News

NRA report: Millennials spend higher proportions on food than families

November 14, 2014

The National Restaurant Association has published its newest edition of its Consumer Spending in Restaurants report. The report was last published in 2009 and analyzes spending on food away from home by demographic.

“Looking at demographics is extremely important for restaurant operators. One primary influencer on spending is income, in that the more cash-on-hand consumers have, the more they are likely to spend dining out,” NRA SVP Hudson Riehle said in a news release. “Our report breaks down income levels and other important factors to show how spending on food away from home can vary significantly according to household traits and composition.”

For example, households with annual income above $70,000 comprise a third of all households but account for 56 percent of total spending on food away from home.

"And, young adults who have not yet reached their peak earning years spend less dining out when counting dollars, but a higher proportion of their total food budget compared with families with children,” Riehle said. 

Also according to the report, average household spending in restaurants was $2,678 in 2012 (or $1,071 per person), an increase of 2.2 percent over the previous year.

Broken down by region, the Northeast and the West outspent the Midwest and the South. Breaking it down further by major US city, Washington, D.C. led the nation both in levels of spending and proportion of total food budget spent in restaurants.

The report is available to NRA members for a 50-percent discount.