The State - News from Oct. 3, 1986

San Francisco Bay Area residents spend more money dining out than people anywhere else in the United States, but it’s a tough place to open a new eatery, according to a survey by Restaurant Business magazine. Checking the nation’s top markets, the magazine said San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo County restaurant patrons spent an average of $771 a person on meals and tips last year--but a majority of new restaurants failed to survive their first year of operation. San Francisco “has more restaurants than there is demand for,” said Joan Lang, deputy editor of the New York-based magazine. The survey placed Santa Barbara second on the dining-out list, with an average annual tab of $568 per diner, followed by Honolulu, with $558.