{
  "id": 16108694,
  "title": "Americans are abandoning a weekly habit that’s been part of everyday life for decades",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/americans-are-abandoning-a-weekly-habit-thats-been-part-of-everyday",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-22T20:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91628244/americans-are-abandoning-a-weekly-habit-thats-been-part-of-everyday-life-for-decades"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent Gallup poll, it was found that fewer Americans are dining out weekly, a habit that has been a part of everyday life for decades. The pandemic forced restaurants to adapt and survive, but as dining out becomes more expensive, people are turning to alternative options. The percentage of Americans who eat out at least once a week dropped almost 10% between 2022 and 2026, according to the poll. Prior to the pandemic, more than half of respondents reported dining out weekly in 2019, but this number fell to 43% in 2021 and has since dropped to 39% in 2026. The decline is particularly pronounced among middle- and upper-income Americans, with only 39% of these groups dining out weekly, compared to 47% in 2022. The main driver of this shift is the cumulative effect of price increases over the past four years. While takeout has not entirely replaced dining out, the percentage of Americans who order takeout weekly has also dropped, from 26% in 2022 to 31% in 2026. This is now on par with the percentage of people who ate takeout pre-pandemic in 2018. Dining out habits vary across income levels, with those in upper-income households dining out more frequently than those in lower-income groups. Prior to the pandemic, 65% of upper-income Americans dined out weekly, compared to 40% of lower-income Americans. By 2021, weekly dining rates had dropped across all income brackets, but they began to rise again in 2022, with higher-income Americans leading the way. However, the trend has reversed, with weekly dining now falling for both middle and upper-income adults. In July of this year, Gallup conducted a survey of 1,200 adults across all 50 states, noting that the poll coincided with a food safety scare related to the cyclospora outbreak. Americans' distrust in the government regarding food safety protocols has also increased, with only 47% feeling confident about food safety measures. As restaurants struggle with higher ingredient prices and shrinking customer budgets, many are forced to close their doors, leaving fine dining establishments at a disadvantage.",
  "summary": "The number of Americans dining out just hit a new low. In the early days of the pandemic, restaurants went into survival mode to stay afloat. It may be safe to grab a bite to eat out of the house these days, but with fewer Americans able to afford the luxury of eating out, business is drying up again. The percentage of Americans who say they dine out at least once a week slid almost 10% between…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}