Despite the economy, many Americans are still eating out, whether it’s at a swanky new restaurant, a neighborhood favorite or a fast food chain. So found “Living Social,” the online daily deal site, in a survey of 4,000 consumers in the top 20 media markets.
- The average American eats 4.8 meals per week in restaurants or 249 total restaurant meals per year
- The most popular meal is lunch, with 2.6 eaten on average each week, followed by dinner with 1.4 per week and brunch/breakfast at .8 per week
- The top four restaurant cuisines are: Italian at 65 percent; Mexican at 62 percent; Chinese at 59 percent; and Pizza at 58 percent.
- Los Angelenos are more likely to describe themselves as “fast food junkies”
- The nation’s hottest new cuisine is Thai, finishing at the top of a list of 25 other types of cuisine
- The top six best cities for dining out were New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas and Washington, D.C. (in that order)
- Washington, D.C. was listed as America’s Capital of Vegetarians and Ethiopian Eats, with more diners here than any other metropolis stating that they don’t eat meat
- Nearly half of those surveyed describe themselves as “meat lovers” (45 percent), 22 percent as “sweet tooth,” 19 percent as “fast food junkies” and only 18 percent as “health nuts"
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