I can understand the trend. We have never been big restaurant people, usually just going our for special occasions, i.e. birthdays, anniverseries etc. But there must be other people cutting back in my area because we have had several restaurants close here. Not mom and pop 'I didn't know what I was doing' places either.

Just off the top of my head (out of business): Denny's, Uno Chicago, Lonestar Steakhouse, Cookers, Chi-chi's and a few that I can't think of offhand.

When dinner for four is 100 bucks or more and that can feed the family for a week, what would you do if the budget was tight?

Duane

I have always wondered about people who go out to eat all the time. I know plenty can afford it, but lots can't. I personally know two couples, one who lost their home, and the other who is close, who go out everyday.

Dh and I usually go out to el cheapo places mainly to get out of the house, and have something different. Even mid range priced restaurants are rare treats.
But I find we have just as much fun at Panera bread for Sunday lunch even though for two it's under fifteen.

We have never ate out much in all our 31 years together. First it was because we were vegetarians and there wasn't a lot of places you could eat at. Then later it was to save money and finally because of all the restaurant food scares. The last time we ate out was for our anniversary and it was a big expensive disappointment. I don't know how people can afford to eat out all the time and the food is usually not as wholesome or as good as home cooked food. You can eat on a budget and eat healthy. It is about time the new generation finds that out. I welcome all the newbies.
Clare

I think 2 issues are converging - The financial crisis and (finally) the realization that a diet composed primarily of fast food is causing our country's obesity rate to soar - especially among young children.

I'm no health nut - I LOVE my desserts, chocolate, etc.(in balance), but it was alarming to me to see so many overweight children in the elementary school yard recently. I know part of the problem is lack of physical activity, but I think a lot has to do with so many drive-thru breakfasts, packaged processed food lunches and take-out dinners.

I am delighted to hear that the trend is moving toward more home cooking which will allow people to KNOW what they are feeding their kids.

Wow....didn't feel that rant coming on....

When I collected my daughter from high school the other way I was shocked at how many really over weight teens I saw. Not just a little chubby but really heavy. I was a chubby high schooler (some things never change!) but I do not recall a large number of obese classmates. A few extra pounds, maybe. And the occasional large kid but not the numbers I saw walking out to the parking lot the other day with jiggly bellies. I'm sure that no P.E. requirement after the 10th grade isn't helping.

Cooking at home is time consuming and those families with two adults/parents that work full time are certainly crunched for time. Which is why I'm sure there are a lot of drive through meals are being eaten on the way to sport practices and other activities. And people are just exhausted, too tired to stand in the kitchen that they didn't have time to clean the night before and prep a healthy meal.

I remember beating the family away from the cookies and snacks when we all came home while I tried to get a home cooked meal onto the table. They were hungry now!

I guess I can feel fortunate to grow up in the time I did. My dad worked and my mom stayed home to take care of the house and kids. We always had a homecooked meal on the table every night. Well, except friday when we got take out burgers/fries and chocolate milkshakes, or fish and chips and then later when pizza came onto the scene pizza.

I was kind of taken aback when Pizza Hut recently added pasta delivery. How tough is it to boil water?

Restaurants have to make money too and they employ people who need to make a mortgage payment etc. It all trickles down.

The overweight teens are a real concern though. Video games and junk food are the most likely culprits.

Duane

This is a perfect topic for me today. Last night I was lazy and worked late. DH was late as well so we met at a Japanese place that some new friends had recommended. We were very disappointed. The sushi menu was mostly sashimi or Calif rolls, and I decided nothing raw for me. So we opted for sukiyaki and some other type of "beef" with bean curd for him. My sukiyaki had shrimp that had been overcooked, and a sweet broth with lots of bean sprouts (i don't really like them) cabbage, onions and glas noodles. DH switched with me and his had super salty broth, overcooked beef and loads of tofu. Not a meal that either of us cared to finish or repeat. Nice people but for $37, we will NOT be returning. Afterward I was so aggravated that I hadn't planned ahead to eat at home!

