Article with very interesting HK data (red)

http://www.gourmetretailer.com/gourmetretailer/content_display/news/e3icbbfbd34476c89901d93a8413227ea49

Eating Out Around the World

April 21, 2009

What are consumers looking for when dining out? These days, something closer to home, according to a new report: "Global Diners Want Familiar Foods and Fair Prices" from The Nielsen Company. The report, based on a Nielsen survey, found that when choosing a restaurant, more than a quarter (27 percent) of global consumers prefer their local cuisine over international fare.

Report author Jonathan Banks, director retail insights, Nielsen Europe, cites a Nielsen global survey of Internet users in 52 markets across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas and the Middle East, which also revealed that, globally, reasonably priced food is consumers' second most important consideration (24 percent), though diners in Japan, Estonia, The Netherlands, Portugal, the Philippines, Belgium, Malaysia and Italy say that prices are actually the most important factor in their restaurant choice.

Value and Variety
Both cuisine and reasonable prices far outrank other primary considerations such as a convenient location (10 percent), healthy food options (6 percent), décor and ambiance (2 percent), recommendations from friends (2 percent), ample parking (1 percent), and Internet reviews (0 percent) when choosing a restaurant. Interestingly, only 2 percent of respondents choose a restaurant primarily because they don't have time to prepare a meal at home, and globally, no respondents select restaurants because they're considered the latest "in" place.

Food Favorites
Chinese and Italian food -- perennial international favorites -- are close runners-up to local cuisine, with 26 percent and 17 percent of the global respondents choosing them as their second favorite choice. Ironically, while 34 percent of Chinese respondents prefer their local cuisine as their first choice for dining out, 56 percent say that Chinese cuisine is their second most favorite. And Australians and Singaporeans prefer Chinese food even over their local fare. In Hong Kong, consumers' first preference is for Japanese cuisine (42 percent), and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the preferred cuisine is Indian (34 percent). The preferences in Singapore and UAE are likely driven by ethnicity, as Singapore's population is 75 percent Chinese and UAE is nearly 50 percent South Asian. The most patriotic restaurant-goers are the Italians, with 91 percent saying they prefer their local cuisine, followed by consumers in Turkey (82 percent) and India (81 percent).

Frequency Findings
The survey revealed two schools of thought on eating out: While the majority of global consumers (44 percent) dine out between one and three times per week, as many as 38 percent only enjoy a meal out-of-home once a month or less. Consumers in the Asia Pacific markets dine out more frequently than consumers in other regions, particularly in Hong Kong, where nearly one-third (31 percent) say they eat at restaurants every day or more than once a day. In contrast, Europeans are the least likely to venture out for a meal -- more than half (56 percent) say they dine in restaurants at most once a month and 7 percent say they never eat out. The Dutch are most likely to eat out less than once a month at 57 percent.

The frequency of out-of-home dining is reflective of local cultures. Many Asian countries emphasize out-of-home socializing, but Europeans are more likely to share a meal around the family table. The survey findings also provide insight into where the global financial meltdown has been felt most acutely, with more Europeans tightening their belts and curbing out-of-home entertainment. It is interesting to note, however, that only 1 percent of Europeans choose a restaurant because of special offers or promotions, versus 4 percent of North Americans who make that a primary or secondary consideration.

Dining Decisions
Dinner is by far the most popular out-of-home meal, with approximately 60 percent of global consumers saying they most commonly go out for the evening meal. This is consistent across most of the world's regions with the exception of Latin America, where the midday meal is culturally considered the main meal of the day, and 73 percent of respondents go to restaurants for lunch.

More than one-third (37 percent) of the world's consumers prefer to eat out on Saturday, followed by 31 percent who eat out on evenings during the Monday-through-Thursday week. More than half (55 percent) are most likely to enjoy a restaurant meal with family and friends -- though only 5 percent say that family members' preferences are the primary or secondary consideration for choosing a restaurant. Just over one-quarter of consumers (27 percent) dine out most often with their partners, 9 percent with work colleagues and 7 percent choose to dine out alone.

Cultural differences are reflected in the choice of companions for a restaurant meal. While only 4 percent of Latin Americans say they most often dine out with their partner, they are overwhelmingly more likely to go out with friends and family (69 percent), or work colleagues (14 percent). In contrast, 42 percent of Europeans are most likely to dine out with their partner, and only 4 percent of North Americans are most likely to go to restaurants with colleagues from work.

Check, Please
With nearly half the world's consumers eating out at restaurants several times a week, restaurateurs should be reassured that dining out remains an affordable luxury and preferred entertainment option, despite recessionary times. The most certain route to ongoing success is well-prepared local cuisine offered with value and pricing in mind.