Table of contents
- Restaurant customer statistics at a glance
- How often people dine out, take out, and use drive-thru
- What diners prefer when they choose a restaurant
- Restaurant customer spending and household budgets
- Operator pricing and promotion responses
- Segment shifts across quick-service, fast-casual, and full-service
- Why restaurants still matter in the food dollar
- Demographics, frequency, and loyalty behavior
Restaurant customer statistics at a glance
Restaurant customer behavior in 2024 and 2025 shows a market that is still spending, still visiting, and still changing quickly.
Fast fact: 55% of diners preferred dining at restaurants over takeout or delivery in 2024, up from 43% in 2023 (US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey).
Big number: The average monthly spend dining at restaurants reached $191 in 2024, compared with $166 in 2023 (US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey).
Why it matters: Customers are not just returning more often. They are also showing stronger preference signals, more willingness to wait, and more sensitivity to the menu experience than a simple delivery-first story would suggest.
Snapshot table
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prefer dining at restaurants over takeout or delivery | 43% | 55% | - | US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey |
| Average monthly restaurant spend | $166 | $191 | - | US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey |
| Prefer print menus over QR codes | 74% | 90% | - | US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey |
| Willing to wait up to 26 minutes without a reservation | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | - | US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey |
| Dine out at least once a week | 73% | 79% | - | Revenue Management Solutions Q4 2024 Restaurant Consumers report |
| Loyalty program engagement weekly or more | 34% | - | 47% | TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report |
| Typically dine out alone | 18% | - | 21% | TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report |
| Food away from home share of total food expenditures | - | 58.9% | - | USDA ERS Food Service Industry market segments |
How often people dine out, take out, and use drive-thru
The most useful restaurant customer statistics begin with visit frequency, because frequency shapes everything else: spend, channel choice, loyalty participation, and the value of promotions.
In the RMS consumer study, 79% of respondents reported dining out at least once a week in Q4 2024, up from 73% in Q4 2023 (Revenue Management Solutions Q4 2024 Restaurant Consumers report). That is a meaningful jump in weekly traffic behavior, especially because it sits alongside 48% reporting at least one weekly takeout visit and 71% reporting at least one weekly drive-thru visit in Q4 2024 (Revenue Management Solutions Q4 2024 Restaurant Consumers report).
Those numbers point to a consumer base that is not choosing one channel exclusively. Instead, restaurant customers are mixing dine-in, takeout, and drive-thru depending on occasion and convenience.
Frequency patterns by diner type
The same RMS study shows a clear split by dining frequency:
- 14% of infrequent diners preferred drive-thru.
- 49% of high-frequency diners preferred drive-thru.
- 46% of average-frequency diners preferred dine-in.
- 29% of frequent diners preferred dine-in.
- 21% of high-frequency diners preferred dine-in.
This pattern suggests that the more often a customer visits restaurants, the more likely they are to value speed and access. Less frequent diners, by contrast, lean more toward sit-down behavior when they do go out.
Short list of what the visit data says
- Weekly dining remains common rather than exceptional.
- Drive-thru is not just a low-intent channel; it is a major part of the visit mix.
- Dine-in still holds relevance, especially in repeat-visit and average-frequency segments.
- Takeout remains important, but it competes inside a broader convenience ecosystem.
Stat callout: 71% weekly drive-thru usage in Q4 2024 is a strong reminder that restaurant customer statistics should not be read as dine-in versus delivery alone (Revenue Management Solutions Q4 2024 Restaurant Consumers report).
What diners prefer when they choose a restaurant
Restaurant customer preferences in 2024 and 2025 show that experience details still matter, even in a convenience-heavy market.
The strongest signal is menu format. In 2024, 90% of diners preferred print menus over QR codes, up from 74% in 2023 (US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey). The preference is even stronger among older and younger cohorts than many operators might expect: 95% of baby boomers preferred paper menus over QR codes and 90% of Gen Z preferred paper menus over QR codes in 2024 (US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey).
That is one of the clearest restaurant customer statistics in the dataset: the argument for digital convenience did not erase demand for tangible, readable menu experiences.
Menu and wait-time preferences
Two additional preference findings stand out:
- Casual dining was the most popular restaurant choice at 69% in 2024, up from 63% in 2023 (US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey).
- Diners were willing to wait up to 26 minutes without a reservation in 2024, compared with 20 minutes in 2023 (US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey).
That combination matters. Customers are showing a greater appetite for the restaurant experience, but that willingness still has boundaries. A 26-minute wait tolerance is not a blank check; it is a measurable ceiling that can inform staffing, reservation policy, and front-of-house design.
Preference signals that operators can read carefully
- Print menus are still the dominant preference across age groups.
- Casual dining remains the leading dining-out format in the survey.
- Customers are willing to wait longer than the prior year, but not indefinitely.
- Experience details can still change the perceived value of a visit.
