Glossary /
Cohort analysis
Written by PEKO Team.Last updated: 21/05/2026.
Cohort analysis groups customers by a shared starting event (usually their first visit month) and tracks how each group's behaviour evolves over time.
Published: 01/05/2026
In F&B, the most useful cohort is the first-visit month. You plot what % of each month's first-time guests are still visiting at month 1, 2, 3, etc. The shape of the curve tells you exactly when most churn happens — usually a steep drop between month 0 and month 1.
Comparing cohorts before and after a change (new menu, loyalty launch, staff training) is the cleanest way to measure retention impact, because each cohort acts as its own control group.
Worked example
January cohort: 100% in month 0, 35% in month 1, 22% in month 3, 15% in month 6. After launching automated win-back, the April cohort tracks at 50% / 38% / 28% — a clear lift attributable to the new flow.
FAQ
What tools do I need for restaurant cohort analysis?
Any CRM with POS sync can compute it — PEKO ships cohort retention curves out of the box. Spreadsheets work too if you can export customer + visit data.
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Answer
How do I reduce customer churn in my restaurant?
Capture every guest's contact at first visit, segment by recency and frequency, then trigger an automated win-back the moment a regular's silence breaks their normal cadence — typically lifts retention 10–15 points in 90 days.
Term
Win-back campaign
A win-back campaign is a targeted message — usually with an incentive — sent to customers who have stopped visiting, with the goal of triggering a return visit.
Term
Average Order Value (AOV)
Average Order Value (AOV) is the average amount a customer spends per transaction at your restaurant or café over a defined period.