Who Still Goes Out in Florida?

On a recent Taco & Tequila night, Rocco’s Tacos in Boca Raton had more empty tables than waiting guests during what used to be peak dinner hours. Instead of packed bar stools and rounds of margaritas, diners lingered over single drinks and split appetizers.  

New polling suggests that the scene is a part of a larger economic shift in how Floridians are spending their money.  

As living costs rise in Florida, residents are cutting back on areas of their budget, according to a new poll by Mainstreet Research, in conjunction with Florida Atlantic’s PolCom Lab. The poll, which was conducted in conjunction with MediaLab@FAU in November 2025, asked 723 registered voters living in Florida for their opinions about housing, economics, and demographic shifts in the state and what they mean for Florida’s future.  

Among Floridians who are now seeing more of their income go to housing, 61.3% said that they are reducing spending on entertainment. Those same respondents also said that they were cutting back on food (21.6%), medical expenses (12.6%), or transportation (4.5%). 

These results highlight how financial strain is reshaping not just household budgets, but routines and social lives for many across the state. Eating out, getting drinks with friends, or attending social events has shifted from a regular habit to an occasional luxury.  

For Emily Dmiszewicki, a 37-year-old Pompano Beach resident and a buyer for the company IT’SUGAR the change has steadily reshaped her life as other major expenses piled up.  

“You need to eat, you need to get to work, and you need to make sure you have money put away for medical expenses,” Dmiszewicki said.   

Dmiszewicki, a Florida Atlantic University alumnus, and her partner both work full time and recently welcomed a baby. With a mortgage, childcare, and everyday costs, she said that entertainment was one of the easiest categories to cut back on.  

“We cook more at home than eat out,” she said. “We’re not spending on entertainment for us.”  

While Dmiszewicki and her husband used to dine out three or four times a week, now they typically eat out twice a week and even that feels indulgent, Dmiszewicki said.

Like many Floridian households, she said, their budget now centers around the essentials and security for the future. 

Economists say the poll results follow a predictable pattern that takes place when housing and other costs consume a growing amount of income.  

Andrew Garrison, Director of the Phil Smith Center for Free Enterprise and a visiting instructor at Florida Atlantic University, said that households typically protect essential expenses first and save money in other areas that are more easily adaptable. 

“Housing and shelter comfortably occupy the top spot of consumers’ income,” Garrison said. “As a result, it’s the non-necessities—luxuries—that are the first on the chopping block.”  

Dining out and nightlife often fall in that category because people can settle for lower cost alternatives, like cooking at home or streaming movies through subscriptions.  

“Entertainment is by far and away the most expendable component in the consumer’s basket,” he said. “Usually, entertainment is seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, and that’s why it’s the first on the chopping block.”  

Over time, Garrison said, the effects of those shifts are twofold. As expenses rise, wealthier consumers with more expendable income are the ones who can continue going out—opening up what Garrison referred to as an “entertainment divide.” When businesses start to feel the impact, the effects ripple outward. 

“When you have a decrease in entertainment spending, whether it’s going out to a venue or a bar, it definitely disproportionately affects those establishments,” he said. “[Businesses are] not as busy as [they] used to be because people are staying in more and [employees] could see a decrease in working hours.” 

Business owners and managers say that the effects of Floridians’ cutting back on their entertainment costs are currently subtle but noticeable.   

At Backstreets Sport Bar in Cape Coral, manager Kate Taylor said traffic comes in waves, but overall spending habits seem more cautious than in recent years.   

While Taylor said fluctuations are part of the restaurant industry’s rhythm, she worries that this slowdown could last longer. 

“I think that the numbers as far as the cost of housing [are] not going to go down,” she said. If customers continue cutting back on entertainment spending, she said it could become harder for small businesses to withstand.  

If the entertainment divide widens, Garrison said, some working and middle-income residents may start to feel disconnected from the lifestyle that defined Florida 

“It’s not that they want to forgo entertainment,” Garrison said. “It’s literally because they have to.”  

For Dmiszewicki, this new lifestyle feels like a quiet loss. 

“It’s insane to live down here right now,” she said. “It’s sad.”