Six in 10 Americans Want a Restaurant Gift Card as a Holiday Gift This Year

New research from the National Restaurant Association shows that one in five Americans (26 percent) plan to give a restaurant gift card as a holiday gift this year. However, more than twice as many (59 percent) say they would like to receive a restaurant gift card, indicating a potential restaurant gift card deficit in Christmas stockings across America.

The National Restaurant Association’s research shows that women (65 percent) are somewhat more likely than men (52 percent) to want to receive a restaurant gift card this holiday, but Americans across age groups are equally likely to enjoy a gifted restaurant gift card.

In addition, of those who would like to receive a restaurant gift card as a holiday gift this year, 58 percent prefer that gift card to be for their favorite restaurant. Twenty-nine percent would like gift cards to be for restaurants they haven’t been to before, and 11 percent said they would like gift cards for a restaurant that they likely wouldn’t visit if they didn’t have a gift card.

When it comes to using restaurant gift cards, 44 percent of those who wish to receive a restaurant gift card as a holiday gift said they would use it within a few weeks; 43 percent said they would save it for a special occasion; and 12 percent said they would use it as soon as possible.