High-Income Consumers Deal-Hunt for the Experience

High-income consumers are embracing deal-seeking behavior at rates that rival, and in some cases exceed, the lower-income consumer, according to Datassential’s Demographic Dive report.

According to Datassential’s 2025 Value Equation report, 65% of consumers earning $100K or more ordered a combo meal or value bundle at least once in the past month, edging out 63% of medium-income consumers and 57% of low-income consumers. 

To be sure, low-income consumers likely order combo and value bundles less often simply because they eat out less overall, not necessarily because they care less about getting a deal, Datassential Trendologist Huy Do noted. 

High earners are also more likely to say they have chosen combo meals, meal deals, or bundled offers more often over the past six months (40%), compared with 34% for medium income and 39% for low income, according to the Demographic Dive report.

The pattern extends beyond behavior into sentiment. Eighty percent of high-income consumers say they feel proud when they find a great deal on a meal or ingredient, ahead of 76% for medium income and 72% for low income. High earners are also more likely to say they have actively looked for deals, discounts, or promotions when eating out more often in the past six months, at 54%, versus 47% for medium income and 51% for low income.

Notably, high earners are not deal-hunting because money is tight. In fact, they are the least likely of the three tiers to say they have cut back on restaurant meals or dining out, at 43%, versus 53% for low income and 51% for medium income. Lower prices overall rank as a comparatively weaker motivator for them to dine out more, cited by 50%, versus 56% for low income. For high earners, deal-seeking is driven less by necessity and more by the psychological payoff of the win — the satisfaction of getting more than they expected resonates just as strongly with them as it does with budget-conscious diners, even when they need the savings far less. 

High earners are also the group most likely to say a “great meal and experience, even if I have to pay more” defines value to them. That sentiment strongest among the middle-aged generations, with Millennials at 24% and Gen X at 23%, and lower for both Gen Z (18%) and Boomers (17%). 

As the 2026 Datassential 500 report noted, higher-income consumers have become a prized growth segment for chains, in no small part because they are still dining out consistently. But they also want quality, atmosphere, and experiential differentiation, not just the lowest price. 

Chains such as Chili’s have leaned into this dynamic with offers like its 3 For Me bundle. “Chili’s captured both the trading-down higher-income consumer, who saw it as a deal, and the trading-up lower-income consumer, who saw it as an upgrade,” the Datassential 500 report noted.