Duane, I was that mom you speak of, back when my children were young.

DH became good friends with one of the guys at work who lived not far from us and they began to carpool. DH always said it was less about him and more about the fact that he always had a piece of my home-made pie in his lunch box, which Bill eventually began to steal before lunch time, telling DH that he could always get his piece of pie at home after supper! So for the rest of the time that we lived there, I would always tuck an extra piece of pie in for Bill.

We had an all-you-can-eat cafeteria in our area where DH loved to eat, as he did manual labor and always had a big appetite. My kids, at an early age, knew what a treat it was to go out to eat and they were almost always on their best behavior. One time my son had a temper tantrum in the cafeteria and he and I went out and sat in the car until time to leave. He learned his lesson well that night. It so annoys me to witness a temper tantrum in a restaurant, and I always think of Chris' reaction when he found out we actually WERE going to the car that night. I had warned both children before but he thought he would push the envelope, I guess. I didn't have to punish him or even speak harshly to him. It was a perfect result of his own actions. Of course, I missed out on my meal too that day, but it was a small price to pay. He and I ate something together when we got home, and then he had his bath and went to bed. If a child is old enough to have a temper trantrum, they are old enough to catch on immediately what the results are.

I did the same thing, almost, with one of my grandsons, who had a habit of having a loud, bawling fit whenever he wanted something in the store and was told he couldn't have it. It was so embarrassing, people would turn around and look, thinking he'd been slapped or something. His mother would give him whatever he wanted just to shut him up. One day I decided I'd had enough of that, so I told Jacob, "We're going into this store to buy you some new shoes and maybe some other things. If you have a tantrum in the store, we will leave the store and go home, and the things that are in the basket will be left behind." Things were going well until he saw a pair of Spiderman house slippers, and I said no. He already had a pair of new shoes and some new shirts he had picked out in the basket. I watched his face as he started to screw it up and let one out, and I said quickly, "Jacob, you've got new shoes and some new shirts. Do you want to have to go to the car and leave them behind?" Jacob had to take some deep breaths to calm himself down, but he did it. We never had a problem after that. He was only 3 or 4 at the time.

But anyway, back to the topic at hand. I think it's wonderful that more people are learning to cook. I've often thought of offering a class in my home about how to get several meals out of one whole chicken. There's the light meat, the dark meat, and then tidbits and broth for casseroles and soup. --Ilene

Oversized portions leads to overweight people.

In my lifetime soda pop at the gas station has gone from 7 oz. bottles to 12 oz. cans to 44 oz. buckets!

A sandwich is no longer two thin slices of bread with a few slices of meat. It is now an entire small loaf of bread filled with a pile of meat, in other words a sub or hoagie.

A burger, which used to have a 4 oz. beef patty, now frequently is a half pounder. Hmmm, I had one of those last night.

In general, customers feel cheated if the portions are not huge and restaurants oblige. I'm sure you can think of many more examples, including "Would you like to supersize that, sir?".

Jim

Jim, so true, so true. I'm not sure if it is my age or what, but an overabundance of food is a real turn off to me. I would rather have a small portion of something great, spiced very nicely, than a huge portion of food that makes me feel bloated and stuffed to the gills.

And I'm not skinny! But I just don't eat large portions and certainly don't need to 'supersize' everything!

Duane

DH and I sometimes buy one meal and split it. We don't eat out often, but the places that we frequent when we do eat out humor us because we're old, I guess.

There are a lot, a lot of meals you can cook in about the same or even less time than it takes to pile into the car, drive somewhere, order, and wait to be served. Way back years ago we got into the eating out rut where we were eating dinner out no less than four times a week. One day I just decided it had to stop and we immediately went down to once a month. Oh the money we saved. I did buy some convenience foods for weak moments but it was still cheaper than eating out. We've increased the once a month frequency over the years but still don't eat out all that often, usually around three to four times a month at most.

