(ACSI: Ann Arbor, MI) -- Americans ate out an average of four meals per week in 2013, according to data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This is a 60-percent increase since the end of the Great Recession. Consumers are more likely to spend on dining out as the economy improves, and higher levels of customer satisfaction help as well, with full-service restaurants gaining 1.2 percent to an ACSI score of 82 on a 100-point scale. During eight years of ACSI measurement, the industry’s customer satisfaction has never fallen below 80.

This year’s small gain is driven by improvement in smaller chains and restaurants, which make up the bulk of the sit-down industry. The combined ACSI score for these restaurants climbs 2 percent to lead the category at 83. In contrast, customer satisfaction with each of the five largest full-service brands declines. In a weaker economy, price plays a more important role in determining dining preferences, and smaller restaurants that compete on quality rather than price may be more challenged to thrive. But in a strong or improving economy—as is the case now—the opposite is true.

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