Men willing to spend more for fine food than women
Young adults willing to pay much more than older diners
Diners in the West are much bigger spenders than rest of the country
Steakhouse is the most popular choice for high-end dining
Americans said they would splurge an average of $203 in order
to have a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience at a gourmet restaurant, according to a recent online
survey by Harris Poll sponsored by Michelin, the global tire maker that publishes, arguably, the world’s
most celebrated restaurant guide that imparts the famous Michelin stars to the very finest eateries.
“We discovered across every demographic that American diners would be willing to pay a sizable sum
to eat the best meal of their lives at a high-end restaurant,” said Cynthia Ochterbeck, Michelin’s U.S.
editorial director for travel guides. “Perhaps this is the influence of around-the-clock food shows and
celebrity chefs, but the fine food movement continues to see an extraordinary growth in popularity.”
Michelin’s survey with Harris Poll queried more than 2,000 U.S. adults, revealing some surprising
preferences about great food experiences:
Millennials (ages 18-34) on average would pay $282 for this culinary experience, compared to
those diners ages 45-54 who would shell out $170, and $122 for those 65 and older.
Geographically, diners in the West are much bigger spenders, saying they would pay $352 for
an unsurpassed meal, which is essentially double what people would pay in the Northeast
($182), the South ($149) and Midwest ($148).
Gender is also a factor, according to survey results. Men are willing to drop an average of
$241 for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience, while women are inclined to spend
considerably less on average, at $166.
What cuisine would American diners likely splurge on?
A quarter of U.S. adults who participated in the Michelin survey say that steakhouse cuisine is
their favorite choice for dining.
Italian ranked as the second choice nationally for the meal of a lifetime. Notably, nearly 1 in 4
Northeast diners (24 percent) favor Italian fare, versus 18 percent in the South, 15 percent in
the Midwest and 17 percent in the West. Tied for American adults’ third choice are Mexican,
American and Continental, all at 13 percent in the survey.
Michelin’s famous restaurant guides
When it comes to dining expertise, Michelin has a storied history in publishing guides with restaurant
advice. The company’s founders, brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin, created their first travel guide
with dining and hotel recommendations in 1900 to promote early automobile travel and thereby sell
more tires. Today, Michelin’s Red Guide is recognized internationally as the standard for restaurant
information. The Michelin Red Guide is published in 24 countries, covering four continents. Michelin
publishes three guides in the United States: New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. All these
guides have a suggested retail price of $18.99 ($21.95 in Canada); they can be purchased at Amazon,
Barnes & Noble and your favorite bookstore. Each year, Michelin food inspectors award the finest
eateries with the coveted Michelin stars: one star, “a very good restaurant in its category;” two stars,
“excellent cuisine, worth a detour;” and three stars, “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”
Michelin recognizes about 112 three-star restaurants in the world.
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Michelin from
June 24-26, 2015 among 2,028 adults ages. For complete survey methodology, including weighting
variables, contact Tony Fouladpour at tony.fouladpour@us.michelin.com.
Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires
for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment,
heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant
guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America employs
more than 22,750 people and operates 20 major manufacturing plants in North America.
