The Food category accounts for 12.8% of Americans’ total expenditures, trailing only transportation (16.8%) and housing (33.3%), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But what are the details behind all that food spending? How much are Americans spending? In which types of restaurants? What about takeout? Dating? If you need data on dining habits in the United States, you’re in the right place.
Consumer Dining Habits
Dining Out vs. Eating at Home
Consumers spend the majority of their food budgets on food away from home, and that number has been climbing significantly in recent years.
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS), in 2023, Americans spent $1.5 trillion on FAFH; they spent $1.1 trillion on FAH during the same year.
And Americans aren’t just spending more for FAFH—the amount they’re spending is also rising much more rapidly than FAH spending is. Adjusting for inflation, FAH spending increased by just 3.37% since 2019; FAFH spending, on the other hand, increased by 13.52% in the same time frame.
And between 2022 and 2023, FAH spending actually fell by 2.58%, while FAFH spending increased by 5.11% (adjusted for inflation).
Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic did have a temporary effect on consumer habits. Taking inflation into account, FAH spending in 2020 reached its highest level since 1997 (the year ERS recordkeeping starts) at 51.70% of total food expenditure, while FAFH was at an all-time low of 48.30%.
However, by 2023 the situation had reversed; FAH spending reached an all-time low of 44.30%, while FAFH was at an all-time high of 55.70%.
How much are Americans spending on food at home versus food away from home?
| Year | % of Food Spending on FAH | % of Food Spending on FAFH | % Change in FAH Spending from Previous Year | % Change in FAFH Spending from Previous Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 46.63% | 53.37% | 2.27% | 1.75% |
| 2020 | 51.70% | 48.30% | 3.89% | -15.22% |
| 2021 | 48.32% | 51.68% | 4.13% | 19.21% |
| 2022 | 46.19% | 53.81% | -1.92% | 6.86% |
| 2023 | 44.30% | 55.70% | -2.58% | 5.11% |
(source)
Dining out at a restaurant and ordering takeout / delivery are some of Americans’ top choices when not cooking for themselves, with Americans spending far more on them than other FAFH options like vending machines, convenience stores, or school cafeterias. According to research by US Foods, Americans dine out 3 times per month on average; they order delivery even more frequently—an average of 4.5 times per month.
(source)
Consumer Preferences for Ordering Takeout / Delivery
That same US Foods survey found that almost 6 in 10 Americans (57%) preferred ordering takeout or delivery over dining out at a restaurant. Among the top reasons people choose to order takeout, a few stand out.
Top 5 Reasons Americans Order Takeout
- More enjoyable to eat at home (76%)
- More convenient to eat at home (75%)
- Can watch TV / movies (50%)
- Don’t have to cook (49%)
- Can wear comfortable clothes (32%)
Those preferences seem to be worth the wait; 54% of people said they would be willing to wait 30 minutes or more for their takeout / delivery order to arrive.
Where do people prefer to order takeout from? 60% of Americans said they order fast food takeout, the highest of any restaurant type; fine dining was lowest, with only 2% of Americans ordering takeout from this type of restaurant.
Where Do Americans Order Takeout?
| Restaurant type | % of people who order takeout from this type of restaurant |
|---|---|
| Fast Food | 60% |
| Fast Casual | 55% |
| Casual Dining | 46% |
| Contemporary Casual | 18% |
| Bar & Grill | 14% |
| Cafes; Food Trucks/Carts/Stands | 10% |
| Ghost Restaurant | 9% |
| Pub | 5% |
| Buffet | 3% |
| Fine Dining | 2% |
(source)
As you can see, while fast food is the clear favorite, Americans choose from a wide variety of restaurant types when ordering takeout; and while you may not be acquainted with the names of some of these categories, you’re probably familiar with the kind of restaurants that fall under each type.
- Fast casual: These restaurants usually offer fresher ingredients and an elevated ambiance compared to fast food, but still focus on convenience and quick service. Examples might include chain restaurants like Chipotle or Panera.
- Casual dining: These restaurants offer a traditional restaurant experience with table service and a full menu in a casual, accessible setting—think Applebee’s or Olive Garden.
- Contemporary casual: These restaurants offer a more still elevated dining experience compared to other casual restaurants—which may include a more refined atmosphere and changing menus that reflect seasonal or trending dishes. Contemporary casual restaurants can be independent or smaller local chains; Seasons 52 would be an example of a larger contemporary casual restaurant brand.
- Ghost restaurant: These restaurants only offer delivery, operating out of a commercial kitchen and preparing orders placed online or via an app, with no on-site dining option. Wow Bao, It’s Just Wings, or Conviction Chicken are some chain examples, but ghost kitchens can also be independent and locally owned.
