average American eats out 203 times per year

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Go Blue 99
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average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Go Blue 99 »

I saw this stat in an article about retirement:

Retirees over the age of 65 bought an average of 193 meals each at restaurants last year up from 171 in 2009, according to the latest data from the NPD Group, a market research firm that tracks eating trends. That's slightly less than adults over age 18 who bought an average of 203 meals at restaurants last year, down from 222 meals in 2009.

Are you over or under this number?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/per ... /13429455/
chaz
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by chaz »

Way under - prefer home cooking.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by KyleAAA »

Probably over. I am not a good cook nor do I enjoy cooking.
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Toons
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Toons »

I am way way under that,but I say good for those over 65 that want to eat out.You work hard all your life ,why not eat out all you want when you retire,,,,,life is short make sure you enjoy yourself along the way :happy
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by TomatoTomahto »

We enjoy eating out. We have favorite "go to" places and also often enjoy eating in places we've just discovered.

We are way over the average number.
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mhc
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by mhc »

4 weeks of vacation a year: 28 days * 3 meals out = 84
48 weeks at home: 48 * 3 meals out = 144

Total: 228 meals out

Pretty easy to get to over 200 especially if you are away from home much.
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coldaudio
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by coldaudio »

Way over (I'm 28) if eating at the cafeteria at work counts. However, the food is subsidized by the company, so it ends up costing the same amount for something made fresh versus something I brought and re-heated (the food is only so-so but it works).

I enjoy cooking, but my girlfriend does not, so if I end up working late, we won't be cooking that night. I'm trying to change that :D
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by bungalow10 »

Go Blue 99 wrote:I saw this stat in an article about retirement:

Retirees over the age of 65 bought an average of 193 meals each at restaurants last year up from 171 in 2009, according to the latest data from the NPD Group, a market research firm that tracks eating trends. That's slightly less than adults over age 18 who bought an average of 203 meals at restaurants last year, down from 222 meals in 2009.

Are you over or under this number?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/per ... /13429455/
Retirees that travel probably have no problem hitting or surpassing this number.
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nukewerker
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by nukewerker »

I would guess we eat out 365 times. We don't everyday but there are instances where its 2 or even all three meals out in a day which probably average to once a day.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by TomatoTomahto »

coldaudio wrote:I enjoy cooking, but my girlfriend does not, so if I end up working late, we won't be cooking that night. I'm trying to change that :D
You should change that; stop working late! :sharebeer
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david99
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by david99 »

I'm way under --- I also prefer home cooking.
Angrypuppy
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Angrypuppy »

I'm personally over, but I travel for work ~15 days a month.
Gropes & Ray
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Gropes & Ray »

Lunch every working day + dinner w/ my wife every weekend + vacation and miscellaneous meals out = over 200 meals for me.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by music_man »

I eat out at lunch every working day, and usually at least once on the weekends, so definitely over 200 for me.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Jeff7 »

Wow.

I'm at maybe once every 2 weeks, assuming take-out counts. I thought once a week was a lot. :shock: I guess I don't get out much. :mrgreen:

Ever since my student loans were paid off, I've gotten lazier and lazier about cooking at home. I just find it to be a really tedious and uninteresting activity, which doesn't help. Add in sensitivity to smells, which serves to demotivate me further - for hours or even days, the house smells like whatever I cooked and it just refuses todissipate. It's like loudly playing a song that you like, but then you find that you can't turn off the system, and it just keeps playing over and over again.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by sscritic »

What's this lunch stuff? Breakfast is for Norm's Bigger Better Breakfast* or donuts at your neighborhood donut shop. Don't forget Starbucks for breakfast: that's where all the moms take their kids on the way to school. Oh man, I have to get myself to IHOP.

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8OU4gnuPi4
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market timer
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by market timer »

When I worked, I ate out every meal--breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now that I'm retired, I eat out for dinner 4x per week, about average.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by JonnyDVM »

And this is why the average American is so fat
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Andyrunner
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Andyrunner »

Depends. I often supplement my lunch with a $2-3 wrap when I'm hungry (maybe 2x a week at most). Does that count even though I brought the majority of my lunch?

