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8 trends in dining for 2018
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Customer in restaurant blur background with bokeh, for create montage product display - photo by Herb Scribner
There are some new trends in dining entering the new year.

A new survey by Zagat, a restaurant ranking and review website, revealed spending habits and food choices among 13,000 diners across the country.

At the same time, Baum+Whiteman, a global food and restaurant consultancy, released its own report on upcoming trends in food, which includes the influence of technology.

Weve collected eight findings from the research.

Diners spend $36.40 on average

The survey found that diners across the nation spend on average $36.40 per person at a restaurant. Diners in New York City and Boston spend the most, at $46.14 and $41.54, respectively.

Heres how America tips

The survey found that the highest tips in the nation are 20.3 percent, up from 19.9 percent in 2014. On average, Americans tip 18.1 percent.

Abolishing tipping

As Food & Wine reported, about 43 percent of diners want to abolish tipping, even if that means menu prices will rise.

Diners will travel

About 54 percent of diners said they would travel 30 minutes to find a certain dish. But only 13 percent said theyd jump on an airplane to find the right meal, according to Food & Wine.

The states that eat the most

The survey revealed that Houston diners eat out more often than everyone in the country. Those in Dallas, Fort Worth, Miami and Los Angeles ranked close behind, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Plant-based food on the rise

The Baum+Whiteman report found that plant-based foods will be the top trend of the year. Foods made from plants will be "the new organic," according to the report. The trend will also align with people's interest in vegan foods.

Foreign foods are also on the rise

The Baum+Whiteman report identified food from foreign locations as another big trend for the year. The report expects cuisine from the Philippines, India and Korea to make a splash.

Technology

Look for technology to make an impact on food culture, too. Delivery services, such as ones from Uber and Amazon, will see an increase in use this year, too, according to the Baum+Whiteman report.

"We'll have to quit thinking about food and home and food away from home because the categories now have too much overlap; is Chinese food delivered to your door by Amazon considered dining at home or away from home?"
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