Consumer Preferences for Dining Out
Americans also love to dine out—recall that US Foods survey that found the average American dined out three times per month. And a few common reasons for dining out rose to the top.
Top 5 Reasons Americans Dine Out
- Atmosphere or change of scenery (63%)
- Opportunity to socialize with friends (48%)
- Better food quality than they can make at home (47%)
- Celebrating something special (41%)
- No clean-up / dirty dishes (40%)
It turns out that people tend to be a little more impatient when dining out versus ordering in. Remember, more than half of respondents were willing to wait 30 minutes or more for a delivery order; but when dining out, 42% of people said they would wait no more than 20 minutes for a table (if they didn’t already have a reservation).
Casual dining restaurants were the most common type of restaurants for dining out, with 62% of consumers saying they go there.
What Are the Most Popular Types of Restaurants?
| Restaurant type | % of people who dine here |
|---|---|
| Casual Dining | 62% |
| Fast Food | 51% |
| Fast Casual | 54% |
| Contemporary Casual | 32% |
| Bar & Grill | 25% |
| Diner | 16% |
| Cafes | 17% |
| Pub | 12% |
| Buffet | 12% |
| Food Trucks/Carts/Stands | 11% |
(source)
How do you feel about technology as part of your dining experience?
Even as technology plays an increasing role in dining out, most diners still prefer a traditional experience. For example, all generations preferred physical menus over QR codes. However, younger generations were more receptive than older ones—14% of Baby Boomers and 22% of Gen Xers preferred QR codes, compared to 27% of Millennials and 31% of Gen Zers.
Preference for Menu Technology When Dining Out
| Prefer Physical Menus | Prefer QR Codes / Mobile Menus | |
|---|---|---|
| All Generations | 76% | 24% |
| Baby Boomers | 86% | 14% |
| Generation X | 78% | 22% |
| Millennials | 73% | 27% |
| Generation Z | 69% | 31% |
(source)
Restaurant Preferences for Dating
Though “going on a date” didn’t crack the top five reasons Americans dine out, it’s still the most popular option when it comes to going on a first date; 30.3% of consumers said going out to dinner would be their top choice for a first date. 23.7% said they’d prefer getting coffee, while 12.3% said they’d want to get drinks.
Top 5 First Date Activities
- Going out to dinner (30.3%)
- Getting coffee (23.7%)
- Getting drinks (12.3%)
- Going for a walk (12.3%)
- Doing something fun / active (11.1%)
(source)
When it comes to the type of restaurant people prefer for a first date, Italian was by far the most popular, with 27.47% of consumers saying this was their preference.
Top 10 Cuisines for a First Date Restaurant
| Cuisine | % |
|---|---|
| Italian | 27.47% |
| Spanish | 14.18% |
| Pub/Bar Food | 10.61% |
| French | 9.83% |
| Thai | 7.54% |
| American | 7.54% |
| BBQ | 7.43% |
| Japanese | 7.26% |
| Chinese | 5.75% |
| Mexican | 2.40% |
(source)
Spending Habits When Dining Out
Americans spend an average of $166 a month per person on dining out—and men spend 19% more dining out than women.
More people (42%) spend $11-$20 per person when dining out than any other cost range; only 8% spend $50 or more.
How Much Do Americans Spend Per Person When Dining Out?
| Amount per person | Percentage of consumers who spend this much |
|---|---|
| $10 or less | 8% |
| $11-20 | 42% |
| $21-30 | 24% |
| $31-40 | 11% |
| $41-50 | 7% |
| $51 or more | 8% |
(source)
When it comes to dining out, not all meals are created equal.
According to the BLS, in 2018 (the most recent year this data is available), Americans spent the most on dinner of all other meals, at about $28 per consumer unit. (A “consumer unit” is similar to a “household”—it could be a single person, a family unit, or two or more people living together and sharing expenses.)
This was roughly the same as they spent on breakfast/brunch, lunch, and snacks/non-alcoholic beverages combined.
That said, lunch was the most common meal people ate away from home. 53% of consumer units ate out for lunch during a given week, while only 50% had dinner out. 35% spent money on snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, and only 30% spent money on breakfast / brunch.
(source)
Tipping Habits in the U.S.
How much do you normally tip when dining out?
On average, Americans tip 18% of the bill—however, more than a third (38%) said they tip 20%, and nearly half (45%) said they tip 20% or more.
