Americans are expected to both dine out less and spend less per meal according to an AlixPartners survey of more than 1,000 consumers. Overall, consumers said they plan to spend an average of $14.95 per meal this year, down from the $15.20 they said they spent over the past year.
Thirty-one percent of respondents in the survey said that “lower price” was “important” or “very important” to them in defining value, versus 21% who said that in a similar AlixPartners survey released in the spring of 2017.
The fast-casual sector may be hardest hit this year, with just 20% of millennials saying they intend to visit fast-casual establishments twice weekly or more over the next 12 months, compared with 24% who said that in the 2017 survey. Meanwhile, fast food has become the preferred spot for lunch, with 35% of respondents picking it over fast-casual dining.
For all those surveyed who are planning to dine out less, saving money to re-allocate towards other expenses was the top reason, chosen by 54% of those surveyed.
“We’re starting to see a shift in spending patterns among the millennial generation, and restaurant operators need to be prepared,” said Adam Werner, global co-head of AlixPartners’ Restaurant, Hospitality and Leisure Practice and a managing director at the firm. “Millennials are now having families and children, and their spending priorities are beginning to reflect that.”
According to the survey, both delivery and take-out are expected to decrease slightly in the year ahead, particularly at fast-food and casual restaurants, with consumers saying they expect their monthly delivery and take-out orders to dip 11%.
Meanwhile, meal-kit services (such as Blue Apron, HelloFresh, Sun Basket, etc.) seem to be slow in gaining consumer adoption, with only 18% of respondents having tried such a service. In addition, 68% of those who said they haven’t tried a meal-kit service say they don’t plan to try one in the near future.
The AlixPartners 2018 U.S. Restaurant Outlook was conducted in February 2018. It polled 1,005 U.S consumers and focused on current and planned frequency of dining occasions across convenience stores, restaurants and ready-to-eat grocery.
