2025 Dining Trends Report: The Latest Restaurant Industry Trends

Uncover the top dining trends based on our survey of 1,500+ American diners.

Report Highlights

0%
of diners are ordering takeout/delivery once a week or more often

0%
of diners say they’re motivated to visit a restaurant with a limited time offering (LTO)

0%
of diners are comfortable with technology in restaurants

Hungry for the latest consumer dining trends?

To reveal the top dining trends, we partnered with The Harris Poll to survey 1,500+ American diners from across the country. With extensive dining out statistics and restaurant industry trends, our report reveals what consumer dining trends operators should keep in mind to beat out the competition and win over American diners.

Dining Frequency Has Increased with Takeout/Delivery Outpacing Dine-In

Americans are feeling the pinch of a higher cost of living – but is it actually changing how often they dine out? Surprisingly, not by much. In fact, 42% of consumers say they dine out at least once a week, up from 39% last year. While this is optimistic news for restaurant operators, the trend isn’t universal – households earning under $50K are seeing a different reality. Meanwhile, takeout and delivery continue to dominate. In 2024, 44% of consumers ordered takeout or delivery at least once a week, up from 42% the year before.

Spend on Takeout and Dine-In Soars, But Tips Plateaued

After years of rising menu prices, it’s no surprise that restaurant checks are getting bigger. This year, diners reported spending an average of $54 when dining out at a restaurant – up from $48 in 2023, with Millennials and Gen X leading the way as the biggest spenders. But what about tipping? Despite the higher bills, most diners aren’t adjusting their tipping habits – 61% say they’re tipping the same as last year.

DoorDash is the Clear Favorite Among Third-Party Delivery Apps

Delivery apps are still a go-to for many diners, despite most prefer ordering directly from restaurant staff when given the option. When it comes to favorites, one app takes the cake – DoorDash is the clear favorite across all generations, with 73% of diners saying they use it. Uber Eats follows in second place, with 56% of diners using the platform, while Grubhub trails at 34%.

Are American Diners Seeing Stars?

For the average diner, a MICHELIN Star – or even a mere feature in the MICHELIN Guide – doesn’t hold much sway. Only 35% say it influences where they eat. However, for younger generations, this designation carries more weight. Half of Gen Z and Millennials say they would be more likely to visit a MICHELIN-starred restaurant, compared to just 33% of Gen X and only 16% of Boomers.

Time is Money for American Diners

For most diners, negative feedback from a friend is the top reason they would be deterred from visiting a restaurant – ranking even higher than a recent health inspection warning or a long wait time. A wait time over 30 minutes is enough to turn diners away, with the average guest only willing to wait 22 minutes for a table. The same goes for takeout and delivery, where diners expect their orders in just 29 minutes – down a minute from the year prior.

Traditional Service is Still Preferred Over Tech

While diners are open to tech – and even AI – in restaurants, they draw the line when it disrupts traditional service. 74% still prefer viewing a physical menu and ordering directly from a server. Even when it’s time to pay, tradition wins out – 51% would rather their server process payment away from the table.

Methodology

TouchBistro partnered with research firm The Harris Poll to survey 1,500 diners in the U.S. Our research was conducted from October 15 to October 25, 2024. Survey results are accurate +/- 3% for the general population of American diners.