People in Japan getting pickier about where they dine out - are you?

Have you got a favorite restaurant that you keep going back to, even after the prices have crept up? Apparently, quite a few people in Japan do! A new survey by MS&Consulting polled 1,071 people aged 20 to 59, and found that 83.7% still had restaurants they regularly visited despite price increases.

That's not to say that everyone is ignoring the higher prices, though. When choosing somewhere for lunch, 57.2% said the price range was one of their main considerations, which was up from 52.1% the previous year. For dinner outings involving alcohol, food and menu choices came first, but price was still a consideration for 42.6% of respondents.

So what makes a restaurant worth returning to when the bill gets a little bigger? Food quality was the clear winner, with 81.8% saying they'd continue visiting a restaurant if they were happy with the taste and quality. Keeping portion sizes the same also mattered to quite a few people.

I can definitely understand that. There's something disappointing about paying more for a meal and feeling like you've received less than you used to. A good lunch set or a favorite little neighborhood restaurant can still feel worth the money to me, though.