Consumers in the North Central region are least likely to experiment with a new restaurant. Nationally, the ten most frequently ordered foods are hamburgers, salads, chicken, soft drinks, seafood, coffee, pizza. One reason Americans eat out so much is that they are always on the move. Take-out foods meet the demand for convenience. Lunch is the most popular meal to eat away from home, with over i0 percent of households eating the noon meal out in an average week.
Dinner is the next most popular meal out, followed by breakfast.
Breakfast away from home has increased dramatically as chains have added breakfast items to their offerings. Americans spent about a third of their food dollar on food purchased away from home in 1981. By 1984 over 40 percent of the food dollar was estimated for non-home food spending. Married couples with children spent less per person on food eaten both at home and out. Residents of the western part of the U.S. spent more eating away from home than did those living in other parts of the country while Northeasterners spent the most per person on food eaten at home.