How Often Do You Eat Out? – Survey of the Day

Convenience and affordability have caused more and more people to eat out more often. Even for someone like me who enjoys cooking, after a long day at work, it just seems like a hassle to cook dinner. It is much easier to grab something at the local Taco Bell or throw the kids in the car and go to the Mexican restaurant down the street. For me, eating out has become more popular than cooking at home. How often do you eat out?

According to balancedweightmanagement.com, the Average American eats out 50% of the time. However, in more specific terms, The National Restaurant Association reports that "an average of one out of five meals consumed by Americans — 4.2 meals per week — is prepared in a commercial setting... An average of 14.4 meals per week are privately prepared, and the remaining 2.4 meals are skipped."

Average annual consumption of commercially prepared meals has increased by roughly 15 billion meals since 1981, when an average of 3.7 meals per person, per week were consumed — an annual total of 38.4 billion meals. Between 1981 and 2000, average weekly consumption of privately prepared meals per person declined, while the average number of skipped meals per week increased.