Keller survey: residents favor local chef‑owned restaurants and support incentives for recruitment

City of Keller economic development staff presented the results of a 2025 restaurant and retail survey that drew 958 responses and will be used to guide recruitment and marketing efforts.

The survey, open Jan. 3–Feb. 28, received responses from people identifying primarily as Keller residents (about 93 percent of respondents) and a smaller share of nonresidents. Staff said the respondent profile skewed female (about 72 percent) and reported that 54 percent of responding households include children.

Why it matters: City staff told board members the survey is intended to give the city a data‑driven basis for recruiting restaurants and retailers, identifying gaps in offerings and shaping marketing to keep sales tax dollars in Keller.

Key findings cited by staff included frequent dining and takeout habits, with the plurality of respondents reporting they dine out or order takeout roughly two to three times per week. Respondents ranked food quality and price as the most important factors when choosing restaurants; customer service and location ranked below those factors in residents’ responses. Casual dining and fast casual were the most commonly selected restaurant types; a word‑cloud of open responses showed frequent requests for seafood, steakhouse, healthy/salad options, Italian and other international cuisines.

On retail behavior, respondents most often reported shopping locally one to three times per month. When asked how important it is to “shop local and keep your sales tax dollars in your community,” staff said a majority of resident respondents called that important; the slide labeled 51 percent important and 31 percent very important but staff acknowledged a wording/labeling error on one category that will be corrected in published materials.

On recruitment and incentives, staff reported that a majority of resident respondents indicated they would support economic development incentives to attract quality restaurants and retailers. The transcript contains inconsistent percentage breakdowns for the incentive question; staff told the board the overall takeaway is majority support among resident respondents but said they would verify and correct exact percentages before publishing final results.

Board members and attendees discussed how survey phrasing (for example whether grocery stores were included as “retail”) and added questions compared with the 2020 survey could skew comparisons; staff said they rephrased some questions and added items to capture more detailed behavior. Staff noted the 2020 survey received 547 responses and that the 2025 survey’s 958 responses represent a substantial increase in participation.

Next steps: staff said the survey will be given to the retail coach to match potential businesses to Keller sites, and that the city will prioritize promotion of existing Keller restaurants through social media and a “foodie favorites” push. Staff also said the survey results will be presented to City Council at a forthcoming meeting.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the February 24 minutes and later moved to adjourn. The meeting transcript records the motions and a vocal “Aye” on each, but does not list roll‑call tallies for those procedural motions.

Ending: staff recommended the incoming economic development director use the survey as a starting point for recruitment and site outreach; the board asked staff to correct labeling errors and to supply side‑by‑side comparisons where possible to aid future analysis.