The Tipping Point: How Australian Diners Are Choosing Venues in 2025
Three data points from the most recent Australian dining behaviour research that every venue owner should know — and what they mean for how you market your venue this year.
The Tipping Point: How Australian Diners Are Choosing Venues in 2025
The research is out, and the findings should reshape how you think about marketing your venue. Australian dining behaviour has shifted meaningfully in the past 18 months — and the venues adapting fastest are winning market share.
Finding One: 73% of Diners Check Instagram Before Booking
Of Australian diners aged 18-45 surveyed in the Q4 2024 Dining Intentions Report, 73% visited a venue's Instagram profile before making a booking decision. Of those, 61% said the quality of the feed directly influenced whether they proceeded.
This is not a trend. It is the new baseline.
Finding Two: Google Reviews Are the Number One Trust Signal
When asked "what most influences your decision to try a new restaurant", Australian diners ranked Google reviews first (above recommendations from friends for venues they had never been to before). The threshold for trust appears to be around 50 reviews with a 4.3+ rating.
Venues below this threshold were 40% less likely to be chosen over comparable venues that met it.
Finding Three: Convenience Is Now a Marketing Variable
The fastest-growing reason for venue selection in 2025 is "I could see they were open, what was on, and I could book in 30 seconds." Venues that make it frictionless to find, validate, and book are capturing diners at the point of intent — before they move on to the next option.
The implication: your marketing strategy is now also your customer experience strategy.
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