How Can Restaurants Bring Diners Back to the Table?

In recent survey results tabulated by YouGov’s “U.S. Dining Out Report 2025,” the question of whether rising costs attached to dining out was reshaping consumer habits was asked, though the answer remained less than crystal clear.

“Although dining out remains a staple for Americans, economic pressures have made consumers more cost conscious. Seven in ten consumers say they eat out at least once a month, yet more than a third report doing so less frequently compared to last year, citing rising costs and a greater need to save financially,” Nora Hao, senior sales director for YouGov America, wrote in the report’s foreword.

Some of the most notable findings from the study included:

• Overall, U.S. diners are eating out less frequently than in the past: More than one-third (37%) indicated they were dining out on a less regular basis than they had a year prior, and of those that said so, a large majority (69%) indicated a perceived rise in menu prices as the primary driver behind cutting back on restaurant visits.
• It’s all about saving cash: More than half of respondents suggested that they had changed their dining habits with the aim of saving money. Of these, a majority (60%) said they were opting to dine at less expensive restaurants, and 53% indicated that they were actively seeking to take advantage of discounts or coupons.
• Dining out is an American pastime: A little less than a third (31%) dine out at least once a week, and 38% at least once monthly. One-fifth (20%) visit a restaurant less than once a month, while just 8% never do. Men are most likely to dine out at least once a week (35% versus 28% for women), but are also more likely to say they never eat at a restaurant (10% versus 6% for women).

American Diners Noticing Significant Price Hikes on Restaurant Menus, But BOGO and Discounts Are Appealing

One thing is clear: U.S. diners are sitting up and taking notice of price increases across the restaurant landscape. A whopping 82% indicated that they believed restaurant prices had “increased noticeably” in their area over the course of the past 12 months, with just 7% having a contrary viewpoint. This sentiment was “consistent across genders and generations,” per YouGov.

And while a slim majority (51%) of those polled said they eat out at about the same frequency as they had in 2024, 37% stated that they dine out less frequently than before. Among lower-income respondents, that figure increases to 44%.

Of those who did say that they were curtailing restaurant visits, more than two-thirds (69%) said the primary motivator was an increase in the expense attached to doing so. A full 58% highlighted that they were attempting to save money by eating out less often, and an only slightly smaller cohort (57%) cited an overall increased cost of living as cutting into their restaurant budgets. Nearly half (46%) stated that they were cooking at home more frequently, and 23% said that “eating out feels like a luxury.”

“BOGO offers are especially attractive with nearly three-fifths of regular US diners saying these would spur them to dine out more often (58%), with discounts (56%) trailing closely. A third of consumers also see value in loyalty points (33%) and free appetizers or desserts (33%),” the study authors noted.

On loyalty programs, the math seemed to look fairly favorable towards this method of capturing long-term spend.

“77% of all US diners indicate that loyalty programs could have them visiting restaurants more frequently, but that includes the 44% who say, ‘It depends on the offer.’ Loyalty programs have reasonably strong appeal among both lower and higher income diners,” the authors added.

The most considered QSR brands were: McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell, while the most considered casual dining restaurants were Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Applebee’s, Chili’s, and Cracker Barrel. On the fast casual side, the top of the podium was held by Panera Bread, Chipotle, Five Guys, Sonic, and Panda Express.