Rising costs take a bite out of restaurants

A YouGov survey finds that 37% of diners are eating out less than they did a year ago, while more than half say they’re choosing cheaper restaurants and relying on discounts. Three in 10 Americans still dine out once a week, and another 38% dine out at least once a month. Only 28% call restaurant prices “fair,” and more than half say they’re altering their habits to cut expenses. Fine-dining restaurants are especially less popular than they were a year ago. Higher-income diners prefer happy hour deals while lower-income customers rely more on “buy one, get one free” promotions.