Philly Foodies Dine Out Less But Find Better Deals; Posting Letter Health Grades Favored Overwhelmingly

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Zagat Survey released its 2011 Philadelphia Restaurants survey today, covering 1,038 area eateries. The results are based on feedback from over 5,500 local diners who ate out 2.5 times per week on average, bringing over 710,000 annual meals' worth of dining experiences to the survey. The typical restaurant was visited by surveyors an estimated 600 times in the past year.  

Health Grades: Given the current move by NYC to require the posting of letter grades to reflect the results of restaurants' health department inspections, it's noteworthy that 81% of Philadelphia respondents say they favor such a program. That's not surprising given their answers to a number of other health-related questions. For example, 62% think that trans fats should be banned from food preparation and, when it comes to heart-healthy menu items, 71% said they regard having them available as important.

Good and Bad News: The economic downturn delivered surprising benefits to diners, as 55% report finding better deals at restaurants, while 38% feel their patronage is more appreciated, and 29% say it's easier to land hard-to-get reservations. Unfortunately it's not great news for restaurateurs, with 35% of Philadelphia surveyors reportedly eating out less frequently and dining out 2.5 times per week on average; that's down from 2.6 times in the last survey and well below Zagat's national average of 3.2 times per week. In fact, Philadelphians eat out less often than diners in any of the over forty major U.S. markets surveyed by Zagat. Nonetheless, Philadelphia diners have once again been named among the nation's best tippers, leaving an average 19.6% tip.

Winners: This year saw a shake-up among leading restaurateurs: Jose Garces' "magnificent" tapas restaurant Amada was named Most Popular, dethroning Stephen Starr's Buddakan (now ranked #2), while Marc Vetri's eponymous Vetri ascended the ranks from #8 last year to take Top Food honors, surpassing longtime favorite, the Four Seasons Hotel's Fountain Restaurant (now #2). Despite these changes, The Fountain retained both Top Decor and Top Service honors. Completing the top lists are:

Top Food

1) Vetri

2) Fountain

3) Birchrunville Store

4) Amada

5) Gilmore's

Top Decor

1) Fountain

2) Union Trust

3) R2L

4) Nineteen

5) Lacroix

Top Service      

1) Fountain

2) Vetri

3) Birchrunville Store

4) Gilmore's

5) Lacroix

Most Popular

1) Amada

2) Buddakan

3) Le Bec-Fin

4) Osteria

5) Vetri

The above restaurants are mostly on the expensive side; however, Philadelphians have many wallet-friendly eateries from which to choose from. Here are the survey's top ten Best Buys, ranked in order of their Bang for the Buck ratings:

1. La Colombe
2. Capogrio
3. Charlie's Hamburgers
4. Maoz Vegetarian
5. John's Roast Pork
6. Brew HaHa!
7. Bonte Wafflerie
8. Naked Chocolate Cafe
9. Shank's Original
10. Campo's Deli

Bistros, Burgers and Brown-Bagging: To combat recession worries, diners continue to look for casual, cost-cutting options. Thus, BYO dining is stronger than ever, with 81% of diners bringing their own wine to dinner as much or more often than in the past. New restaurants welcoming BYO include Logan Square's Doma, Fond in South Philly, Narbeth's Gemelli and Jose Garces' Garces Trading Co. in Wash West. Jose Garces added fuel to the local burger blaze with Village Whiskey, while Bobby Flay opened another Bobby's Burger Palace in University City. Several other affordable, bistro-style eateries opened, including Hoof + Fin and Koo Zee Doo. Also, some of Philadelphia's leading restaurateurs expanded their empires, with less pricey options. These include Stephen Starr's Mexican El Ray in Rittenhouse and Pizzeria Stella in Society Hill. Over in Wash West, Marc Vetri added trattoria Amis to his ranks, while Daniel Stern debuted R2L in Two Liberty Place and MidAtlantic in University City.

Perennials: The survey shows certain results are perennial: For example, as everywhere, the principle complaint when dining out is service (69%) – surprisingly, food and prices only received 6% each. When it comes to favorite cuisine a plurality of Philadelphians (27%) answered "Italian" for the 7th year in a row; American, Japanese, French and Mexican followed at 16%, 11%, 11% and 9% respectively. While 32% of respondents said they are more likely to dine at a place with a famous chef, only 2% were turned off by this. Additionally, 67% said they considered it important to have locally-grown/organic/sustainable menu items and 63% said they were willing to pay more for such "green food.

Digital Dining: According to this year's survey, 41% of Philadelphia diners make restaurant reservations online--a substantial jump from 25% in 2008--and 86% visit a restaurant's website before dining. To assist these e-consumers, Zagat's ratings and reviews are available on ZAGAT.com, nru for Android, and the recently updated ZAGAT TO GO 4.0 for iPhone, which integrates Foodspotting photos, Foursquare check-ins, and a brand new Zagat Dining Journal.

Details: The 2011 Philadelphia Restaurants guide ($14.95) was edited by Yoji Yamaguchi with local editor Michael Klein and local coordinator Marilyn Kleinberg. For information on Zagat's mobile products, please visit http://www.zagat.com/mobile. Both the guide book and the digital products break top lists out by cuisine type, neighborhood and other special features. And be sure to follow Zagat on Facebook and Twitter @ZagatBuzz for daily news and updates!

About Zagat Survey, LLC

Known as the "wildly popular" "burgundy bible," Zagat Survey is the world's most trusted source for consumer-generated survey information. With a worldwide network of surveyors, Zagat rates and reviews restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, music, golf, shopping and a range of other entertainment categories and is lauded as the "most up-to-date," "comprehensive" and "reliable" guide, published on all platforms. Zagat content is available to consumers wherever and whenever they need it: on ZAGAT.com, ZAGAT.mobi, ZAGAT TO GO for smartphones and in book form.

SOURCE Zagat Survey