Author: Mintel Group Ltd.
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Dining Out in 2020 - US - December 2019
Overview
 
What you need to know
Restaurant sales are predicted to maintain steady growth in coming years but are vulnerable to volatile economic conditions, triggering a decrease in dining out spending. Americans’ interest in casual and off-premise dining is largely fueling industry growth, leading to a rise in new delivery formats including ghost kitchens along with the faster growth of the LSR segment compared to the FSR segment. In 2020, operators should focus on adding menu options that fit diners’ unique lifestyle needs including plant-based, diet-specific and natural ingredients as well as more personalized and convenient ordering options.

Definition
The purpose of this Report is to analyze consumers’ attitudes, behaviors and perceptions surrounding their current dining out behavior and anticipated behavior in 2019. The Report will also examine how dining out varies across demographics. This Report builds off of Mintel’s Dining Out in 2019 – US, December 2018.

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following restaurant definitions:

●	Quick service restaurants – Used interchangeably with “fast food,” QSRs specialize in inexpensive, convenient meals. There is no waiter service and has no alcoholic beverages and a low price point. Examples include: McDonald’s, KFC, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Pizza Hut.
●	Fast casual restaurants – These establishments are characterized by a higher price point than QSRs, though not as high as full service restaurants. Fast casuals do not offer waiter service and may or may not serve alcohol. Examples include: Chipotle, Panera Bread, Shake Shack and Blaze Pizza.
●	Limited service restaurants – These establishments provide food services in which customers usually select and order items and pay before dining. Food/drink may be consumed on the premises, offered as carryout, or delivered to the customer’s location. These may also sell alcoholic beverages. LSRs include both QSRs and fast casual restaurants. The other category within LSRs (as seen in the Market Size and Forecast) includes snacks and non-alcoholic beverage bars, cafeterias, grills and grill buffets.
●	Full service restaurants – These establishments have waiter/waitress service in which customers order and are served while seated. These may also sell alcoholic beverages and offer carryout services. They include the restaurant segments: midscale, casual dining and fine dining.

The following consumer segments are referenced throughout this Report:

●	Frequent LSR customer – Visits LSRs once a week or more
●	Frequent FSR customer – Visits FSRs once a week or more

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