Survey: 37% of consumers dining out less often than one year ago
Amid increased prices at restaurants and higher costs of living, consumers are scaling-back how often they dine out.
Nearly four-in-10 (37%) U.S. consumers say they are dining out less frequently than one year ago, according to a new report from YouGov. This figure rises to 44% among lower-income diners, while a third (33%) of middle-income diners and more than a quarter (27%) of higher-income diners report visiting restaurants less often.
Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed said they dine out at least once a month, but less often than once a week. One-in-five (20%) dine out less often than once a month, while only 8% say they never dine out.
The driving factor for consumers opting to eat at home more often is clear, as 82% of those surveyed by YouGov said they feel that restaurant prices have risen in the past 12 months. Nearly six-in-10 (58%) respondents said they are curbing dining out to save money, while a similar proportion cite increased cost of living as a factor (57%). Almost a quarter (23%) said that dining out “feels like a luxury.”
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Among diners who are altering their preferences to cut costs, choosing cheaper restaurants is the most prevalent option (60%), while more than half (53%) of consumers also seek out discounts or simply order fewer items (51%).
When consumers do decide to visit a restaurant, buy-one-get-one (BOGO) offers are especially attractive, with nearly six-in-10 (58%) of regular U.S. diners saying these would spur them to dine out more often. Discounts (56%) trail closely. A third of consumers said they see value in loyalty points (33%) and free appetizers or desserts (33%).
Lower-income diners over-index on BOGO (62%) and birthday rewards (26%), while middle-income peak on discounts (60%), and higher-income are more likely to utilize happy hour deals (21%). Loyalty points are steady across all income groups (~32–34%).
More than three-quarters (77%) of all U.S. diners indicate that loyalty programs could have them visiting restaurants more frequently, but that includes the 44% who say, “it depends on the offer.” Gen Z and millennial diners (44%) are far likelier to have used loyalty programs in the past 12 months than older generations (32%).
For its research, YouGov took insights from its consumer research panel, which has 30 million registered members from 55+ markets. The full dining report from YouGov can be found here.