I agree that the portions are way too big. I normally take home at least half of my meal and freeze the leftovers for lunches. And even eating only half of the meal makes me overly full most of the time!

Since we're down to just DH & me at home now, I've started to cook a lot simpler meals. It is amazing how many different kinds of things can be made with 15 min or less prep time. I do make more elaborate dishes when I'm in the mood, but on a nightly basis I'm usually out of the kitchen in about 15 to 20 minutes, tops.

Maybe we will start seeing more classes & cookbooks on simple meals for the family. It will definitely be in interesting trend if it can take hold!

At home we eat out 2 or 3 times per week. The rest of the time I cook healthy meals. As we're both retired and the two of us are home all day together we enjoy getting out of the house for a walk in the sunshine followed by a stop at one of our favourite restaurants, of which there are many in our neighbourhood.

It's a pleasant interlude to our day and we know the folks who own and serve at these eateries as we have been going for so many years. We keep to the places where we know we're getting homemade soups, fresh Canary style salads, vegetables and good quality food.....very often a meal for the two of us with a glass of wine, a beer and coffee will cost under $20 total, often as low as $15 so it could sometimes be difficult to cook the same dish at home for less money. Sometimes we choose from the 1/2 portion or senior's menu when we're not too hungry.

But I have learned many new dishes to cook at home since I joined the Cooking Forum and Wolf is very happy that I keep it up and he does say that nowhere does the food taste as good as it does at home! :-) Thanks to all for posting your recipes over the years!

SharonCb in BC

We used to go out several times a month until we moved to country and it just was not worth the drive. Over the last several years, my cooking and since last year my DH, cooking has improved so most of the time we do go out, we are disappointed in the food as our home cooked is so much better :)
One thing that this far I have not attempted is a chicken dish in Carrabas that I love and always order when we go there. I got a copy cat recipe off the internet and will try it in near future. If it comes out anywhere close to as good as it is in Carrabas, then I do not have a reason to go even there;)
By the way, I have dozen or so really delicious meals that I can make in about 30 min...

We live a good distance from any where decent to eat out. I always hate going out though, because most of the time it is so expensive and not worth the money. Plus now with my gallstones I have to be careful where I eat so for me any fast food is out at all.

So we eat almost all our meals at home. I can say that we eat out maybe 2-3 times a week, and that is because we may be on the way to a game that DH has to supervise and they usually start around the supper hour. I also cook DH's lunches, he comes home for lunch everyday so I make meals for the whole family for 2 or 3 meals a day. I stay at home with our kids, the oldest is 5 and the youngest is 1 and with one on the way.

For us it isn't just worth it to us to go out to eat.

Stacie
girlsingardens

Well, we went out to a restaurant this evening, and I can tell you I much prefer to eat at home since after I spill it all over myself, I can change into a clean shirt.

Sorry, but I'm not seeing any trend towards cooking, much as I'd like to believe it's happening. While some may be finding it too expensive to eat in restaurants, they aren't necessarily "cooking" as most of us here understand that term. I'm continually appalled at the increasing quantity and variety of convenience foods being sold in my local supermarkets. Even the ethnic shops are filled with instant, re-heat-able and/or frozen meals, loaded with unidentifiable ingredients, additives and flavours.

As I approach middle age (she says coyly) I notice fewer and fewer of our acquaintences doing actual cooking, even when entertaining. Several who can afford it, entertain in restaurants, while others serve catered or other take-out offerings. I think I'm the only member of my extended family who knows how (or can be bothered) to make a real cake or other "scratch" dessert.

Despite that news article, and the opinions of "experts", I don't believe it.

Have you seen the commercials for the cubed potatoes that you microwave and then mash with milk and butter for "homemade mashed potatoes"? How hard is it to peel potatoes, boil and mash them? geesh.

