Leading Brands in US Dining & Restaurants: Q1 2025 Insights

In the ever-evolving landscape of dining and restaurant brands, Q1 2025 has witnessed significant activity from leading players such as McDonald's, Yelp Inc., and Starbucks. This article delves into data trends and performance metrics, showcasing their digital presence across web and app platforms.

McDonald's: Consistency and Growth

McDonald's digital reach is extensive, with notable traffic to both their websites and apps. The brand's digital presence includes happymeal.com and mcdonalds.com, alongside the McDonald's app.

• Audience Trends: From Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, mcdonalds.com experienced fluctuations, with visits peaking at approximately 19.6M in March. Meanwhile, happymeal.com saw a notable dip in February but recovered by March with around 390K visits. The monthly deduplicated audience for McDonald's remained consistently above 50M.

• App Engagement: Monthly active users for the McDonald's app showed a slight increase, reaching over 24M by March.

• Ad Spend & Channels: McDonald's advertising efforts saw a decline in January but rebounded in March with monthly ad spend exceeding $25M, primarily using OTT and Facebook channels, which delivered substantial impressions.

Yelp Inc.: A Steady Online Presence

Yelp Inc. continues to be a major player in online restaurant reviews and services, operating through yelp.com and the Yelp app.

• Audience Trends: Yelp.com maintained a stable number of visits, peaking in March with over 141M visits. The monthly deduplicated audience showed consistent growth, surpassing 39M in March.

• App Engagement: The Yelp app's monthly active users slightly increased, reaching approximately 8.4M by March.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Yelp's monthly ad spending decreased significantly from October to March, with total spend under $350K in March, focusing mainly on YouTube and Facebook for impressions.

Starbucks: Robust Digital Engagement

Starbucks continues to engage its audience through starbucks.com and the Starbucks app.

• Audience Trends: Starbucks.com saw a notable increase in visits in December, with numbers reaching over 56M. The monthly deduplicated audience exceeded 36M by March, indicating strong web engagement.

• App Engagement: The app maintained a stable monthly active user base, with active users hovering around 9M throughout the period.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Starbucks significantly ramped up its advertising efforts, peaking in February with monthly spending over $13M, primarily leveraging OTT and Instagram for impressions.

Conclusion

The digital strategies of McDonald's, Yelp Inc., and Starbucks highlight their adaptability and focus on engaging customers across platforms. Sensor Tower's comprehensive data offerings, including Web Insights, Pathmatics, and App Performance Insights, provide unmatched insights into these cross-platform behaviors, crucial for understanding industry trends and consumer engagement.

For more detailed insights, explore Sensor Tower's Web Insights, Pathmatics, and App Performance Insights.