The growing number of Americans choosing to abstain from alcohol has bars and restaurants scrambling to rethink their menus and other offerings.
More and more consumers, especially younger ones, are ditching booze during their nights out on the town, marking a cultural shift that is severely affecting many establishments’ bottom line, NBC News correspondent Sam Brock said in a special report March 20 on TODAY.
As restaurant owners know, alcohol has always had a far higher profit margin than food — until now.
The “dry dining” trend, which was most recently reported on by The New York Times, comes on the heels of news reports that Gen Z and millennials consume far less alcohol than the generations before them.
A 2025 Gallup poll found only 54% of Americans — the lowest number in 90 years — said they drink alcohol.
More than half of the poll’s respondents said they believed drinking alcohol even in moderation is bad for a person’s health.
Aside from health concerns, many TikTok users report skipping alcohol when they dine out because of sky-high drink prices.
The move away from booze, which has also contributed to the decline of happy hours across the country, has business owners coming up with creative ways to replace alcohol with something more enticing to today’s teetotalers.
Many, like New Jersey business owner Pat Light, who operates six restaurants in Hoboken, are offering mocktails, alcohol-free cocktails that often cost as much as the real thing.
“You’ll have a group of 10 people. Two people are doing Dry January, they’ll choose our location,” Light told Brock.
As for alcoholic drinks, Light said, “I could give free drinks away. It doesn’t matter. People aren’t moving for it.”
Some TikTok users say they would like to see bars and restaurants offer even “healthier” alternatives along the lines of Poppi and Olipop prebiotic sodas.
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♬ original sound – HEALTH WITH HUNTER
Many bars are attempting to lure in patrons by offering fun theme nights and TV watch parties so they can gather socially over something other than drinks, said Brock.
“I think it’s important for restaurants to meet customers where they are,” Chad Moutray, the chief economist at the National Restaurant Association, told Brock.
“You’re having so many younger customers who are demanding more options when it comes to beverages is really, I think, the key to success.”
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