
Despite the current economic downturn, the vast majority of Americans are still spending their money eating out. A recent article from USA Today explains that between 2007 and 2008 there was no change in the amount of people purchasing meals outside of the home. According to NPD Group, a marketing research firm, Americans bought 1% more meals at a restaurant in November of 2008 than November 2007.
As NPD vice president Harry Balzar states: "There hasn't been a recession in eating. We may postpone a car purchase or a new coat, but we won't postpone eating." The survey USA Today refers to deals with all kinds of eating out, whether it's at a three-star Michelin restaurant or McDonald's. I'd be curious to know how certain categories of restaurants are holding up through this economic decline. The article does point out that people are trying to save money and time, and, as a result, they are turning to "inexpensive takeout options."
Check out the poll below to let us know if your eating habits have changed.


To me the idea of eating in pitch darkness - were they give you unbreakable glasses 'cause you
are bound to knock them over - is ridiculous. I want to enjoy my companions, one or two might be better if they stayed
in the dark mind but perhaps I should pick better looking friends, not talk to a disembodied voice. And I certainly
want to see what I am eating. Pretentious? You bet!
Your son or daughter never eats bread crusts and refuses to tough either peas or pasta sauce. Picky eater,
right? Maybe not. As children age they develop preferences about their food, based on flavor, texture and, eventually,
political and nutritional preferences. Simply because a child refuses a food once, they are not necessarily a picky
eater. Often, a food will have to be offered to a toddler or child from 5 to 10 times before they become accustomed to
it. The kids who eat the foods are not really picky eaters. No child has been fooled into eating a carrot because it
was crunchy like a potato chip – and any parent whose child was “tricked” into that had a child that
wasn’t entirely averse to the carrot in the first place.
From the Times today, the top ten restaurants for Breakfast, and for once they actually venture outside London with a
couple of recommendations -
British consumers are Europe's biggest spenders on eating out. They are expected
to spend more than £300 each on eating out over the coming year. That is more than twice as much as Spain, a
country, at least from a British point of view, that is reknown as a country that eats out.









