If you scaled back on dining out last summer due to financial concerns, you're not alone.

Low consumer confidence and a turbulent economy are being blamed for an overall decline in restaurant visits around the world in the quarter ending in September 2011, reveals a new report by market research company The NPD Group.

Restaurant traffic declines were steepest in Spain, analysts said Wednesday, where a fragile economy has made Spanish consumers skittish about their expenses, and in Japan, which is still suffering from the aftereffects of last year's earthquake.