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In a recent online survey conducted in 52 countries around the world, Thai consumers' top two considerations when choosing a restaurant were type of cuisine (32 per cent) and reasonable price (21 per cent).

Asked what their favourite fare was when dining out, Thai consumers voted local cuisine as their first choice (57 per cent), while Japanese cuisine came in second (26 per cent), thanks to an increase in the number of local Japanese restaurants and a burgeoning health-conscious group of consumers.

Japanese food has become cheaper and easier to find, allowing more customers to enjoy it, said Usana Chantarklum, director of consumer research at Nielsen Thailand.

Consumers across the Asia-Pacific dine out more frequently than consumers in other regions, particularly in Hong Kong, where nearly one-third (31 per cent) eat in restaurants each day. In contrast, Europeans are the least likely to venture out for a meal - more than half (56 per cent) said they dined in restaurants once a month or less.

"The frequency of out-of-home dining in different markets very much reflects local cultures," observed Usana. "While many Asian countries place an emphasis on out-of-home socialising, European culture is more focused on sharing a meal around the family table. However, Nielsen's survey findings also provide insight into where the main impact of the global financial meltdown has been felt, with Europeans more likely to be tightening their belts and curbing their |out-of-home entertainment, while Asia has been less |affected.

"Despite recessionary times, Thai consumers still go out for dinner several times a month, because it's more convenient than cooking at home. Restaurants can be reassured that dining out remains an affordable luxury. |The most certain route to ongoing success is well-prepared local cuisine offered with value and price in mind," she |said.

A plurality of Thai consumers (24 per cent) reported dining out once or twice a week, 19 per cent two or three times a month and 15 per cent three to six times a week. More than half of Thais said they were most likely to enjoy a restaurant meal with family and friends (54 per cent), 18 per cent with their work colleagues and 13 per cent with their partner.

Dinner is by far the most popular out-of-home meal, with about 59 per cent of Thai consumers reporting their most common meal eaten in a restaurant was the evening meal, followed by lunch (39 per cent) and breakfast (2 per cent). This was consistent across most of the world's consumers, with the exception of Latin America, where lunch is the main meal of the day - 73 per cent of Latin Americans said lunch was the most likely meal to be eaten in a restaurant.

Asked which day of the week they most often ate in a restaurant, Saturday (31 per cent) and Monday through Thursday (30 per cent) were the clear favourites for out-of-home dining among Thais.