Americans eat out a lot: in 2023, 56% report dining out at least once a week. About 78% of U.S. adults did a dine-out, takeout, or delivery in the prior week (2022), and the average American eats out about 4.4 times per month. This page breaks down how age, income, and preferences influence choices—plus what’s changing in delivery, fast casual, and restaurant spending.
Key Takeaways
- Millennials prefer fast casual at 42% of visits
- Gen Z: 73% order delivery weekly, highest demo
- Households earning $100K+ dine out 2x more than under $50K
- In 2023, 56% of Americans reported eating out at least once a week
- 78% of U.S. adults dined out or ordered takeout/delivery at least once in the past week in 2022
- Average American eats out 4.4 times per month according to 2023 data
- Total U.S. restaurant spending reached $1.1 trillion in 2023
- Average check per restaurant visit: $22 in 2023
- 36% of food budget spent on dining out in 2022
- COVID boosted delivery adoption by 150% among seniors
- Restaurant sales surpassed pre-pandemic by 10% in 2023
- Ghost kitchens grew 59% since 2020
- Hamburgers are the top fast food choice at 37% of visits
- Chicken overtakes beef as #1 protein at QSRs in 2023
- 26% of restaurant visits for burgers in 2023
Americans ate out weekly in 2023, fueling a fast casual and delivery boom with higher spending and healthier choices.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics27 stats
01
Millennials prefer fast casual at 42% of visits
02
Gen Z: 73% order delivery weekly, highest demo
03
Households earning $100K+ dine out 2x more than under $50K
04
Women 25% more likely to choose healthy options when eating out
05
Baby Boomers favor full-service 55% vs. QSR 30%
06
Urban dwellers eat out 28% more than rural
07
African Americans: 62% fast food weekly vs. 50% white
08
Parents with young kids: 80% dine out monthly
09
Seniors 65+: prefer chains 68%
10
High-income: 41% fine dining annually
11
Hispanics: Mexican cuisine 28% preference
12
College-educated: 15% more delivery use
13
Single adults dine out 1.5x more than married
14
Southern states: BBQ 12% higher consumption
15
Women account for 54% of restaurant decision-makers
16
Gen X: highest spend per visit $28avg
17
Low-income: rely on QSR 65%
18
LGBTQ+ demo: 20% more vegan options
19
Remote workers: lunch out down 22%
20
Asians: 35% Asian cuisine preference
21
Empty nesters: dinner out up 18%
22
Veterans: steakhouse 10% higher visits
23
Students: pizza 25% of orders
24
Northeast: seafood 15% preference
25
25-34 age group: 68% weekly takeout
26
Blue-collar workers: QSR 72%
27
Pet owners: 12% more casual dining
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
Demographics show that eating out behavior is sharply segmented, with Gen Z leading delivery at 73% weekly and $100K plus households dining out twice as much as those under $50K.
02 · Category
Frequency30 stats
01
In 2023, 56% of Americans reported eating out at least once a week
02
78% of U.S. adults dined out or ordered takeout/delivery at least once in the past week in 2022
03
Average American eats out 4.4 times per month according to 2023 data
04
37% of consumers eat out 2-3 times per week in 2023 survey
05
During 2022, full-service restaurant visits averaged 4.1 per capita monthly
06
65% of millennials dine out weekly, per 2023 NRA report
07
Quick-service restaurant visits hit 85 per capita annually in 2023
08
49% of Americans ate at a restaurant on a typical day in 2021
09
Post-pandemic, 62% increased frequency of eating out in 2023
10
Average household dines out 18.5 times per month in 2022
11
71% of Gen Z eat out or get delivery weekly in 2023
12
Limited-service visits rose 7% YoY to 92 visits per capita in 2023
13
44% of consumers visit casual dining monthly, per 2023 data
14
Americans made 58 billion restaurant visits in 2023
15
52% report eating out more than pre-pandemic levels in 2023
16
Average dine-out occasions per person: 192 annually in 2022
17
60% of adults had fast food weekly in 2023
18
Fine dining visits: 1.2 per capita monthly in 2023
19
68% of families with kids eat out weekly
20
Barbecue restaurant visits up 12% to 5.3 per capita yearly
21
55% dine out for lunch 1-2 times weekly
22
Delivery orders: 24 per person annually in 2023
23
47% visit pizza places weekly
24
Average breakfast out: 2.8 times monthly
25
61% increased casual dining frequency post-2022
26
Sports bar visits: 3.1 per capita yearly
27
50% eat Mexican food out monthly
28
Coffee shop visits: 112 per capita annually 2023
29
63% of Boomers dine out 1-2 times weekly
30
Takeout frequency: 3.5 times monthly average
Interpretation
Frequency Interpretation
For the Frequency category, Americans are eating out consistently, with 56% reporting they eat out at least once a week in 2023 and the average American eating out 4.4 times per month, while millennials are even more frequent at 65% dining out weekly.
