Steiner Ranch Ripe for Restaurants – Survey Results

You may recall, before the holiday, an effort we undertook to better inform restaurants of the appeal, demographic, and significance of Steiner Ranch. Supporting the Randalls’ Quinlan Crossing development, we put our social media muscle behind some outreach to restaurants we’d love to have in town and surveyed residents to summarize our dining habits and desires.

In light of the sudden and disappointing departure of Suelo Neuvo, Steiner Ranch is chomping at the bit for some great restaurants looking for the unique market that is our community. Certainly, there is no better way to foster smart development of a neighborhood than by working together, listening to neighbors, and supporting the parties involved. It was a tremendous pleasure working with the broker of the Quinlan Crossing development in this way and though I anxiously await news of the restauranteurs to come, with the admirable assistance of Julie Ballangee in doing this right, here are the results of the survey.

“I am happy to live in a neighborhood that cares so much about our community,” shared Julie. “It was clear by the responses to the survey, and the comments in particular, that residents care very deeply about the future development of Steiner Ranch.”

Steiner Ranch Community Dining Survey

This survey was completed by 974 respondents living in the Steiner Ranch area, which represents approximately one quarter of respondents in the area. The results of the survey indicate that there is a tremendous desire for more restaurants in the Quinlan Crossing development, Steiner Ranch, and the Four Points area.

Steiner Ranch residents eat out on a regular basis and currently travel 10-15 miles or more to dine out for lunch and dinner. Were desired restaurants available in Steiner Ranch, respondents would frequent these restaurants. Did you know that Steiner Ranch households fall within the highest quintile income bracket (top 20%) in the nation? Statistically, Steiner Ranch resident spending on dining out is higher than average and should be a prime target for restaurants.

54.6% eat out for lunch in the Four Points area two or more times each week. In open-ended questions & comments, many indicate that they would eat out for lunch in the Four Points area more frequently if a better restaurant selection were available.

Notably, 792 respondents indicated a desire for an additional pizza restaurant in the neighborhood. While customers are happy with the current pizza restaurant, it does not have the capacity to accommodate the number of patrons who desire to eat there.

Steiner Ranch residents also demonstrate a loyalty to established, high-quality restaurants in the neighborhood. The Donut Hole, Cups & Cones, and Cho have a loyal following and restaurants of this type will be hard pressed to be successful.

855 respondents expressed a desire for a Mexican restaurant with Chipotle and Freebirds were frequent ‘write-in’ requests for restaurants. Related comments indicate high demand for exceptional quality of service and/or food.

In spite of the high response rate for Mexican and pizza alternatives, the top three preferences in the community are Italian, American, and a breakfast place (hear hear!)

Steiner Ranch residents eat out for dinner on a regular basis and too typically leave Steiner Ranch to do so. 78.5% of respondents leave Steiner Ranch to eat out ‘Often’ to ‘Frequently’.

But, Steiner Ranch residents, as a whole, don’t like to leave the neighborhood. Residents have schools, sports teams, and activities all located within Steiner Ranch. Increases in traffic have made it even more difficult to leave the neighborhood. As one respondent put it, “we are pretty shocked at the lack of restaurants in the Steiner Ranch/Lakeway area. We typically eat out EVERY night and have to drive 20+ minutes to the Arboretum or downtown (just got home from PF Chang’s). With the lack of restaurants along 620, I feel restaurants in Steiner would draw not only the 15,000 [planned] residents in Steiner, but also those in River Place, Lakeway and the Anderson Mill areas.”

Assuredly, 91.1% of respondents specifically answered that they would stay in Steiner Ranch for dining out ‘Often’ to ‘Frequently’, if restaurants were available.

Lunch Time Dining

There is clearly a lunch time market available for restaurants. Non-working spouses and working spouses alike are in the Four Points area. Telecommuters and stay-at-home parents have expressed a need for more breakfast and lunch time dining facilities in Steiner Ranch. While this survey represents only approximately one-quarter of the households in Steiner Ranch, respondents indicated more than 1,400 adults are in the Four Points area during lunch time.

One key concern for restaurants was ensuring daytime traffic. One component of the survey was designed to gather data on whether there is a lunchtime source of business in Steiner Ranch. Based on responses, there are a significant number of adults Steiner Ranch and the Four Points area for lunch. There are telecommuters, stay-at-home parents, tennis groups, book clubs, PTA committee meetings, etc., and they’d like more options for lunch time dining. And, of course, there are businesses, like 3M, in the area too.

“Regarding the concern that there is not enough lunch traffic: Do the developers have any idea how many stay-at-home moms there are in Steiner?” Asked one respondent, “My wife is fairly involved with various SAHM groups in the neighborhood, and they are always talking about the limited options within SR for lunch.”

Some of the methodology

This survey was developed by the Steiner Ranch Post and individuals involved in the foundation of the Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association to gather demographic statistics, dining habit data, and desired restaurant information.

We also used analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey and the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service’s Food Expenditure Tables to analyze the data gathered through the Steiner Ranch survey. It is clear from our research and analysis that the Steiner Ranch population is a largely untapped source of revenue for restaurants.

According to the National Restaurant Association’s analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 1995 Consumer Expenditure Survey, income is one of the most significant factors in determining how much a household spends on dining out. And, as household income increases, so too does restaurant spending. According to Forbes, U.S. families spend an average of 13.3% of their budgets on food, with 42% of that money going to restaurants. With the high income of Steiner Ranch area residents, that is a significant amount of money available for restaurateurs to tap into.

The appeal of a local restaurant

Besides the strong desire to support quality restaurants within the community, amenities draw residents. Wi-Fi was the greatest draw with 58.3% of respondents preferring or seeking restaurants with this option available. This is likely due to the large number of respondents who telecommute and need Wi-Fi to conduct business and meetings remotely.

A children’s playscape would be a perk for those families with children (the majority of Steiner Ranch residents and those surveyed). 48.8% indicate that a children’s playscape is preferred or a draw for a restaurant. Restaurants certainly wouldn’t lose much business as only 10.0% surveyed indicated they ‘Avoid’ restaurants with playscapes.

In open-ended comments, many respondents indicated desire for playscapes and Wi-Fi. One respondent even wrote a need for different types of restaurants for his varied needs, “for my family the most important thing is healthy food options in a comfortable surrounding… and of course we love a good play space!! Also, as I work from home and have a lot of business lunches, I really need a place that has Wi-Fi and is not overrun with children.”

To learn more about the Quinlan Crossing development and consider real estate there, visit Safeway Realty Holdings or get in touch with me and I’d be happy to introduce you. It’s because of opportunities such as this, the opportunity to positively engage with area developers and business owners on behalf of the smart development of Steiner Ranch, that the Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association is underway. I hope you’ll join us there and if you’d like to learn more about the survey, contact me.