Why it matters: Restaurants that treat customer preference as purely digital or purely mobile may miss how traditional touchpoints still affect satisfaction and conversion.
Restaurant customer spending and household budgets
Restaurant customer spending statistics show that food-away-from-home spending is still sizable, and in many households it remains a major part of the budget.
The US Foods survey reported that the average monthly spend dining at restaurants was $191 in 2024, up from $166 in 2023 (US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey). That increase matches the broader data picture from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, where households spent an average of $3,945 on food away from home in 2024 and $6,224 on food at home (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey / Economics Daily).
Those household figures help place restaurant customer statistics in context. Dining out is not a marginal line item; it is one of the two main food spending buckets.
Annual expenditure context
| Spending measure | 2024 amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average annual expenditures for all consumer units | $78,535 | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey |
| Average income before taxes | $104,207 | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey |
| Food at home | $6,224 | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey |
| Food away from home | $3,945 | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey / Economics Daily |
| Alcoholic beverages for use at home | $269 | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey / Economics Daily |
| Alcoholic beverages away from home | $374 | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey / Economics Daily |
| Food share of total annual expenditures | 12.9% | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey |
Household spending patterns worth noting
- Food accounted for 12.9% of total annual expenditures in 2024 (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey).
- The number of consumer units rose to 135,760 thousand in 2024, up from 134,556 thousand in 2023 (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey).
- Food at home spending reached $6,224, up 2.8% from 2023 (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey).
- Average annual expenditures for all consumer units rose to $78,535, up from $77,158 in 2023 (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey).
Who is spending the restaurant dollars
Household income matters a lot in restaurant customer statistics. According to the National Restaurant Association analysis of BLS data, households with income above $100,000 were responsible for nearly 6 in 10 dollars spent in restaurants in 2024 (National Restaurant Association analysis of BLS data).
Two more concentration points stand out:
- Households with income of $200,000 or higher accounted for 24% of total spending on food away from home (National Restaurant Association analysis of BLS data).
- Households with income between $100,000 and $199,999 accounted for 33% of industry spending on food away from home (National Restaurant Association analysis of BLS data).
That means restaurant demand is broad, but not evenly distributed. Higher-income households remain disproportionately important to total restaurant sales.
Operator pricing and promotion responses
Customer behavior is only half the story. The other half is how operators reacted to changing demand and cost pressure in 2024.
The KPMG restaurant industry trends survey found that 88.9% of surveyed restaurant operators said they increased prices in response to consumer trends in 2024 (KPMG Restaurant Industry Trends for 2024). That is an extremely high level of price action, and it shows how strongly operators felt the need to adapt their menus and pricing architecture.
The same survey adds more detail:
- 13.9% shifted to a higher-price product mix.
- 19.4% shifted to a lower-cost product mix.
- 36.1% increased the value of promotions.
- 13.9% focused on menu freshness.
These are not interchangeable responses. They show that operators were balancing price, mix, promotion, and menu appeal rather than relying on a single lever.
Segment-level pricing responses
| Segment | Increased prices | Higher-price product mix | Lower-cost product mix | Increased promotion value | Menu freshness focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick-service | 91.7% | 16.7% | - | 58.3% | - |
| Fast-casual | 100.0% | - | 36.4% | 27.3% | 18.2% |
| Full-service | - | 20.0% | 30.0% | 30.0% | 20.0% |
| All surveyed operators | 88.9% | 13.9% | 19.4% | 36.1% | 13.9% |
This table makes the operator pattern easier to read at a glance:
- Quick-service leaned heavily into pricing and promotion value.
- Fast-casual reported universal price increases in the survey.
- Full-service showed more mixed behavior, including a notable 70.0% reporting customer counts down year over year (KPMG Restaurant Industry Trends for 2024).
Stat callout: 100.0% of fast-casual respondents said they increased prices in 2024 (KPMG Restaurant Industry Trends for 2024).
Segment shifts across quick-service, fast-casual, and full-service
The restaurant customer statistics become more actionable when the data is segmented by service model.
Quick-service operators appear to be leaning on promotion value and price more aggressively than menu mix. 91.7% increased prices, while 58.3% increased the value of promotions (KPMG Restaurant Industry Trends for 2024). That suggests a strategy centered on maintaining traffic while adjusting the offer structure.
Fast-casual operators show an even sharper price response, but also a stronger shift toward cost control. 36.4% shifted to a lower-cost product mix and 18.2% focused on menu freshness (KPMG Restaurant Industry Trends for 2024). That combination implies a search for margin protection without losing menu appeal.
Full-service operators are dealing with a more mixed demand profile. In addition to the 70.0% reporting customer counts down year over year, they also reported 30.0% shifting to lower-cost product mix, 30.0% increasing promotion value, and 20.0% focusing on menu freshness (KPMG Restaurant Industry Trends for 2024).
What the segment split suggests
- Quick-service is pricing and promoting to preserve volume.
- Fast-casual is adjusting both price and composition.