03 · Category
Spending30 stats
01
Total U.S. restaurant spending reached $1.1 trillion in 2023
02
Average check per restaurant visit: $22in 2023
03
36% of food budget spent on dining out in 2022
04
Fast food spending per capita: $1,376annually 2023
05
Delivery fees average $4.50per order in 2023
06
Casual dining spend up 8% to $299 billion in 2023
07
28% of consumers spend over $50 per dine-out in 2023
08
Alcohol sales at restaurants: $42 billion in 2023
09
Per capita restaurant spend: $3,476yearly 2023
10
Quick-service spend: $404 billion in 2023
11
Tip average: 19.2% on dine-in bills 2023
12
45% use credit cards for 75%+ of restaurant spends
13
Off-premise sales: $426 billion in 2023
14
Fine dining average check: $85per person 2023
15
32% report higher spending on takeout post-pandemic
16
Household food-away-from-home spend: $4,079avg 2022
17
Pizza segment sales: $46.8 billion 2023
18
51% splurge more on dining out in 2023
19
Bar/nightclub spend: $38 billion 2023
20
Lunch spend average: $14.50per check 2023
21
67% of high-income spend $100+ weekly on food away
22
Dessert upsell adds $2.30avg to check
23
Mexican food sales: $62 billion 2023
24
40% cut back on dining due to inflation 2023
25
Buffet spend down 15% to $5.2B 2023
26
Coffee/tea shop sales: $48 billion 2023
27
Average family of 4 spends $12,500yearly on eating out
28
Steakhouse check avg: $622023
29
55% use loyalty apps to save on dining
30
Asian segment sales: $35B 2023
Interpretation
Spending Interpretation
In the spending category, U.S. restaurant spending hit $1.1 trillion in 2023, and with the average check rising to $22 and delivery fees averaging $4.50 per order, Americans are clearly spending more across both visits and delivery.
More related reading
04 · Category
Trends22 stats
01
COVID boosted delivery adoption by 150% among seniors
02
Restaurant sales surpassed pre-pandemic by 10% in 2023
03
Ghost kitchens grew 59% since 2020
04
Plant-based menu items up 59% in 5 years
05
Off-premise share now 65% of sales 2023
06
Labor shortages led to 25% menu simplification
07
Sustainability influences 55% purchase decisions 2023
08
AI ordering tech adopted by 40% chains
09
Inflation caused 18% price hikes 2022-2023
10
Experiential dining up 22% post-2022
11
Virtual brands in 30% QSR portfolios
12
Contactless payments 78% of transactions 2023
13
Health-focused menus grew 12% YoY
14
Social media drives 34% discovery
15
Alcohol-to-food ratio down to 22% from 28%
16
Drive-thru sales 25% of total QSR
17
Fusion cuisine menus up 40%
18
Loyalty programs boost repeat visits 20%
19
Vegan options in 50% casual chains
20
Peak dining shifted to 6-8pm by 15 mins
21
Curbside pickup 12% of orders 2023
22
Global flavors in 28% new menu items
Interpretation
Trends Interpretation
In today’s Americans Eat Out trends, delivery adoption among seniors jumped 150% during COVID while off-premise sales reached 65% of 2023 totals, showing how eating out has shifted decisively beyond the restaurant counter.
05 · Category
Types27 stats
01
Hamburgers are the top fast food choice at 37% of visits
02
Chicken overtakes beef as #1 protein at QSRs in 2023
03
26% of restaurant visits for burgers in 2023
04
Pizza accounts for 14% of all foodservice occasions
05
Mexican cuisine: 15% of limited-service sales 2023
06
Asian food visits up 9% to 12% market share
07
Sandwiches/burritos: 22% of QSR menu share
08
Italian restaurants: 10% of full-service visits
09
Seafood preferred by 8% for dine-out
10
Barbecue: 4% of total restaurant sales 2023
11
Vegetarian options ordered in 12% of meals 2023
12
Breakfast sandwiches top morning choice at 28%
13
Chicken wings: 7% of appetizer orders
14
Salads: 11% of entrees in casual dining
15
Tacos/burritos: 18% of Mexican visits
16
Steak: 6% of protein choices 2023
17
Sushi rolls popular in 22% of Asian visits
18
French fries accompany 45% of QSR meals
19
Pasta dishes: 9% in Italian segment
20
Plant-based burgers: 3% of burger sales 2023
21
Smoothies: 5% of beverage orders
22
Cheesecake Factory leads cheesecake orders at 1.2M weekly
23
Chicken tenders: top kid's menu item 35%
24
Poke bowls up 150% since 2018
25
Gyros in 4% of Mediterranean visits
26
Waffles top breakfast at 15%
27
Nachos: 12% of snack orders
Interpretation
Types Interpretation
Within the Types category, burgers still dominate at 37% of fast food visits and 26% of burger visits in 2023, even as chicken pulls ahead of beef as the top protein in QSRs and Asian food grows to 12% market share with a 9% jump.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Americans Eat Out Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/americans-eat-out-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Americans Eat Out Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/americans-eat-out-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Americans Eat Out Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/americans-eat-out-statistics.
Sources & references
43 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level