Queenslanders shun eating out: survey

Queenslanders may be spoilt for choice when it comes to restaurants, but a survey shows that over the past year they have chosen to eat more often at home.

Queensland is the only state to see a fall in the number of people dining out, according to a survey conducted by restaurant booking service Dimmi.

While there was an overall national growth of 5.7 per cent, Queensland dropped by 7.8 per cent.

The owner/chef of Esquire in Brisbane's CBD, Ryan Squires, agrees it has been a tough year for many Queensland restaurants, particularly those at the higher end of the market.

"From January this year it's been the hardest six months since we opened," he says.

However, prospects for this new financial year are looking more positive, Squires says.

"July has been absolutely fantastic for us and we look forward to keeping up that momentum."

The president of Restaurant and Catering Australia, John Hart, is surprised by the findings.

"This result is astounding given the very strong trading in Brisbane," he says. "This shows that weak trading in some of Queensland's regional centres can really impact on the state's overall result."

If regional diners are not eating out as often, however, they are spending more than their metropolitan compatriots, with seven out of the 10 top-spending suburbs and towns in Queensland outside the capital.

The small town of Maleny in the Sunshine Coast hinterland has the most generous spenders, with an average of $82.76 per meal, while Brisbane's sybarite suburb was Bulimba/Hawthorne with a spend of $66.02 compared with the CBD's $62.77.

That generosity doesn't extend to tipping, however, with the average tip nationally just 2 per cent of the meal total.

Dining hot spots

• Brisbane and the Gold Coast are Queensland's hot spending spots, with Brisbane at No. 5 (dropping one place from last year) and the Gold Coast at No. 6 (moving up three places).
• Western Australia saw the largest growth in dining out with an 18.8 per cent increase.
• The ACT spends more per meal than any other state.
• The favoured booking time is still 7.30pm.
• A quarter of all bookings are made on the same day of dining.

Brisbane Times Good Food Guide 2014/15 is out now. Buy it in participating newsagents or online (RRP $12.99).