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.

This past Saturday's New York Times had an intriguing article on how Whole Foods is trying to overcome its nickname, Whole Paycheck. Considering the high food prices sweeping the entire nation, this attempt is crucial for the company's survival. Since its financial peak in 2006, Whole Foods' stock has dropped more than 70 percent. The market for organic foods and specialty foods is in trouble.

A report from TNS Retail Forward produced a survey last month that shows that 20 percent of shoppers have altered where they purchase groceries because of the economy. To make matters worse for Whole Foods, market researching firms, like the Hartman Group, say that consumers are less interested in organic foods.

In this current economic environment, what is Whole Foods doing to change its image as an overpriced grocery store?

1. Offering more discounts
2. Increasing lower-priced store brands
3. Advertising products they sell at a good value
4. Organizing budget-focused store tours
   

Do you think Whole Foods will be able to suppress its nickname Whole Paycheck?

If you live in a developing country, that is: In the U.S., land o'plenty, so the golden arches will always remain a convenience as a drive-through window, but in cities that are congested and land is scarce, McDonald's has taken to delivery.

Where would you have to go to get your Big Mac and fries delivered right to your door with a delivery charge of anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar? Ronald McDonald commissions fleets of delivery people in cars or on motorbikes in cities like Manila, Taipei, Cairo, for a total of about 25 cities, with a half dozen more in the works.

Really, I think L.A. is congested enough of a city that McDonald's delivery could work here. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up on a weekend morning craving an Egg McMuffin, but was a little too, uh, "dehydrated" to get in the car and get to a McDonald's before 10:30AM!

Okay, so I don't know for sure if he really is the last milkman in this country, but I'm pretty sure that milkmen are an endangered species. I mean, when was the last time you heard about someone delivering milk to your doorstep (other than Amazon, that is)?

After dedicating 70 years of prompt, friendly, reliable service, 80 year-old Clyde Priest has reluctantly retired from his duty as milkman in Hannibal, MO. He began delivering milk at the age of 10, helping his father, and by July 20, the day he retired, he had outlived and out-serviced eight of the dairies that used to provide his products.

If it weren't for an emergency appendectomy in June, Priest probably would have kept on delivering, since he says he "loved every minute of it."

His customers trusted him so much that he would put their dairy purchases directly into in their refrigerators when they weren't home.

We need more people like Clyde Priest in this country.

Charlotte Church, the "voice of an angel" and accomplished classical singer, is entering the restaurant business. She has recently made an offer for a restaurant known as the Old Post Office in St. Fagans, outside Cardiff, Wales, where she is originally from. Despite the name, the Old Post Office is a fine dining restaurant that is up-to-date on modern trends. Ms. Church has often admitted to a preference for junk foods, that that does not seem to have put her off the cuisine of the restaurant, whose menu features dishes such as "Terrine of ham hock & foie gras and pear with gazpacho," "Roast fillet of dorade on olive oil creamed potato with a wild mushroom cappuccino" and, for dessert, "Vanilla and peppercorn parfait." The trend of using flavored foams is evident in the kitchen with their "wild mushroom cappuccino" side.

The offer was accepted and the restaurant sale is expected to go through within the next month.

Just when I thought there wasn't enough room for yet another Mexican fast food place, Chipotle opened up in my neighborhood right alongside Taco Bell (which is nasty, but the original), Del Taco, El Pollo Loco, Baja Fresh, La Salsa, Rubio's, and Wahoo's.

But Chipotle didn't just blend in with the lot of them. They had a twist. Chipotle went beyond Baja Fresh's menu of no microwave ovens nor can openers, and served a very simple menu, with ingredients in front of you, sort of like a hybrid of In n Out's minimalistic menu and Subway sandwich artistry before your eyes. I went a Chipotle kick for about six months, but got bored a little with a rather narrow menu.

Now, the business, which launched in 1993, has just gone public, and the founder, Steve Ells, has found himself worth $44 million (share prices doubled on IPO day). Ells originally thought the fast-food burrito place would be the "cash cow" to fund his dream of opening a high-end restaurant after studying at the CIA and cooking at Stars in San Francisco. Ha. He could probably buy a restaurant or a half-dozen now.

Who knew a little dried pepper could be worth $44 million?