The impact of economic and socio-demographic characteristics on the decision to eat out: Whether to eat out and where to eat out.

摘要

As more consumers consume food away from home (FAFH), understanding “eating out” behavior becomes increasingly important. The purpose of this study is to investigate economic and socio-demographic factors influencing “eating out” behavior. This is a two step process: (1) whether to eat out or not, and (2) where to eat out. The conceptual framework used to answer these questions is based on household production theory. For each question, 12 research hypotheses are examined.; The study focused on the evening meal with the data coming from the 1994–1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) and the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey (DHKS). A binary logit model was used to answer the question of whether or not to eat out, while multinomial logit model was used to identify the factors affecting food facility choice.; Results indicate that (per capita) income, employment status, age, household size, household composition (presence of a young child), race, and region of the residence affect the decision to eat out. Age, (per capita) income, household size, household composition (presence of a young child), and urbanization were found to affect the choice of a particular food facility.; The findings suggest an increasing demand for meals at full service restaurants because of an aging population due to ‘baby boomers’ becoming older and increasing per capita income. Focusing on the needs of households with young children is an important consideration for the quick service component of the food service industry.