On a side note: getting old sucks, when I was 23 I would eat my lunch, then go out for lunch with coworkers and still be starving by the end of the work day. Now that im almost 30, my metabilism has slowed down greatly.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by avalpert »

JonnyDVM wrote:And this is why the average American is so fat
No, it isn't. One can eat out healthily and cook unhealthily just as easily as the reverse. Scan the checkout lines at big supermarkets or walmarts and tell me if the food mix being bought suggests they are eating in better than they would eat out.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Crow Hunter »

If you count getting something out of the machine at work "eating out" it is way more than that. I often get some orange juice and a bagle out of the machine for breakfast when there is nothing in the house that I want to eat for breakfast. It takes a while for my stomach to get awake. I am usually not hungry at all when I get up.

If it is actually sitting down somewhere that isn't our house to eat it is WAY less.

"Eating out" for us is usually get a pizza delivered to the house and watching a movie on Netflix. That pizza will usually last at least 2 sometimes 3 meals depending on how greedy I am. :D
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Don Christy
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Don Christy »

Not hard to exceed those numbers with a couple lunches or dinners regularly plus vacation.

Also, how do you count the once a week Thai carry out that we make 2 meals out of? Is that 1x or 2x?
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by JonnyDVM »

avalpert wrote:
JonnyDVM wrote:And this is why the average American is so fat
No, it isn't. One can eat out healthily and cook unhealthily just as easily as the reverse. Scan the checkout lines at big supermarkets or walmarts and tell me if the food mix being bought suggests they are eating in better than they would eat out.
Eating healthy while eating out is not easy. I do agree with you that people eating processed buttery food from the grocery store are not doing themselves any favors but I stand by my statement that everyone pounding McDonalds, KFC, Chipotle and Applebees for 1/4 of their meals is a huge part of why we as a nation are so heavy. The cheap and readily available nature of fast food is killing our health. Much much easier to eat healthier at home. Its tough to match the calories of a double quarter pounder meal cooking for yourself. At least you have half a chance of stumbling into the produce aisle in Walmart.
Last edited by JonnyDVM on Tue Aug 05, 2014 3:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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prudent
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by prudent »

I'm more than double that just counting breakfast and lunch at work every workday.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Bounca »

I'm not pointing out anyone in particular here, but it is funny how certain people will defend to their death how important a difference in a .03 an ER is and yet plink down anyware from $6 to $12 a day every work day for lunch.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by shorvath »

Bounca wrote:I'm not pointing out anyone in particular here, but it is funny how certain people will defend to their death how important a difference in a .03 an ER is and yet plink down anyware from $6 to $12 a day every work day for lunch.
I think that difference here is that there is a good chance that they are actually getting something from that $6 to $12 (enjoyment, convenience, whatever). What are you getting from an increased expense ratio? According to Bogleheads, not much :P
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Data is interesting

Post by davebarnes »

You may not eat out a lot, but many people do.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by stoptothink »

I think we've eaten out 3x in the past year. Twice when the in-laws were in town and once for my mother's birthday.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Gropes & Ray »

Bounca wrote:I'm not pointing out anyone in particular here, but it is funny how certain people will defend to their death how important a difference in a .03 an ER is and yet plink down anyware from $6 to $12 a day every work day for lunch.
I have this internal struggle where I know spending $150/month on lunch is absurd, and yet, it's just so darn convenient.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by stoptothink »

avalpert wrote:
JonnyDVM wrote:And this is why the average American is so fat
No, it isn't. One can eat out healthily and cook unhealthily just as easily as the reverse. Scan the checkout lines at big supermarkets or walmarts and tell me if the food mix being bought suggests they are eating in better than they would eat out.
Sure it is possible either way, but it absolutely is a causal factor. Mountains of research on this topic http://www.nber.org/bah/2009no1/w14721.html. You can eat out "healthily", but it takes way more effort and forethought than simply eating what you prepared. Most restaurant fare that is conventionally deemed healthy has a ton of stuff added that you would never even guess; getting a side of steamed vegetables is great until you taste it and realize it came pre-packaged in butter substitute.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by LateStarter1975 »

