OpenTable Dining-Out Survey Reveals High Levels of Spending, Tipping, Drinking

Conducted by Genesis Research Associates, the study investigated consumer dining behaviors and trends in spending, dining frequency, and preferences at white-tablecloth restaurants in eight major US markets: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington DC. White-tablecloth restaurants are full-service restaurants that take reservations.

"With the volume of diners we seat via online reservations -- more than 600,000 each month -- it's our business to understand diners' habits and desires. Respondents reported that that they are spending more, tipping more, and drinking more than you might expect," said Thomas Layton, OpenTable CEO. "In addition, we learned that 25% believe restaurant service has improved over time, compared to only 8% who believe service quality has declined. This raises the bar for restaurants, which now have higher service standards to meet."

According to the survey, spending on white-tablecloth dining is trending upward, with 40% of respondents saying they spend more today than they did a year ago. In contrast, only 4% say they are spending less than one year ago, while 56% say that there has been no change. Respondents reported that their average dinner tab is $49.37 per person, including taxes, tip, and beverages. In addition, compared to one year ago, twice as many say they are dining out more often as say they are dining out less often (31% vs. 15%).

Respondents Report Handsome Tips, Irritation with Cell Phones

According to survey respondents, average service typically earns a 17% tip, and excellent service is rewarded with a 25% tip on average. Moreover, diners report that they aren't likely to apply excessive punishment for bad service. New York, Washington DC, Boston and Philadelphia tippers appear to be the most accepting, saying they leave 15% for below-average service. Boston diners reported the most generous tips, saying that they leave an average of 27% for excellent service followed by Philadelphia diners, who claimed to tip an average of 26% for excellent service.

Diners say they are irritated by cell phones in nice restaurants, but that doesn't seem to mean that they don't care about what the next table is saying. Eighty-four percent of diners agreed that they get "really irritated" with people who use their cell phones in fine restaurants. On the other hand, almost one third admitted that they sometimes eavesdrop on conversations at nearby tables.

Diners Are Drinking at Lunch

Nationally, 38% of diners say that one or more adults at the table drinks alcohol during lunch at a fine restaurant. New Yorkers lead the nation, with 49% reporting that one or more adults at the table drinks alcohol at lunch. Of those, the average consumption at the table is one drink per person. In addition, more than nine out of 10 diners nationally say that someone at the table drinks alcohol at dinner, with an average of two drinks per adult.

Twenty-seven percent of respondents say they have brought their own wine at least once in their past 10 white-tablecloth restaurant meals. Nearly one in five of those who might otherwise have brought wine, worried that the "staff wouldn't like it" if they did.

People are Watching Their Diets, Sort of

According to the survey, 38% of diners try to order dishes with lower carbohydrates and/or fat content, with Washington DC diners most likely to do so at 44%. In addition, 18% of San Franciscans cite "health/ingredient control" as one of the reasons they don't eat out more often, leading a national average of 14%. On the other hand, just more than half of diners nationally say they usually treat themselves to dessert when they dine at white-tablecloth restaurants.

Habits and Preferences Vary by City

The survey also revealed the unique white-tablecloth dining habits of each city in the survey.

                         Most likely to:        Least likely to:

                         ---------------        ----------------

Eat out more often

 than a year ago:        Philadelphia           Boston/San Francisco

Eat dinner out at

 least once a week:      New York               Philadelphia

Tolerate children in     Washington D.C./

 fine restaurants:        San Francisco         Atlanta

Spend more than $75

 per person at dinner:   New York               Atlanta/San Francisco

Bring their own wine:    Philadelphia           Washington DC

Prefer ethnic food:      Los Angeles            Boston

Cite transportation/

 parking as barrier

 to dining out:          Boston/San Francisco   New York/Atlanta

Do business over dinner: Atlanta                San Francisco

Dine out for lunch:      Los Angeles/New York   Philadelphia/Boston

Dine out with friends:   Los Angeles            Philadelphia

Treat themselves

 to dessert:             New York/Philadelphia  Atlanta

Genesis Research Associates conducted this online survey among current OpenTable.com members in eight major US markets. Fielded in February 2005, the survey garnered responses from 3,218 people, with at least 400 respondents from each market. Each respondent was confirmed to have dined at white-tablecloth restaurants in the past two months.

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