Creative Dining Shifts: Understanding Guest Behavior Amid Rising Costs

Consumers are getting used to inflation-driven price increases and plan to dine out just as often or more, which is a shift from previous years, according to Epsilon's recent study asking about guest motivations for dining out.  

“However, price remains a concern, prompting diners to seek value through meal-sharing, opting for appetizers, or reducing alcohol consumption,” Gillian MacPherson | SVP, Products and Customer Insights at Epsilon, told Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. “Despite these changes, providing excellent service remains critical to attracting and retaining customers.

It seems like the cost increases over the past three years have finally been accepted as the new reality.

MacPherson noted it was surprising to see service rated higher than prices, as that's uncommon in previous studies. 

“Additionally, it's encouraging to see a shift in consumer behavior, with more people eager to dine out rather than cut back. It seems like the cost…