Many articles in the press would lead you to believe that Millennials are the big spenders at restaurants. However, the data says just the opposite. The 25- to 35-age-group spend the average amount as all adults. It's the 35- to 54-age-group who are the bigger spenders, nearly 25% more than average.
However, when we look at time spent, the 25- to 35-year-olds spend the most time in restaurants, more than one-quarter more than average (+28%).
When you look at the share of all restaurant spending by age, we find that over the past decade a greater share has shifted from younger households to older households.
Households age 55 and older now account for over one-third (36%) of all restaurant spending.