Consumers are taking cost-cutting measures while eating out, by cutting back on alcohol consumption, starters and desserts, and ordering dishes to share.

QuickBite, the eating out quarterly tracker conducted on behalf of market analyst Horizons, found that more than half of survey respondents (54 percent) take price into consideration more often than they did six months ago, as they seek better-value dishes.

However, the survey also found encouraging signs that consumers are prepared to spend their money again, with 68 per cent of respondents saying they intended to eat out as often as they had in the past.

Paul Backman, Horizons’ development executive, said: “While it seems people are continuing to eat out, they are looking for ways to reduce the cost, taking advantage of money-off vouchers. They have also changed the things they are ordering in restaurants - sharing more, drinking wine by the glass.”

Sharing dishes and spending less on alcohol are increasingly popular ways to save money. Some 29 per cent of respondents said they were opting to share dishes more often, and 51 per cent said they now spend less on alcohol when eating out.

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