food choices.

This trend is not limited to upscale restaurants. Street vendors, bakeries, patisseries, coffee shops, and local markets are also becoming part of the tourist's gastronomic experience.

Tourists seek local experiences but also watch the price

Alongside the interest in local food, there is a clear price sensitivity.

According to the National Restaurant Association research, 70% of travelers say they will specifically seek out restaurants offering discounts, daily specials, or other price advantages.

This result shows that the common approach in tourist areas, which assumes "customers will pay more because they are tourists," does not hold true for every customer group.

Creating price advantages does not always have to mean offering discounts.

Lunch menus, fixed-price menus, shareable plates, early bird options, or more accessible tasting menus made from local products can provide entry points for customers with different budgets.

In OpenTable's 2026 research, 51% of consumers expressed a desire to see more happy hour promotions or price advantages from restaurants.

This picture is significant for tourist restaurants. While a price-increase-only approach during peak season may generate short-term revenue, it can have negative consequences on repeat visits, online reviews, and price perception.

The restaurant's availability is as important as the product

The way tourists discover new restaurants creates another important area for businesses.

In the National Restaurant Association research, 87% of participants say that recommendations from friends or family can influence their choice of new restaurants.

80% say they can utilize online review platforms, 67% social media, 64% travel review sites, 58% food delivery apps, and 54% reservation services.

According to findings shared by Food & Wine, hotel concierges or local staff recommendations also stand out as a strong discovery channel at 73%.

Therefore, a restaurant that hosts tourists should not limit its marketing efforts to just its social media account.

Keeping map listings up to date, accurately stating operating hours, ensuring the menu is viewable online, providing basic information in foreign languages, and making reservation links easily accessible can directly impact sales.

Building relationships with hotel receptions and concierges can also be an important referral channel, especially for independent restaurants.

Hotel restaurants no longer serve only hotel guests

The weight of dining in travel decisions is also changing the positioning of hotel restaurants.

According to data released by OpenTable in July 2026, 61% of Americans say they have chosen a destination based on the dining or restaurant environment. 60% of those planning summer travel say they booked a hotel specifically because of its restaurant.

According to reservation data from OpenTable's own system, hotel restaurant bookings by travelers increased by 13% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period the previous year.

These figures should not be interpreted as representative of the entire market since they pertain to OpenTable's own user and reservation network. However, they are noteworthy as they demonstrate that hotel restaurants can attract customers independently, rather than being merely a section serving overnight guests.

Especially in city hotels, a strong restaurant can attract customers who live outside the hotel. Thus, the food and beverage department can become not just a support area for accommodation services but a separate revenue center.

Takeout is also part of the tourist economy

Another significant finding is that 90% of participants plan to utilize takeout, delivery, or curbside pickup services during their travels.

When it comes to tourists, businesses often focus on dinner reservations. However, not every meal during travel turns into a long restaurant experience.

Breakfast taken on the way to the airport, lunch brought to the hotel, packaged products prepared for the beach, or meals ordered to the room at night create different consumption moments.

Therefore, businesses operating in tourist areas need to plan not only for table service but also for products suitable for packaging and quick delivery processes.

When the right products are selected, takeout can generate additional income independent of the restaurant's table capacity.

The summer opportunity is not just for tourists

According to the research, 79% of participants plan to use at least one restaurant product for gatherings held at home during the summer months.

64% of these plan to purchase drinks, 61% side dishes, 57% main courses, and 56% appetizers.

These figures indicate that the restaurant's summer opportunity is not limited to table reservations.

Bulk orders, family-sized products, packages for outdoor events, and special occasion menus can turn the same kitchen into different revenue streams.

Especially for large families or groups of friends staying in tourist areas, shareable products can create a separate sales opportunity.

What should tourist restaurants in Turkey measure?

It would not be correct to directly transfer the ratios from the U.S. to Turkey. Turkey's tourist profile, price levels, tipping habits, transportation structure, and travel behaviors are different.

However, the questions that need to be asked from a business perspective are quite similar.

Restaurants operating in Istanbul, Antalya, Muğla, İzmir, Cappadocia, or other regions strong in gastronomic tourism should not only track the total number of tourists.

It is also essential to measure where tourists find the business, what products they order, how much they spend per person, and through which channels they make reservations.

Particularly, the following indicators may be valuable for businesses:

Tourist to local customer ratio, source of reservations made in foreign languages, average spending per tourist, most preferred local products, conversion rate of hotel referrals to sales, and frequency of takeout usage.

When these data are tracked, gastronomic tourism transforms from an abstract trend into a sales channel that the business can manage.

Stafflink's perspective

The most significant outcome of the summer 2026 research is the strengthening position of restaurants in the travel experience.

However, merely stating "we offer local food" is not enough to capitalize on tourist demand.

The business needs to make its local products visible, create options suitable for different budgets, keep its online information up to date, and appear at the decision points of tourists.

Here, the relationship with hotels is also crucial. A restaurant being known by the reception and concierge teams of nearby hotels can create a more valuable customer acquisition channel than paid advertisements in some destinations.

In our view, the fundamental question that tourist restaurants should ask is no longer just "How many tourists will come this season?"

The real question should be:

How will incoming tourists find us, why will they choose us, and how much of their spending will they leave at our establishment?

Tourism brings customers to the destination. Transforming this demand into sustainable revenue depends on the restaurant's operational skills.