We eat out less than 20x per year in restaurants. It's a very expensive habit
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Buckeye »

Roughly 300 for us.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by dgdevil »

JonnyDVM wrote:And this is why the average American is so fat
No one is more judgmental than me when it comes to fat people and Americans' eating habits. But I know, from (ahem!) personal experience, that is very easy to pile on the pounds eating at home. And not even bad food, just too much food, with no exercise and late into the night. Restaurants, and many restaurant chains, offer plenty of healthy options to those with common sense. A McDonald's apple pie and hamburger combo is nothing to be afraid of. I also drink more water at a restaurant than at home.

Obesity, by the way, is not an American monopoly.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by grsimmon »

JonnyDVM wrote:And this is why the average American is so fat
It's also part of the reason why the average American has so little retirement savings. David Bach's "latte factor" is alive and well.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Ivygirl »

stoptothink wrote:
avalpert wrote:
JonnyDVM wrote:And this is why the average American is so fat
No, it isn't. One can eat out healthily and cook unhealthily just as easily as the reverse. Scan the checkout lines at big supermarkets or walmarts and tell me if the food mix being bought suggests they are eating in better than they would eat out.
Sure it is possible either way, but it absolutely is a causal factor. Mountains of research on this topic http://www.nber.org/bah/2009no1/w14721.html. You can eat out "healthily", but it takes way more effort and forethought than simply eating what you prepared. Most restaurant fare that is conventionally deemed healthy has a ton of stuff added that you would never even guess; getting a side of steamed vegetables is great until you taste it and realize it came pre-packaged in butter substitute.
I have good intentions of taking home the leftovers, but actually I pick out all the "good bits" and what is left is a mound of soggy pasta, limp lettuce, or cold greasy fries. The portion was huge but a lot of it was low-value filler on the bottom.

I eat out about once a month. I cut down so drastically due to a dietary restriction; then I found to my delight that by home cooking I had effortlessly achieved normal weight and greatly-improved health. And boy did I save money! Now when I go to a restaurant I blink at the prices, how they have risen since the last time I ate out.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by letsgobobby »

Bounca wrote:I'm not pointing out anyone in particular here, but it is funny how certain people will defend to their death how important a difference in a .03 an ER is and yet plink down anyware from $6 to $12 a day every work day for lunch.
No relationship at all. Paying more for a mutual fund doesn't buy better performance; to the contrary, the performance is worse.

Whereas buying a meal offers, at least, convenience. Sometimes much more.

I only eat out weekends these days, with kids it is more trouble and time-consuming that it is worth to go out during the week.

BUt we easily out out twice each weekend so that is 100+ meals right there.

And we have lots and lots of vacation days, so that is probably another 100.

I think I'm right near the number, which means I'm probably considerably over.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by stoptothink »

dgdevil wrote:
JonnyDVM wrote:And this is why the average American is so fat
No one is more judgmental than me when it comes to fat people and Americans' eating habits. But I know, from (ahem!) personal experience, that is very easy to pile on the pounds eating at home. And not even bad food, just too much food, with no exercise and late into the night. Restaurants, and many restaurant chains, offer plenty of healthy options to those with common sense. A McDonald's apple pie and hamburger combo is nothing to be afraid of. I also drink more water at a restaurant than at home.

Obesity, by the way, is not an American monopoly.
Neither is eating out. It was a stern statement, but IMO the poster was merely saying that it is a factor in increasing obesity prevalence; which there is no denying it is.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by telemark »

It's a rare day when I don't eat out at least once. Breakfast is the only meal I always cook at home. Weighed in this morning at 135 lbs :D

If I buy a rotisserie chicken and take it home, is that considered eating out?
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by berntson »

Wow! I never knew that real people ate out so much. When not traveling, my wife and I eat out maybe once every two weeks. It might average out to once a week when travel is included.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by MathWizard »

We're easily under, less than 100/year even counting business trips and vacations.

