More Canadians dining out

Canadians are starting to dine out a little more often, after tightening their belts when the economy was sluggish.

Restaurant traffic grew modestly in the first quarter of 2010, up 2.3 per cent comparedwith the same period one year ago, the market research company NPD Group said Wednesday.

The rebound comes after four quarters of weakness, it said.

The findings are derived from a tracking service that monitors consumer purchases of commercially prepared meals and snacks.

Quick-service restaurants had a three per cent gain, while casual dining and retail was up two per cent and the family-mid-scale category of restaurants was up by one per cent, NPD Group said.

During the recession, the company said offers of special deals were used by restaurant operators to bring in customers.

"While deal-related visits have exhibited growth for eight consecutive quarters, it is important for food-service operators to remain innovative with their use of promotional offers," NPD's restaurant industry analyst Linda Strachan said in a statement.

"Promotions/deals that have grown in importance this year include discounted prices, daily specials and discount coupons. Value-priced menu items also remain popular and continue to be added to menus by many chain operators."

But although restaurant traffic increased, the average amount spent per visit experienced a slight decline of 1.3 per cent in the quarter comparedwith a year ago, NPD said.

"[Consumers] are managing their spending by choosing less expensive restaurants and menu items, and cutting back on some of the extras like appetizers and side dishes," NPD said in a release.