61% of Americans say dining out now feels like a special occasion — and you won’t guess where they’re eating instead

Restaurant costs climbed around 6% from early 2024 through late 2025, while food at home rose closer to 3% over the same period. Diners still go out, but order less per visit, using more promotions and rethinking what justifies the cost. That recalculation has become widespread enough that 61% of Americans now say dining out feels more like a special occasion than a regular activity. That leaves a lot of routine social eating without a restaurant at the center of it. 

Dinner moves to the afternoon

The timing is changing alongside the venue, with reservations in the 4-5 p.m. window climbing 13% year over year. Bacardi’s 2026 cocktail research found similar movement: 34% of U.S. consumers are restructuring their evenings around earlier start times, gravitating toward lighter drinks, smaller bites and gatherings that wind down before 8 p.m.

Bacardi called it “afternoon society,” built around the rise of the daycap, a post-work cocktail that closes the day without extending it. An earlier gathering is also a simpler one to host at home. A backyard table at 4:30 costs nothing to reserve, scales to any group and suits the outdoor setting far better than a late restaurant booking does.

The backyard gets the restaurant treatment

Spending on outdoor spaces tracks the behavioral change, with 77% of Americans saying they don’t spend as much time outside at home as they would like. Among those who made outdoor upgrades, eating al fresco was among the top three activities people planned to do more of, alongside relaxing and spending time with family.

The building side moves in the same direction. Contractor data shows demand for multi-zone outdoor layouts rising nationwide, with dedicated dining areas named as one of the defining design priorities. Outdoor kitchens, weather-resistant seating and permanent lighting appear in projects that previously stopped at a deck and a folding table.

The gathering becomes the occasion

When restaurant visits get saved for milestones, the weeknight dinner with friends needs somewhere else to go, and more of those dinners end up in someone’s backyard. Bacardi’s 2026 cocktail research offers a social explanation alongside the economic one: 84% of consumers say technology has made their interactions feel less personal, and the appetite for in-person, screen-free gatherings has grown in response.

Without a time limit or a check at the end, the outdoor table fits what people actually look for in a shared meal. Where that meal happens is now their call.

Restaurants face a new competitor

Americans have not lost interest in gathering around food, but they are changing where those gatherings happen, when they start and how much they are willing to spend on them. The backyard table serves the role that casual restaurants once filled, especially for routine social occasions. For restaurants, that means competing not only with other businesses but with the comfort, flexibility and familiarity of home.

People aren’t entertaining less, or spending less time together. They are simply building those occasions in places that feel more personal and worth returning to.

Jennifer Allen is a retired professional chef and long-time writer. Her work appears in dozens of publications, including MSN, Yahoo, The Washington Post and The Seattle Times. These days, she’s busy in the kitchen developing recipes and traveling the world, and you can find all her best creations at Cook What You Love.

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