Restaurant customers are still cutting back, especially when it comes t0 fine dining, according to an online survey of 2,496 adults conducted by Harris Interactive in mid-February.  Higher payroll taxes, stagnant wages, and the no-growth economy continue to affect the restaurant segment, but the year-over-year survey data indicates that at least the rate of decline is leveling off.

However, there is still plenty of business to be had in certain market segments, according to the survey data. The Harris Interactive poll found that 54 percent of U.S. adults had visited a local casual dining restaurant in the past month, while 52 percent had eaten at a casual dining chain restaurant. In contrast, just 18 percent had patronized a local fine dining restaurant and only nine percent had eaten a meal at a fine dining restaurant chain.

Add in those who had eaten at a fast food chain (64 percent) and Harris concluded that only 10 percent of Americans did not eat at a restaurant in the past month.   But customers are still going to restaurants less frequently than they used to. When asked whether they had eaten out more or less frequently over the past six months, many more respondents reported “less frequently” than “more frequently,” no matter what the restaurant segment.

Some types of restaurants did much better on this survey than others. It was almost a wash for local casual dining restaurants (20 percent “less,” 14 percent “more”), while casual dining restaurant chains (24 percent “less,” 11 percent “more”) did reasonably well.  But local fine dining restaurants (21 percent “less,” seven percent “more”) and fine dining chains (23 percent “less,” four percent “more”) still appear to be loosing customers. The good news is that the “less frequently” responses for all dining segments have declined significantly on a year-over-year basis.

The survey results also provide a quick snapshot of what customers say they are looking for from restaurants these days. “There are multiple factors driving Americans’ choices between the restaurants available to them, with those most frequently identified as important including good prices (90 percent); the mood they are in for either type of cuisine or type of food (86 percent); having a specific menu item they enjoy (84 percent); a convenient location (83 percent), and a broad variety of menu items (78 percent). The majority also consider special offers (59 percent) and healthy menu items that fit a dietary need (56 percent) to be important,” Harris Poll said.