The Numbers Behind Food Pics, Avocado Toast and Other 'Foodie' Trends

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Photo by: Anaiz777 ©Anaiz777

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Are you a “foodie” and Instagram addict who chooses a restaurant based on how ready for a close-up its dishes are and then calls a halt to all eating at the table until you have dutifully snapped pics and posted them on social media for all to see? If so, you are so on-trend.

The folks at Zagat, those restaurant-rating gurus, have released the results of a recent dining-trend survey, reflecting the sentiments of 9,865 passionate eaters nationwide, and the findings are rather interesting.

Here are some key facts and figures:

We are slaves to social media:

60 percent of social-media-active restaurant-goers surveyed by Zagat admit to persuading a dining companion to wait to eat their food until they’ve had a chance to snap photos.

41 percent of diners nationwide who are active on social media say they post photos of their food online while they are sitting at the table.

75 percent of those who enjoy looking at photos of food on social media say they have chosen a restaurant based on those photos. (In Honolulu, fully 91 percent said they had!)

Thankfully, only 1 percent of survey respondents say they have posted photos of their food online from a restaurant bathroom. (Because … ew.)

Some trends have staying power (and others not so much):

33 percent of respondents nationwide “love” avocado toast, and 31 percent of them feel the same way about ramen, pork belly and Sriracha.

38 percent of restaurant-goers said they were totally “over” food mash-ups (Cronut? Cro … not!) and 57 percent of them felt that way about “gimmicky” foods like rainbow bagels. (Over the rainbow!)

Just say no:

38 percent of us will reject a restaurant if it has a cash-only policy. (Don’t make us go to the ATM!)

33 percent of us will skip an eatery that requires us to eat at communal tables, and the same percent will do so if a restaurant has a “no-substitutions policy.”

20 percent of us won’t go to a place that seats only those with reservations. (And 72 percent say they would never pay for a hard-to-get reservation.)

Location, though, is not a serious barrier; about one-fourth of those surveyed will happily take a weekend driving trip or a flight for a good meal.

What’s in a name?

77 percent of those surveyed by Zagat consider themselves “foodies.” (Embrace it!)

Photo courtesy of iStock

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