Seattle diners are quietly rewriting their night-out playbooks as restaurant tabs inch higher month after month. Across the city, people are skipping that extra cocktail, downsizing orders and swapping white-tablecloth evenings for lower-priced counter-service spots, from neighborhood favorites to national chains.
Menu prices keep rising even as broader inflation cools. According to the National Restaurant Association, menu prices rose 0.3% in February, with full-service restaurant prices up 4.6% year-over-year and limited-service prices up 3.2%. Operators point to higher food, labor and everyday operating costs as the drivers.
What diners are doing
Surveys suggest Seattleites are not alone. According to the U.S. dining-out report from…..