Restaurants' growth accelerates as mass-market outlets thrive

He said that although most chains had launched high-end menus in a bid to maintain profits, it is medium-priced menus that are expected to draw more traffic to restaurants.

According to the survey, social occasions involving friends and families, as well as dating, are still the main reasons people go to restaurants.

Business meals have been cut back amid the government's anti-corruption campaign. That has been especially true for high-end restaurants that depended on customers using public funds.

Other findings of the survey:

· Consumers have "very limited tolerance" in terms of waiting for their orders to arrive. Less than 10 percent of interviewees said they could wait between 20 and 30 minutes. Commitments to cut waiting times are being offered by many restaurants.

· Restaurant choices are most influenced by word-of-mouth reviews, which are ranked ahead of third-party review websites. The impact of newspapers and broadcasting outlets has continued to weaken.

· Delivery services have emerged rapidly, especially those based online, even though the sheer number of users remains small. This trend is creating challenges in food safety among third-party food delivery providers.