The NPD Group has documented a four percent decline in visits to U.S. restaurants during April 2022 compared to the corresponding month in 2021.  Traffic was down 11 percent compared to April 2019, prior to the advent of COVID. The price of a meal on average was nine percent higher.  The rate of recovery from pre-COVID levels for consumer visits is evident especially in full-service restaurants down three percent in April 2022 compared to 2021 and 31 percent below April 2019.

David Portalatin, Food Industry Advisor to the NPD stated, "rising prices put pressures on consumers that contribute to the restaurant industry slowdown".  Since many consumers are eating at home to save money, Portalatin noted "operators need to demonstrate their value to consumers struggling with inflation".

As can be expected, the NPD survey showed that lower-income households and also consumers with children were less likely to eat at both QSRs and full-service restaurants.  A demographic with an annual income of under $50,000 reduced restaurant patronage by 11 percent and for households with children, by approximately eight percent compared to April 2021.

A second study conducted by Acosta, a market service company, showed that 54 percent of consumers have reduced their frequency of dining-out due to inflation and those that continue to patronize restaurants are "trading down" opting for cheaper meal options".