I am not sure what is wrong with using microwave? I use my Advantium to make delicious baked potatoes. It takes me 10 min and result is amazing, whereas in oven it would take 60 min or more and the result is so-so. So not only do I save on time of preparing but electricity as well :)

As for peeling, again, time, time, time... ;) (of and I hate to peel potatoes, so I bake them not peeled)

I have no problem with the already peeled potatoes. While I might not choose to use them (I find peeling kind of meditative), they are certainly a better option than a "just add water" box of flakes and chemicals or a frozen portion of potatoes and chemicals. I'm assuming it's just potatoes in the peeled potato bag, right? Maybe a waste of money for both of us, but possibly a justifiable time saver to ensure a healthier meal for others.

AM
The Dinner Chronicles

Interesting article, thanks for posting it.

There's a certain mind set that will always order out or eat out. That was my DH. And still is when I'm not around. He'll scrip together change in the car to get a slice of pizza before he'd go home and boil a pot of water for spaghetti. With him, his overwhelming laziness and apathetic attitude towards what he puts in his body (keep in mind, he has other wonderful qualities!), outweighs the needs to save money.

A need to save money was how I began cooking in college, the economy drives people to do a lot of things they never thought they would. And this is a good thing, and in the long run, a healthier thing.

AM

One advantage of cooking at home rather than dining out is that it's fun! I love to cook, and using fresh produce or finding a bargain at the grocery store can lead to a new recipe or the revival of an old one. Those who crave convenience and quickness, but are turning away from fast food and eating out for economic reasons, may find that preparing food is very satisfying.

I live in an area where the choices in eating out are limited to fast food, Mom and Pop type restaurants that rely on food service offerings and high end scratch cooking restaurants, where dinner will cost around $100.00 (or more) for two. We do fast food a couple of times a month and treat ourselves to one of the high end restaurants a couple times a month. The middle of the road priced restaurants we stay away from as we just don't like deep fried or reheated food service fare. I'd much rather eat at home and eat fresh.

At the grocery store I see lots of pre-prepped offerings. I've tried a few things and have decided that there's an "off" flavor from the chemicals that they use to increase shelf life. Not worth the increase in price and decrease in flavor IMO. When the price of a container of mashed potatoes that will serve 3-4 is higher than a 10lb bag that will last several meals, I just can't see the point. The time savings just are not that great.

Home cooking can save money on the overall food bill and if you cook fresh and totally from scratch the savings are even greater. Hard economic times will probably open the eyes of many and help them become much better cooks and the smart ones will realize they are eating tasty, healthy foods.

As always, just my opinion from my little part of the world. I live in a very upscale resort area and I know that has an influence on me.

Nancy

Nancy, I used to buy those pre-shredded fresh hash browns...$2.79 a package. Well, I used my new FP with the shredder attachment and found that it was 3 small potatoes that would have fit in that bag. Wow...it opened my eyes! Not that I pinch pennies, but I found that amazing. Those people must make a mint!

The other item I recently found funny was the bag of already cooked and peeled hard boiled eggs. Actually a pretty good idea, but I'm sure the cost is over the top.

Anybody use/buy them? Not judging...just wondering.

Cheese already cubed? For 3 times the price?

...okay...I'm going OT. My apologies.

Duane

I wonder if gardening will be the next big trend in penny-pinching, and in the wake of produce contamination scares that we've had in recent years (spinach and tomato/jalapeno). Along with gas prices, food prices have been rising as well.

I don't grow vegetables yet, but I do grow basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, and parsley (before the bunnies got my parsley and my bloodhound got two of the bunnies!) Fresh herbs are $2-3 at the store for a little envelope, and if you need more than a couple tablespoons or want to use more than one type of herb, that adds up quickly!

As far as the cooking at home, it does save me a bit of money, but it is also fun, healthier, and often better tasting that what I get when I eat out!

