More than 7 in 10 adults are at least somewhat likely to try new restaurants in their area (79 percent) and dine at or order from local restaurants in order to support the local economy (74 percent), according to the How America Eats survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Uber Eats.
Forty-three percent of adults feel guilty when they order delivery. Other key delivery findings include:
- Couples are twice as likely to order in delivery as singles.
- Of couples who order delivery, 23 percent say they argue over which restaurant to order from and will sometimes order from two restaurants to resolve their differences.
- Thirty-six percent of parents who ever order delivery also order from multiple restaurants to keep the peace at home.
- The most popular time or occasion to order delivery is during bad weather.
Nearly half of those surveyed prefer to go out with others and not dine alone. When they arrive at a restaurant, U.S. adults, on average, are willing to wait 10 to 20 minutes before being seated (on the lower end when they have made a reservation and on the higher end when they have not).
Other key dining out findings include:
- Twenty-seven percent of adults dislike or hate sharing food with others they’re dining with.
- Twenty-two percent of consumers dislike or hate dining in large groups.
- Five percent of adults hate it if other people order the same dish as them.
- The most common way to handle the bill while dining out with friends is to itemize it (each person only pays for the items they eat, 46 percent), followed by splitting it equally (36 percent). There are regional differences, however: those living in the Northeast (51 percent) more likely to split equally, while those in the Midwest (57 percent) and South (53 percent) more likely to itemize.
Finally, younger adults (Millennial and GenXers) are the most comfortable dining out (whether in groups or alone) and trying out new restaurants in their area. They are also more at ease with sharing food, ordering similar dishes and even sending food back.