Restaurant and bar patrons cheaped out last year, swapping expensive bottles of wine for more affordable single glasses, ditching entrees for appetizers and sides and even passing on dessert.
Though consumer spending is ticking up, the unstable economy and high food prices have kept diners wary of hefty checks. Hence the 2.8% boom in appetizer and side orders last year, compared to a 1.5% slide in demand for entrees, according to GuestMetrics, which tracks hospitality industry data.
The average starter dish – oysters, chicken wings and empanadas are increasingly popular – costs $5.57. An entrée runs $11.56, according to GuestMetric’s database of 250 million full-service restaurant checks.
The collection represents $8 billion in transactions.
Dessert is also getting the shaft, with orders slumping 2.3% amid declining demand for brownies and cakes. Dessert represents 6% of all food items sold while entrees account for 52%.
