Word for people who eat out in restaurants/eateries
Is there one word for people to substitute "people who eat out in restaurants "?- whether in quick service restaurants, eateries, or high end restaurants. Terms used in business are preferable.
Diner: "someone who is eating a meal, especially in a restaurant"
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/diner
plural: diners
business: clientele: "the customers of a shop, bar, or place of entertainment."
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/clientele
eater-out
A person who frequents restaurants rather than dining at home.
Neo-Words: A Dictionary of the Newest and Most Unusual Words of Our Time by David K. Barnhart
restaurantgoer/restaurant-goer
One who goes to or attends restaurants.
2009 September 6, Seth Schiesel, “All Together Now: Play the Game, Mom”, New York Times: Sure, the result won’t be of professional caliber (after all, you didn’t go to cooking school, the equivalent of music lessons), but you may have a greater appreciation for the genius who created the dish than the restaurantgoer, because you have attempted it yourself.
Wiktionary
Out of the dense formations of endless fast food chains, Simon's novelties were to titillate the jaded restaurant goer. The Land of Look Behind -Paul Cameron Brown
Random House
Consider
restaurant patron
a person who buys the goods or uses the services of a business, library, etc.
Merriam Webster
This is a very common business term as it has far reaching implications into other types of business, but when you're at a restaurant, patron is very commonly used to refer to the ones eating there.