The four pie charts compare the shares of the average family's food budget spent on restaurant meals and home cooking in 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000. The line graph shows the annual number of fast-food and sit-down restaurant meals over the same period.
Overall, the share spent on restaurant meals increased substantially, reaching the same level as home cooking by 2000. Both types of restaurant meal became more frequent, but fast-food meals increased much more sharply after 1980.
Restaurant meals represented 10% of the food budget in 1970, compared with 90% for home cooking. The restaurant share rose to 15% in 1980 and 35% in 1990, while the corresponding home-cooking shares fell to 85% and 65%. In 2000, the two categories each accounted for 50% of that year's budget.
Both types of restaurant meal stood at about 20 per year in 1970. By 1980, sit-down meals had risen to approximately 34, ahead of roughly 28 fast-food meals. Fast food then overtook sit-down dining: the figures were about 55 and 45 respectively in 1990. By 2000, fast-food meals had reached around 85 annually, whereas sit-down meals had increased more slowly to approximately 49.