Restaurant Business: Post-Election Spending Impact

Whether it is Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump that takes home the win on Election Night, restaurants will be the one the feeling the impact. According to a recent Restaurant Business article, new research shows that consumers are planning on spending less on dining out once the election is over, with a more of a cutback occurring if the Republican candidate takes office.

Thirty-two percent of respondents of the Technomic survey said that after the votes were counted, they would spend at least somewhat less on nonessentials if the GOP candidate was elected, which includes visits to restaurants. If Clinton brings home a win, the numbers were slightly lower, with 22 percent saying they would spend less.

Of those who mentioned concern about spending with Clinton as president, 56 percent said they would decrease spending in casual restaurants while 53 percent said the same about limited service and fine dining.

When asked about the election in general, 31 percent of respondents said they were afraid of the outcome of the election and 32 percent were disgusted by it.