Wisconsin's Restaurant Industry Impact on Tourism and the Entire Economy
Wisconsin's restaurant industry is the second largest private employer in the state with 15,000 food service businesses employing more than 175,000 people. It is second only to the health care industry, according to the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and the U.S. Department of Labor.
The U.S. Department of Commerce states that in 1999 for every dollar spent at one of Wisconsin's eating-and-drinking establishments, an additional $1.24 of sales was generated for other industries within the state. In addition, for every $1 million that consumers spent at restaurants, the state economy created-both directly and indirectly-48.6 jobs.
Research conducted by the Department illustrates the importance of dining to the tourism experience. According to the 2001 Economic Impact Of Expenditures By Travelers On Wisconsin report, travelers spent nearly $3 billion dollars, 26 percent of all traveler expenditures, on food and beverage in 2001, second only to shopping. In a series of studies conducted of more than 2,000 visitors at various areas throughout the state, the majority of visitors cited dining as one of their trip activities.
In another Department study released in August 2002 (Wave VI Advertising Awareness & Competitive Analysis of Chicago & Twin Cities DMA Core Market Study), visitors were queried on their most memorable activities when they traveled in Wisconsin. Not surprisingly, dining was mentioned in every season. Fall visitors mentioned it the most (11.5%) followed by summer (8.4%), spring (10.6%), and winter (9.5%).
The awareness study also demonstrated that visitors who cited dining as their most memorable Wisconsin travel experience also listed shopping and visiting historic sites/museums as activities they enjoyed. This opens the door to a host of marketing possibilities for the restaurateur to promote his or her establishment in the areas where potential customers frequent.
It also is relevant to the National Restaurant Association's recommendation to dining establishments that they become "tourist-friendly" by training staff to answer questions and become familiar with area attractions. Other ideas include networking with visitor center staff and local hotel concierges and front-desk staff as well as giving concierges priority when making reservations in hopes that they'll recommend your restaurant to future guests.
