Here Are the U.S. Cities That Spend the Most on Dining Out

Those living in the U.S. absolutely love going out to eat. According to data from the culinary arts school Escoffier, Americans spend, on average, $166 a month per person on dining out. And, in additional data from the school, we’re now getting a peek at which cities spend the most on those tasty meals away from home. 

In October, Escoffier released its research analyzing which cities spend the most on restaurants. To find out, it utilized data from the USDA’s Food Expenditure Series (FES) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) to rank U.S. cities based on their spending. As the group explained, it approximated restaurant expenditures by using “the historical average of restaurant spending as a percentage of food away from home (FAFH)” via the most recent CES data. It added, “The U.S. CBP County Business Patterns data helped rank cities based on dining expenditures and the proportion of income spent on eating out, factoring in meal prices, takeaway costs, and the frequency of restaurant visits.” 

After looking at all the data, the researchers found that Honolulu “leads the list of cities spending the most on dining out, with residents spending 3.14% of their pre-tax income on restaurants, which translates to an average of $1,260.03 per capita annually.” 

It added that restaurant expenditures make up 4.71% of total spending and “a significant 30.68% of discretionary spending” in the city. Naturally, it noted that Honolulu’s spending is “influenced by its tourism-driven economy,” which “plays a key role in these figures, making eating out an integral part of life for both locals and visitors.” 

Next on the list is Los Angeles, where residents allocate 3% of their pre-tax income to dining out, averaging $1,185.30 per capita annually. “Dining out accounts for 4% of total annual expenditures, with restaurant spending also making up 25.20% of discretionary spending,” the findings noted. “The city’s diverse food scene, from street vendors to upscale dining, reflects the broad culinary preferences of its residents, making dining out a major part of daily life.” 

Also joining these cities at the top of the list is St. Louis, which ranked third thanks to its residents spending 2.93% of their income on restaurants, followed by Philadelphia, which came in fourth as its residents tend to spend 2.78% of their income on dining out. Baltimore rounded out the top five, with residents spending 2.76% of their income and $1,230.79 per capita annually on dining out. See if your city made the list of top spenders at escoffier.edu.