Chrissy

Eating out less often, if there really is a trend, is not visible in my area. The restaurants are packed 7/nights/week. We don't have any chain places except for a McDs over by the highway. It's not really considered "in town" but even McDs is very busy with both breakfast & lunch rushes creating traffic tie-ups onto the street from their drive-thru line.

We have several upscale delis in town & they also do a booming business. I gather from the crowds & early sellouts at the delis that a considerable amount of people are eating at home but serving deli food. These delis make all of their food from scratch onsite & it's very good. I can get fancy entrees or salads & sides, bread, & dessert & be on my way in less than 10 minutes (if I can get there before they sell out!). It's not inexpensive though. This summer, I needed a salad for a marina get-to-gether & didn't want to cook. I purchased a deli black bean/corn/salsa salad & several bags of multi-grain tortilla chips. The salad was $12.95/lb. I purchased 3 lbs. of salad...high price for not making it myself, no doubt. Because I usually cook everybody assumed I'd made the salad & were raving about how good it was...and it truly was a great salad. I, of course, said nothing...just smiled & said, "Glad you're enjoying the salad!" lol

S&P Oyster House is one of the most popular places in our town. We eat there several times/month. They are so busy you have to park 4-6 blocks away & wait outside on the porch for up to 2.5 hrs. for dinner & not much better for lunch especially on the weekends. They've got a great menu, great chef, & prices are moderate. Nobody seems to be shying away from having dinner @ the Oyster.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: S&P Oyster House

I seldom eat out, one of the two restaurants in my town just closed and the other has been sold and will be a Mexican restaurant. That will leave my choices here somewhere between Subway, pizza and Mexican. Eh.

Elery and I eat out if we're going somewhere or if we are busy, but we usually split a sandwich and a bowl of soup. I make coffee at home and take it along in a travel mug, I refuse to pay $3 for a cup of coffee, geez.

Here I do see a decrease in eating out. Ashley just had her hours cut at Applebee's, and everyone else that works there experienced the same thing. Bennigan's went out of business. That's in Big Rapids, 30 miles away, but still.

As for gardens, there's a big boom this year in my area, the local feed mill ran out of seeds, ran out of seed potatoes and couldn't get baby chickens. I had to order on line and my chickens were back-ordered for three weeks!

As for pre prepped potatoes, it's not going to happen yhere, I just dug about 150 pounds of Pontiac Reds from my garden. Into the root cellar, they should last most of the year, and into January or February, even supplying Amanda and stepmom with all they want. My cost (minus labor, which I consider my hobby) was $6 for 5 pounds of seed potatoes. No chemical fertilizers, no sprays and I never once used the rototiller, so no gas costs either.

Annie

Wow, Tricia, I can't believe that you would wait in line for a table for 2.5 hours even once a month, but several times? I'm one of those people that won't wait in line for more than 5 minutes.

What would you have done if someone had asked if you made that salad or asked for the recipe? Would you have confessed?

Ann

Well, Ann, it's a price for living in a tourist trap. We have about 6 weeks of down time between just after Valentine's Day until mid-April when things are slower around here. This year, it's been crazy busy. I'm assuming that's because people are staying closer to home & instead of taking long vacations are visiting local spots? You wouldn't eat anywhere here on a 5 minute wait. Even the crab shacks have longer waits than that.

If somebody would have asked me about the salad I would have said, "Well, it's got corn, black beans, mozzarella, red onion, celery, jalapenos, cantaloupe, cilantro, tossed with a bit of EVOO" which anybody could see by just looking at it! :) I wouldn't have said anything else...hey, I'm not proud! :0)

The Oyster doesn't take reservations but if you call them in the afternoon & let them know you're local & coming in for dinner they put you on what they call a "preferred customer" list. It doesn't mean much...just that if they can hurry a table along & squeeze you in they will before calling somebody waiting on the porch. Sometimes, we order take-out & that comes out of the kitchen in less than an hour.

