Survey: U.S. Leads at Dining Out

April 13, 2005 -- If you're dining out, picking up carry-out food, or eating on the go today, you've got lots of company.

The U.S. is No. 1 at dining out, says an international survey from Ipsos, a global survey and marketing company.

The dining data came from 11 countries: Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. There were about 500 participants in each country (except in the U.S., which had nearly 1,000 participants).

The survey was based on interviews done by telephone or in person. Participants were asked how often in a typical week they eat in restaurants; eat take-out food from a restaurant, deli, or food stand; and eat en route to somewhere else.

Most Dining Out Done in U.S.

The U.S. led in every category. Here's a closer look at those results:

• Dining in a restaurant at least once a week: 66%
• Eating take-out food at least once a week: 63%
• Eating take-out food more than once a week: 37%
• Eating on the go at least once a week: 42%
• Eating on the go more than once a week: 24%

Few people said they never eat in restaurants (4%) or get take-out food (10%). More than three out of 10 U.S. participants surveyed say they eat in restaurants more than once a week, says Ipsos.

Global Patterns

Curious about how the rest of the countries ranked?

South Korea came in second for restaurant use (63%). Australia and China were second and third for eating take-out food (54% and 50%, respectively). Japan and Germany were second and third for eating on the go (31% and 27%, respectively).

France, Italy, and Mexico had lower rates in all three categories, says Ipsos.