On vacation we eat the free breakfast at the hotel and we make sandwiches for lunch, and just
eat out at supper.

I eat out on business trips for which I am reimbursed. Most conference hotels don't serve a free
breakfast, but I'm always way under the allowed amount.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by armeliusc »

I like this kind of question as I have the data to answer it :D . I had to login to my Mint.com account and did some querying to look this up.

in 2013, the number of time I / we ate out:
12 occurrences when I was on travel for work
34 occurrences when we were on vacation
79 occurrences while we're in town, averaging about 1.5 per week which sounds about right
Total: 125

in 2014 so far:
15 occurrences when I was on travel for work
38 occurrences when we were on vacation
20 occurrences while we're in town --> 0.6 per week
Total: 73
So for 2014 the total seems to be on track but the weekly frequency of eating out in town is less.

But overall, way under than 203 times per year.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Beck49 »

JonnyDVM wrote:And this is why the average American is so fat
I agree.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Crimsontide »

We are once again coming in well below the national average :happy We eat out 3 or 4 times a month (just weekends) and always take our lunches to work. We even make most of our meals on vacation since we always rent places from VRBO that have full kitchens. I don't have actual data but I'm pretty sure it's less than 75 times/year.
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Go Blue 99
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Go Blue 99 »

I eat out one lunch per week. I typically eat alone and bring a magazine to read. My wife eats out probably 4 lunches per week. I try to encourage her to eat out less at work, but she has a stressful job and she uses that time to socialize and relax with co-workers. We also typically eat out on Fri & Sat nights. However, that has decreased since we have a newborn at home.

Dining out is one of our favorite things to do, and we are fortunate to live in an area with a wide variety of terrific restaurants. I'd imagine we'd be eating out less if our only local options were fast food and generic chains like Applebees, Olive Garden, etc.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by S&L1940 »

I am guessing that number counts folks who do a Burger King or Starbucks or Taco Bell for breakfast or lunch.
Not exactly what I would call eating out. When we both worked, eating out or bringing meals in was pretty much a daily occurrence. Now retired, we still do 3-4 meals a week. But, being gourmet snobs, we never do or did fast food places. Simply real sit down meals or lots of take out concoctions...
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by Jazztonight »

I don't know, probably between 100 and 300 meals a year. :wink:

I play with my band at a Thai restaurant every week; they feed the band AND the spouses/partners. My DW and I eat half our dinner and take home the other half. (Does this count as 1 or 2 meals?)

My wife and I eat out whenever we feel like it, and choose the meals very carefully, often sharing an entree and a salad. She likes to cook, so we eat well at home. A portion of fish is 2-3 ounces, folks.

I eat at a taqueria with the singer in my band after our weekly volunteer gig at a hospital. We share a salmon and veggie burrito and a Mexican soda. (I weigh in at less than 140.)

Recently I surreptitiously took a photo of two diners nearby who'd each ordered platters of Mexican food, each of which was bigger than their heads.

Eating out does not cause obesity in my opinion.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by stoptothink »

Jazztonight wrote: Eating out does not cause obesity in my opinion.
It is absolutely one of the risk factors.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by placeholder »

I get the $6 lunch special carryout from the local Chinese place most weeks and a standing meetup with an old buddy for pizza many weeks so with those and a some ones following sporting events I estimate about 120 per year.
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by LadyGeek »

Let's stick to the eating out part. Discussions of health risks are off-topic (medical advice).
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Re: average American eats out 203 times per year

Post by sscritic »

Most of my eating out is done with grandkids at Disneyland. We all agree that one of the basic food groups is churros, ice cream being another.

Actually, Quicken says donut shops are the number one place I eat out, barely beating out all the Disneyland variations. Those appearing more than twice this year are Brent's and Red Robin. In-n-Out, Baja Fresh, and Souplantation make two appearances each. The most expensive were family meals at Naples in Downtown Disney and Max's of Manila in the Puente Hills Mall. It would have been my lunch with livesoft at Seafood Village in Monterey Park, but he grabbed the bill (not that I fought very hard).
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