/tricia

LPink, I am worried about you. Someone with your brains and talent shouldn't have to scrape by. I hope a great job comes along soon.

I understand about being too tired to chew a salad. I feel that way so many times after work and my commute. I want to fall through the door, eat whatever is the easiest (no cooking, no prep, no chewing), get in my comfy clothes and flop in front of the tv. Bad lifestyle.

Sometimes I buy takeout on the way home, but I sure have to pay a nifty sum for it. I bought a serving of spinach and cheese lasagna and it cost $8.50. Once I bought one crab cake and it cost $12. Never went back there. I don't do fast food except when there is nothing else, like along the NJ Turnpike.

I look back at pictures from the '50s and '60s and hardly anyone is fat, no matter race or income. Families eating in restaurants was almost unheard of and we used to move around more. I walked to school, got up to change the channel, ran to answer the phone (it was hooked to the wall not next to me on the sofa), and since there was not a child molestor behind every tree, we rode bikes and went to the park for the entire day.

I remember when we moved from one house to another my mom hadn't unpacked the kitchen stuff and we were all in a tizz, so we got hamburgers and sandwiches from a deli. This was 1960. It was the first time I could ever remember getting takeout food. We didn't even have pizza yet.

When we were young and broke, once in awhile my ex and I would go out for dinner. I couldn't even enjoy it because all I could think was that I could have fed all of us for a week for the cost of one meal.

I've gotten over that feeling and really enjoy a good restaurant meal. I know if my family were still home I'd be cooking up a storm, though.

Ann T, I agree. I've been known to wait 20 minutes for a table but if I have to wait that long, I might as well go home and cook.

Remind me to never go visit Tricia's town, I'd go crazy just waiting for a restaurant table or paying for a deli salad! And I thought the Lake Michigan shoreline was bad for tourist traps, geez.

Annie

There are long waits, an hour and more, for a table at the local Olive Garden. For that reason more than any other, I have never eaten in an Olive Garden. If time is an issue I can make an incredible meal in that amount of time!

Being self employed, when I work a lot I am short on time but have ample funds. So we eat more restaurant food. When I'm not working as much, the grocery budget needs to s-t-r-e-t-c-h. I have more time in the kitchen and we eat more scratch meals. Ex used to joke that we ate better when we were broke!

I love Mystic, it's a spectacular town, but I guess when I visit I'll just have to eat at Tricia's house, cause I'm not waiting an hour!

I completely understand being too tired to cook. Some days I feel like I've been crazy busy and driving all day and have accomplished nothing. When I get home with the kids the thought of trying to feed them something I cook is beyond my ability. I have convenience foods for those nights (like tonight). I'm throwing some nuggets in the oven, and when J comes home with D I'm guessing they'll stop at Subway.

AM

Here in my little burb between two larger metropolitan areas we may be seeing a trend toward fewer folks eating out. Years ago you couldn't squeeze into any restaurant on a Friday night. Every single place was booming from 6:00 pm on, especially on Fridays. Recently I had lunch twice at a local restaurant near the university. In past years you would have to wait to get a table at lunch, but both times in the past couple of weeks, there was no wait and a number of empty tables available. And the food was still good, fresh, tasty, service was good, and the only change I detected is that they had gone up about a dollar per order.

I don't eat out often here; I'd rather save my money for better restaurants in neighboring towns. So the only change I can see is the availability of parking spaces at the places I drive by.

For more years than I care to count, I've been a home cook and I think I always will cook at home. My mom is in her 80's now and still cooks almost every meal for herself and my dad. I even like to cook when on vacation - a different kitchen, different stores, different ingredients. It's just in my genes I guess.

The nearest restaurant is 21 miles away, with gas at 4.65 a gallon we eat at home. There are two of us so I cook for 4 or more and leftovers are fast food. When I go to work I pack breakfast, lunch and a snack.
When we go out of town we eat out we share a meal and add an extra salad or soup. We do tip as we had two meals.