Corporate restaurant spending through the Dinova platform
rose 7.1 percent year over year in 2015, including a 4.5 percent increase in
transactions and 3.75 percent increase in average check value, according to
Dinova.
Overall, U.S. restaurant sales rose 1.6 percent year over
year in 2015. Dinova founder and CEO Vic Macchio said the higher rate of growth
in corporate spending likely did not reflect a loosening of dining allowance in
travel policies. "It's a function of the overall business environment,
which up until recently has been robust," Macchio said. "There's no
substitute for getting out and meeting with prospects and customers, and
organizations that have a big virtual-employee component recognize the
importance of getting out there and meeting with employees, which generates
travel and business dining."
In December, spending through Dinova rose 6.6 percent year
over year, compared with a 0.6 percent increase in overall restaurant industry
sales. The average check in December increased 4.8 percent, according to
Dinova.
Dinova, which counts more than 13,000
restaurants in its network and more than 100 Fortune 500 companies among its members, reported more than $4
billion in dining spend through its network in 2015.