The Way to a Valentine’s Heart Is Through Dining Out

It’s no secret that Americans love to dine out on Valentine’s Day. And this year was no exception. On any given day, the nation’s restaurants ring up $970 million in food sales, so it’s a good bet that on Sunday, consumers pushed restaurant sales above $1 billion, according to Karen G. Kraushaar, spokeswoman for the Washington-based National Restaurant Assn.

In a recent survey, the restaurant group found that one in five respondents ate at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day in 1998. People between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to dine out than their elders.

According to the survey, 27% of Latino consumers celebrated the occasion by going to a restaurant, while 15% of African American respondents went out to eat.

Twenty percent of Asian American respondents said they dined out, and 21% of white respondents reported going out to eat.

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Dinner Dates

Ranking of holidays and special occasions when U.S. consumers like to dine out:

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Percentage Rank Occasion of respondents 1 Birthday 55% 2 Mother’s Day 30 3 Valentine’s Day 21 4 Father’s Day 17 5 Easter 14 6 New Year’s Eve 12 7 Thanksgiving Day 8 8 St. Patrick’s Day 7 9 New Year’s Day 7 10 Christmas Day 6

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Source: National Restaurant Assn.