Consumers Plan to Dine Out Less in 2014 for Health Reasons

New-York based consulting firm AlixPartners found that consumers will eat out less frequently in 2014 due to an increased concern in maintaining good health, not because of budget constraints, as had been the case since the recession. The North American Restaurant Consumer Sentiment Review by AlixPartners, a bi-annual survey, based their findings off of more than eighty restaurants and foodservice companies. The survey discovered that 60% of consumers claimed they want to eat more healthfully in the next year, a 10% increase from the first quarter. More than half of consumers ranked the availability of of healthy menu options as important when choosing where to eat.

A rise in health-conscious attitudes may be the top reason consumers plan to dine out less; however, their primary concern is food quality, then price and value. Restaurant owners will want to consider adding healthful options to their menus if they have not already done so.