How Much Do Americans Tip?
| No tip | >10% | 10% tip | 15% tip | 18% tip | 20% tip | 25% tip | ?30% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4% | 5% | 9% | 28% | 9% | 38% | 6% | 1% |
(source)
Research seems to suggest that Americans’ tipping habits may be changing with the increase in digital payment methods. A LendingTree survey found that 60% of Americans said they were tipping more as technology makes it easier to pay (and tip).
This finding is supported by a Forbes report indicating that, when tipping digitally, nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans will leave a tip that’s more than 10% higher than they would have left if paying with cash; on average, Americans tips were 15% higher when tipping digitally.
This increase, however, may not just come out of the kindness of people’s hearts; 66% of consumers said they felt pressured to tip “sometimes” or “always” when presented with the option.
How Often Do You Feel Pressured to Tip?
| Never | Rarely | Sometimes | Always |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18% | 17% | 42% | 24% |
Food Delivery Service Statistics
As FAFH spending has continued to rise, food delivery services have flourished.
Globally, the food delivery market is now worth more than $150 billion—tripling between 2017 and 2021, according to McKinsey research.
Let’s take a closer look at the data to learn more.
Popularity of Food Delivery Services
According to National Restaurant Association (NRA) research, 52% of customers said ordering takeout was an essential part of their lifestyle, with Millennials (67%) and Gen Zers (63%) most likely to say so. 57% of Millennials and 55% of Gen Zers said the same about delivery.
Those preferences are reflected in restaurants’ sales. 65% of restaurant operators said delivery was a higher percentage of their sales in 2023 than it was in 2019; 20% said it was about the same, and only 15% said it was less.
For Most Restaurants, Sales from Delivery Orders Are Increasing
| How does the percentage of your sales coming from delivery orders compare from 2019 to 2023? | Higher Now | About the Same | Lower Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65% | 20% | 15% |
(source)
And the popularity of takeout and delivery continues to increase; DoorDash research found that 33% of consumers increased ordering delivery in the past year, while 32% increased ordering takeout.
That research also found that 70% of consumers ordered food delivery in the past month; 70% picked up a takeout order in the past month, while slightly fewer—68%—ate at a restaurant in the past month.
(source)
Growth of Third-Party Delivery Apps
The popularity of delivery has fueled the rise of third-party delivery apps; the majority of consumers (51%) said these apps were their preferred means of ordering delivery, according to the same DoorDash survey.
This finding is corroborated by NRA research that revealed 59% of delivery customers said they had used a third-party app to order delivery in the past 6 months. More than 70% of Gen Zers did so; only 29% of Boomers did.
And these apps aren’t just popular with consumers; 70% of restaurants only use third-party apps for delivery, while 8% handle delivery themselves.
(source)
When it comes to food delivery apps, there are many options—but a few stand out as the most popular.
Top 5 Delivery Apps in America
- GrubHub (used by 37.8% of respondents)
- UberEATS (used by 36.0% of respondents)
- DoorDash (used by 19.9% of respondents)
- Postmates (used by 9.8% of respondents)
- Amazon Restaurant (used by 9.0% of respondents)
(source)
When it comes to using third-party delivery apps, consumers tend to be highly consistent. That DoorDash research found that 86% of diners order on third-party apps at least twice a month and that 56% of people choose restaurants they visit often when making takeout / delivery orders. 49% even make repeat orders at least once a week—up from 43% last year.
Americans Use Third-Party Delivery Apps Consistently
| Order using third-party apps at least twice a month | Choose restaurants they visit often when ordering takeout / delivery | Make repeat orders at least once a week |
|---|---|---|
| 86% | 56% | 49% |
(source)
Americans are also increasingly using third-party delivery apps for alcohol delivery. 40% of consumers order alcohol delivery more than they did last year, and 58% of consumers used third-party apps for alcohol delivery in the past 6 months.
Most alcohol deliveries are same-day (36%) or last-minute (15%).
(source)
Economics of Food Delivery Services
Despite their growth and popularity, third-party delivery apps can eat into restaurants’ profits—restaurant profit margins are typically 7-22%, and delivery app commissions can be 15-30% according to McKinsey.
Delivery apps themselves can also struggle to maintain profitability—average contribution margins can be as low as 3% (the contribution margin is the amount left over after paying off variable costs like marketing, the cost of delivery, and so on).
Consumers can wind up paying up to 40% more than menu price (excluding tax) when using delivery apps.
(source)
However, those who choose to dine out may still wind up paying more than those who get delivery.
According to a paper published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, diners who went out to eat in a given week reported spending an average of $40.20—34.4% more than diners who ordered delivery ($29.92).
Similarly, diners who had a meal away from home in a given week reported that, on average, their last meal at a restaurant cost $29.41—18.1% more than diners’ most recent delivery meal ($24.90).
(source)
