Missourians can’t get enough of these restaurants during COVID-19 pandemic, report says

It’s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has been tough on restaurants.

Traffic at both fast-food and sit-down establishments is down, according to researchers at insight company TOP Data.

The team analyzed cellphone data from mid-March to July 27 to determine how many people visited what TOP Data calls the top 50 fast-casual restaurants in the U.S. compared to the same period in 2019.

Fast-food restaurants fared best, seeing a 30% drop in traffic since the pandemic began, the report said. But their sit-down counterparts took a harder hit, suffering a 58% decrease in traffic. Restaurants were forced to shutdown when states across the US imposed lockdown measures to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Researchers also used the data to determine which fast-casual restaurants have been most popular across the U.S. during the pandemic.

The winner in Missouri? Olive Garden, researchers said.

Texas Roadhouse followed in second place with Applebee’s, Chili’s and IHOP rounding out the top five.

Nationally, Texas Roadhouse was the most popular fast-casual restaurant among diners, with the steak joint logging the most traffic in 15 states, including Iowa and Illinois.

Olive Garden ranked second nationally, nabbing the top spot in 12 states including Arkansas, Kansas and Tennessee.

Applebee’s and Chili’s both had strong showings nationally, each ranking most popular with a handful of states. Outback Steakhouse and Waffle House were most popular in one state a piece: Florida and Mississippi, respectively.

This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Missourians can’t get enough of these restaurants during COVID-19 pandemic, report says."