Close your eyes and picture your guest—whether your current guest, or the one you covet. Not so easy, right?
Different demographics.
Varying preferences.
A range of potential dayparts, occasions, ordering methods, and other people with them.
All this variability usually leads QSR marketers to focus on the “lowest common denominator” factors like price, convenience, and menu variety. But psychology allows a much clearer, simpler, more tangible picture, revealing the four fundamental drivers that shape how customers choose where to eat, drink, and experience. These drivers are durable, predictable, and explain why people act the way they do when selecting a QSR destination—allowing marketers to craft much more compelling offerings that drive real life behavior.
The 2015 movie Inside Out depicts a young girl finding her way through everyday life, focusing not just on the world around her, but also the goings-on ‘between her ears.’ That is, it provides a simple illustration of root psychology, and brings forth a core concept QSR marketers need to understand: intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.
The core psychological principles …
Intrinsic: behavior is driven by internal factors, such as personal interest, curiosity, and the desire for self-improvement.
Extrinsic: behavior is driven by external reward, or punishment—factors like money, rewards, and social recognition.
This simple principle around internal vs. external motivation sets up the four drivers of choice. The first two drivers are intrinsic in nature.
First, the intrinsic driver that everyone starts with: Rational.
Not only is this a trap many marketers fall into, it’s also the reason most guests THINK they behave—they’ll probably even tell market researchers in traditional studies and guest satisfaction measures that they meticulously evaluate nutritional information, scrutinize ingredient lists, and compare prices before making their dining and sipping decisions. While many QSR executives take them at their word—and plan accordingly—there’s much more behind real-life behavior.
From the gen-pop perspective, this is the driver that the majority of customers perceive Starbucks to align with. And it’s not just about the rational, tangible facts, but rather the guest’s perception that they’ve established “expertise” as to the brand, menu, and experience; that intrinsic motivation to ‘self-improvement’ in the form of knowledge gathering.
Picture an infrequent Starbucks guest ordering “grande coffee” while a daily mobile-app user deftly orders an “iced vanilla latte with oat milk and a pump of vanilla.” It’s not just rational, it’s about establishing knowledge that then creates a strong experience based on applying one’s knowledge.
To win guests in this mindset, some pro-tips include:
- Provide clear comparative information for things like ingredients, nutritional information and pricing—empower the guest to “take control” a bit.
- Emphasize measurable benefits (e.g., ounces per dollar, protein content, etc.) with more verbal, numerical information they can “collect.”
Now let’s dig deeper, unpacking the second intrinsic driver: sensory exploration
The second driver centers around the pursuit of sensory discovery and new experiences—that intrinsic curiosity described above. This driver is often naturally associated with newer, high growth concepts, but it isn’t limited to mere novelty. Levers like limited-time offers, innovative flavor combinations, an in-app experiences can provide an ongoing sensory adventure, and the high interest that follows. They’re not just hungry or thirsty—they’re curious.
In the current marketplace, brands like Shake Shack, Raising Cane’s, Dutch Bros, and Crumbl attract guests via this driver. People choose vacation destinations based on the opportunity to try them. But established brands can provide everyday adventures, too. McDonald’s adult happy meals, celebrity meals, and Grimace Shakes are obvious examples.
For guests in this exploratory mindset, the key moves include tried-and-true promos like LTOs and entertainment tie-ins, but they can be more interesting and creative, as well …
- Using digital, drive-thru, and in-restaurant vehicles to engage all five senses and amplify the experience.
- Treat promotions less as “deals” and more as opportunities for immersive adventures (e.g. online game access and cheat codes).
- Offer customization and menu-hacking to encourage experimentation and control over one’s experience.
And remember, the first two drivers are intrinsic. They’re about the individual guest, not the social group, so focus on the individual when serving these motivations.
The second two drivers, however, are extrinsic in nature. Consumers make choices based on external factors, such as rewards, consequences, and social considerations.
The most obvious extrinsic driver: The wisdom of the tribe
A huge influence on guest behavior often revolves around social alignment – customers who make decisions based on group acceptance and shared beliefs. These customers aren’t just buying a meal; they’re purchasing a social experience that, most importantly, bonds them with others, and lets them provide for the group.
Chick-fil-a is the recognized top performer that has mastered application of this driver. And not because of nice dining rooms or play places. Rather, this is about emotional belonging. After all, Chick-fil-a does not rely on “shared meals” promotions or social media, but rather a consistent value around community.
In this motivation, the guest is compelled to provide for and serve their social group, somewhat selflessly. And what’s really interesting is that established psychological research reveals that this extrinsic mindset is most commonly triggered in the context of routine or monotonous tasks. Tasks which are repetitive or not inherently enjoyable generally compel people to seek extrinsic rewards, which can provide the necessary motivation to complete them.
At a recent fifth grade basketball game, my wife and I were talking to another mom in the stands who casually lamented “I hate dinner. What’s for dinner. Shopping for dinner. Making dinner. Did they eat the dinner …”
Not to say that dinner occasions are the sole domain of the tribal, extrinsic reward, but it certainly checks out. Thinking about occasions and group dynamics can serve as a huge unlock in triggering, and serving this tribal decision dynamic.
And last but not least, instinct and impulse …
The fourth driver is just like it sounds, where customer decisions are driven purely by the desire to feel good / look good in the immediate term. For those familiar with the book Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow, this is the most “system 1,” or subconscious, of the behavioral drivers.
Taco Bell masters this driver in much of its strategy and communication. What FEELS better, a “value meal” or a “Luxe box”? Even their communications in the form of mock movie trailers to promote things like Nacho Fries tap deeper consumer intrigue and anticipation to trigger the impulsive driver.
Popeyes leveraged this driver (not to mention initiating the Chicken Sandwich Wars) with their initial sandwich launch. The campaign’s focus on texture-rich imagery and anticipation of satisfaction created an immediate, visceral response that drove unprecedented demand.
To win in impulsive decisions, marketers must recognize the feels supersede facts. Focus always on how it feels, versus merely what it is. A few sure-fire techniques:
- Use high-impact food photography that triggers cravings
- Create bold, memorable flavor profiles
- Design programs and communications that emphasize immediate gratification
Applying the science
It’s empowering to know that, based on established psychology, there are just four macro drivers marketers can leverage. But understanding these drivers is just the first step. The real opportunity lies in identifying which driver most strongly correlates with your specific segment and customer base. Resist pitfalls of traditional market research, which might suggest that customers choose based solely on rational factors like price and convenience, as deeper analysis often reveals different motivations entirely.
For instance, a value-focused QSR chain might discover that their most loyal customers are actually driven more by the social experience of dining with friends than by price points. This insight would suggest a dramatic shift in everything from menu and CX design to marketing strategy.
Success comes from aligning your entire operation—from menu development to marketing communications—with the primary driver that motivates your highest potential customer base. This insight provides rich potential to pull ahead of competitors, looking beyond conventional QSR marketing approaches to connect with customers’ deeper psychological needs and motivations.
Hunter Thurman is president of Alpha-Diver, the market research & consulting firm that applies decision science to more deeply understand marketplace behavior. The firm’s psychologists and strategists work with leading brands, operators and the Wall Street analyst community to explain consumer behavior in ways proven to not only predict consumer behavior, but drive double-digit brand growth via activation.
