File this under hmm… I never thought of that: Stay-at-home moms are to blame for the restaurant industry’s woes! According to a Wall Street Journal article, the number of working women in the U.S. is leveling off. There’s even a nifty little graphic accompanying the article that shows this trend. As more moms stay home, fewer families are eating out. I’m not sure I buy it all, but the piece does mention some interesting things, including the fact that some restaurants are so concerned about this that they are developing strategies to try to make their offerings more appealing to moms and their kids. (Think lots of goodies to distract the kids when you bring them in to eat.)
Personally, I have started watching the Food Network — indirectly mentioned in the WSJ article as making cooking at home chic — and am trying to make more meals myself, but I still enjoy a meal I don’t have to prepare every now and then. What restaurants need to do to lure me is offer a guarantee that the baby won’t cry while my husband and I are eating dinner.
2 Comments
March 17, 2008 at 6:49 am
What about all the take-your-dinner-home places, like Super Suppers? This has been great for me after the arrival of Marielle. We’ve tried lots of things we would never get, and all they require is a little time in the oven or the skillet after we order and pick up. We pick up several entrees a month and stuff it in the freezer. This is as close to eating out as I’m going to get for awhile! Sigh …
March 17, 2008 at 7:14 am
Thanks for the idea, Kathy. I looked up Super Suppers, and now I wish there was one nearby. I’ll refer to my sister, who’s having a baby soon. She lives near one!