Report: Americans Eating Out Less

Visits to restaurants have fallen now for two straight years, although the decline lessened in the spring quarter, according to a report released Thursday by market research firm The NPD Group.

Traffic picked up for morning meals a major focus for fast-food chains Burger King and McDonald's but overall restaurant visits fell by 1 percent in the three-month period ending in June, the firm said. That was better than the 3 percent drop last year compared with 2008's second quarter.

Although traffic was down, spending rose 1 percent.

People have been limiting their trips out to eat to save money in the weak economy, which has hurt restaurants at all levels, from high-end to fast-food. The largest drop was in traffic at schools, universities, hospitals and other places that sell food but are not considered commercial restaurants; traffic there fell 6 percent.

Both fine dining and mid-scale chain traffic fell 3 percent in the spring quarter compared with last year's second quarter. In last year's second quarter, fine dining fell 6 percent, and mid-scale dining fell 4 percent.

Casual-dining, which is in between mid- and upscale and saw a 2 percent drop in traffic, compared with a 3 percent drop in last year's second quarter.

Traffic was unchanged at fast-food chains from the prior year, when it fell 2 percent.

Dinner traffic and lunch traffic both fell 2 percent.

NPD restaurant analyst Bonnie Riggs noted that restaurants are improving their performance with value menus such as $1 menus at fast-food chains.

The firm expects traffic to stabilize in the third quarter and start to recover in the final three months of the year.

[TBNH]

Of course, the real fallacy is that the story treats McDonalds and Burger King as if they were restaurants serving food.

[longtree-2009]

restaurants are charging way too much in this economy. if they do lower prices, the serving size is smaller or the dish is unhealthy. servers still expect a big tip for nothing but bringing your order to your table. it's much cheaper to eat at home or order take out from your favorite deli or elsewhere but you pick it up and save tipping. best is to eat at home, including drinking alcohol. even bars charge too much in this economy. what you pay for a few "call your booze drinks" at a bar, you can almost pay for a bottle or 6 pak of your favorite alcohol. it's like a vicious circle, everyone trying to rip-off everyone.

[sjc_1]

When you can eat at home much cheaper, why would you go out and waste money? Dining out is the first thing to go when money is tight. This is not news.

[Cattzen]

The Conservative Agenda will always screw itself by taking away the buying power of the American People. If Americans do not have good paying jobs, good roads with vehicles to travel to work and HealthCare then, where is the Republican Business Model going to make it's profits?

???

Vote for your better interests Americans.

[tsigili]

Restaurant prices are up significantly, in all restaurants, including fast food.

Service is down in most.

Value is in the tank. On top of that, the menus selections are not healthy, with the menus being heavy in potatoes, rice, and pasta, as well as cheese. Vegetables, on the other hand, are in short supply, and salads might be better called "bowls of lettuce".

The entire restaurant industry has EARNED the fall in business.