Hispanic Dining Patterns

CHICAGOHispanics make up 16 percent of the U.S. population and will make an estimated 9.8 billion restaurant visits each year. Hispanics who speak primarily Spanish are more likely to visit restaurants for breakfast and evening snacks, while those who speak primarily English are more likely to dine out for lunch and dinner, according to a new study from the NPD Group.

Among Spanish-speaking Hispanics, 31 percent will visit restaurants for breakfast, while 22 percent will dine out during the afternoon or evening snack daypart. For both non-Hispanics and English-speaking Hispanics, 18 percent of visits occur at breakfast and 15 percent occur at the afternoon or evening snack.

Data revealed more than half of restaurant visits from Spanish-dominant Hispanics and one-third of visits from English-speaking Hispanics include parties with children, while 29 percent of visits by non-Hispanics include parties with children.

"According to the Pew Research Center, 40 percent of Hispanics are most comfortable speaking Spanish, and our study finds that Spanish-speaking Hispanics use restaurants differently than English-speaking Hispanics," said NPD analyst Bonnie Riggs. "These are important considerations when marketing to Hispanics. The messaging and communications need to be relevant to each group."