Youngsters Rely On Social Media To Choose Where To Eat, Drink

While Yelp and user reviews may not bring that much traffic to restaurants, Twitter just might. Business-consulting company Deloitte surveyed 3,000 consumers for their Taste of the Nation study in the U.K., finding that in general, about one-third of consumers check out social media to find places to eat.

In fact, 61 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds use social media to guide their booze and food choices. That's a lot of tweets and Facebooking to figure out dinner plans.

Naturally, the number decreases as consumers get older, but the percentage is still pretty impresive. For 35- to 54-year-olds, 31 percent consult their social media feeds, while only 14 percent of people more than 55 years old look at social media.

It seems as if the glory days of Elite Yelpers may be coming to a close; 24 percent of survey respondents said they look at review sites to search for discounts. Others just look at review sites to research the venue, get ideas for places to go, and make reservations.

So who wins in this situation? Deloitte representative Jon Lake recommends that clubs step up their social media game, since promotions and events can go viral and bring in a younger crowd of friends. Also, can restaurants just start taking reservations again? We're tired of waiting two hours for brunch.