Takeout is America’s favorite way to dine

IS TAKEOUT NOW

America’s favorite way to dine?

A recent survey by U.S. Foods, the Rosemont, Illinois-based food service distribution giant, seems to support that conclusion. Their research, presented as “The Diner Dispatch: 2023 American Dining Habits,” suggests that pandemic practices of relying on takeout and delivery seem to have become deeply engrained consumer behavior.

In a survey of more than 1,000 individuals conducted in December 2022, 57% of those polled reported that they prefer ordering takeout over going out to a restaurant. Among the reasons reported for that takeout preference were “the convenience factor,” “the ability to watch TV or movies,” and the option of wearing comfortable clothes rather than having to dress up to go out. Survey respondents reported that they ordered takeout 4.5 times a month, but only dined out in restaurants around three times a month.

Not surprisingly, the type of takeout these stay-at-home diners reported ordering was primarily fast food and fast casual.

Does this mean that restaurants need to retool themselves, de-emphasizing their dining rooms to focus instead on food to go?

Well, as is the case with all survey research, one has to look carefully behind the conclusions reached to review the survey methodology itself. When asked what kind of food service experience they prefer - dine out or dine in - it’s certainly possible that what consumers report they’d like to do is different from what they actually do.

Takeout — and especially delivery — have costs involved that could well result in less usage than the survey suggests. Picking up takeout involves a certain amount of inconvenience for the consumer, and delivery, especially via third-party delivery like Grubhub and Uber Eats, can be costly.

Regardless of the conclusions that US Foods has extracted from the data they collected, “The Diner Dispatch: 2023 American Dining Habits” is rich with insights on dining behaviors and the role they are likely to play in defining the future of the restaurant business. The survey results in their entirety can be found online.

Side Dishes

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