HOUSTON ( KIAH ) — Many families around the country have traditions involving restaurants, whether it’s returning to the same spot year after year for birthdays, Sunday morning brunches at a favorite local diner, or Friday night pies at a neighborhood pizza place.
While plenty of diners like to visit the same restaurants every year, every month, or even every week, others also want to try something new. Consumers today are “looking for new flavor experiences that excite their palates and provide a respite from their daily routines,” Stacey Kinkaid, the vice president of product development and innovation at US Foods, said in a statement. “The trend of global flavors demonstrates this as diners look for discovery and escape from the ordinary.”
US Foods, a major domestic foodservice distributor, surveyed 1,000 people who reflect the demographic makeup of the general American population about their dining out and takeout habits . They found that the average person dines out about three times per month for a wide range of reasons, from socialization to enjoying the atmosphere, and from celebrating something special to avoiding the labor of cooking (and cleaning up afterward).