A Zagat surveys finds Texans eat out nearly six days a week, with Houstonians go out to eat the most at 5.7 times a week.
Houston's great restaurant scene is helped with the diverse community. Greater Houston Restaurant Association's Melissa Stewart said there's never a lack of new restaurants to try.
“We have the best restaurants and why would you do anything else, which is a big factor, having a great diversity of restaurants both in flavors, and taste, and availability and cost—makes it really easy for our families to take advantage of this great resource,” said Stewart.
She said in the Greater Houston area, there's more than 12,000 restaurants—in Harris County, which is about 650 square miles. Those eateries include everything from mobile food trucks to white linen sit-down restaurants.
Dallas, Fort Worth, Miami, and Los Angeles ranked closely behind with an average of 5.6.
The national tipping trend is 18%, no longer 15%.
She said our southern hospitality plays a role in the dining experience, too.
“We know service is important. How you’re treated when the plate’s brought to you is as important as what’s on the plate for so many of our customers. And in a competitive environment, Houston has more than 12,000 restaurants, every encounter counts,” said Stewart.
When it comes to tipping, Philadelphians are reportedly the most generous, tipping an average of more than 20 percent on each bill.
The average bill is about $40 per person for dinner.