- Full-service is balancing declining counts with menu and promotion changes.
- Across every model, pricing pressure is still visible.
The practical takeaway is simple: restaurant customer statistics are not uniform across the industry. The same broad demand environment can produce very different operator reactions depending on service format.
Why restaurants still matter in the food dollar
The USDA and related food spending data show that restaurant customer behavior sits inside a structurally large market.
Foodservice outlets generated $1.52 trillion in food sales in 2024, with full-service establishments at $552.7 billion and limited-service establishments at $550.7 billion (USDA ERS Food Service Industry market segments). Total food sales at foodservice and food retailing outlets reached $2.58 trillion in 2024 (USDA ERS Food Service Industry market segments).
The most striking indicator is the share of spending. Food-away-from-home accounted for 58.9% of total food expenditures in 2024, a record high share (USDA ERS Food Service Industry market segments). That means restaurant demand is not just stable; it has taken a larger portion of the food economy than food-at-home.
Market share comparison
| Category | 2024 share or value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Food-away-from-home share of total food expenditures | 58.9% | USDA ERS Food Service Industry market segments |
| Food at home share implied by USDA data | 41.1% | USDA ERS Food Service Industry market segments |
| Full-service share of food-away-from-home spending | 36.3% | USDA ERS chart on full-service surpassing limited-service |
| Limited-service share of food-away-from-home spending | 36.2% | USDA ERS chart on full-service surpassing limited-service |
| Other food-away-from-home outlets share | 27.4% | USDA ERS chart on full-service surpassing limited-service |
The split between full-service and limited-service is especially tight. Full-service restaurants accounted for 36.3% of food-away-from-home spending in 2024, narrowly ahead of limited-service at 36.2% (USDA ERS chart on full-service surpassing limited-service). That is a useful reminder that the market is still balanced between experience-driven dining and convenience-driven dining.
Food dollar and inflation context
The USDA ERS food dollar data show where consumer dollars go:
- 18.5 cents of each food-at-home dollar went to farms in 2024.
- 7.1 cents of each food-away-from-home dollar went to farms.
- 92.9 cents of each food-away-from-home dollar went to marketing in 2024 (USDA ERS Food Dollar data).
That structure helps explain why restaurant pricing, promotions, and service design matter so much. The away-from-home dollar carries a very different cost and marketing composition than the at-home dollar.
Inflation data from USDA ERS also show how the restaurant channel behaved relative to grocery:
- Average food-at-home prices rose 5.1% in 2023 and 1.2% in 2024 (USDA ERS inflation chart).
- Average food-away-from-home prices rose 7.1% in 2023 and 4.1% in 2024 (USDA ERS inflation chart).
- Real food-away-from-home spending grew 3.0% in 2023 and 0.4% in 2024 (USDA ERS inflation chart).
So even with slower real growth in 2024, restaurant customer spending remained important enough to dominate more than half of total food expenditures.
Demographics, frequency, and loyalty behavior
Restaurant customer statistics are increasingly shaped by how often people go out, how old they are, and how they engage with promotions and loyalty programs.
The TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report shows that 62% of diners said they would be very or somewhat motivated to visit a restaurant offering a limited-time offer (TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report). That rises to 81% among Gen Z diners and 74% among loyalty program members (TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report).
Loyalty and offer response
This is not passive behavior. 47% of diners engage with loyalty programs weekly or more often in 2025, up from 34% in 2023 (TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report). At the same time, 39% of all diners want personalized loyalty offers, and that figure jumps to 58% among Gen Z diners (TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report).
The implication is straightforward: customer retention is now tied to a mix of frequency, personalization, and offer relevance.
Dine-alone behavior is becoming more visible
Another notable shift is solo dining. 21% of diners said they typically dine out alone in 2025, up from 18% the prior year (TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report). Also, 12% said they always dine alone, and 29% of Americans said they dine alone weekly (TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report).
That creates a practical menu and seating implication: customers are not always arriving in groups, and not every restaurant experience is centered on social dining.
Delivery, reservation apps, and channel usage
The TouchBistro data also show platform concentration:
- 79% of diners who use third-party reservation apps used OpenTable.
- 32% used Yelp.
- 56% of all diners used Uber Eats among third-party delivery apps.
- 34% used Grubhub/Seamless.
Those figures are useful because they show where customer attention is already concentrated.
Age and channel preference
A few final demographic markers help round out the customer picture:
- 64% of Gen Z diners got takeout or delivery weekly or more often in 2025 (TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report).
- 71% of boomers ordered in instead of dining out because they wanted to enjoy the meal at home (TouchBistro 2025 American Diner Trends Report).
- 90% of Gen Z preferred paper menus over QR codes in 2024, which is a striking reminder that digital-native customers do not automatically reject physical menu formats (US Foods 2024 Diner Dispatch Survey).
Across these findings, the most useful pattern is not a single consumer archetype. It is a layered customer base with different motivations by age, frequency, income, and occasion.