BuildingMyBento

2-4 times per week, but some of that may be take-out.

When traveling, it's virtually 100%, except when in Western Europe where foraging through markets becomes the norm.

DaveInLA

In my experience, cooking for 2 isn't usually worth it because you have almost the same amount if dishes to wash and you miss out on any discounts that come with buying in bulk. We used to buy enough for a whole family, but it usually ended going to waste. But my wife and I are doing it now for health purposes.

KenS

Once or twice a week, usually weekend lunch. I can't cook but I have no problem cleaning up, so it works out.

indianwells

It appears people in the US eat out significantly more than Europeans. I don't have any research, just personal observation. If true what are the reasons? It's quite cheap? Time constraints? More disposable income?

amunter

When home, 2-3 nights a week for dinner, 2-3 breakfasts, and 2-3 lunches - but rarely all three meals on the same day. Like gfunkdave, I agree that Portland has great restaurants. Of course, I'm referring to a different Portland...

stut

When not travelling, about once a month or so. I enjoy cooking, and tend to look for things when I eat out that I wouldn't make at home...

That said, we have a very decent canteen at work, so it feels like I'm eating out every lunchtime...

Clint Bint

Convenience,cheapness,heavy TV advertising and the political influence of the food lobby spawned a fast food culture decades before it hit Europe.
Eating out is still considered a treat rather than the means to satisfy hunger in Europe whereas, imho, quantity rather than quality seems more important in the US.
Once a week at weekends usually in my case.

Cloudship

I am not sure that is absolutely true. More so of certain demographics such as single people or couples. I know few families that eat out that often.

As for why, well I think time and convenience play the largest part, especially lunch. People don't have the time to prepare lunch at home and take it with them, especially when they have a long commute and no place to keep it at work. That's why I think there is such a perception there is so much more fast food in the US (I think that is a myth by the way). More places for quick lunches. I know very, very few people who go to true fast food for dinner. Some quick casual if the place is on the hot list, but most people who go out for dinner often that I know do so to cheaper sit down restaurants.

The fact that US agriculture is not subsidized to the extent it is elsewhere, and that most grocery store packaging is geared towards family size also makes it a lot more expensive and challenging for the sing person to cook.

BamaVol

I've seen plenty of people dining in restaurants in Europe and plenty of restaurants. I don't get far out of the cities though so I have no idea if the European countryside is as littered with drive through Taco Bells as it is here.

I don't eat fast food for the most part, but also rarely dine out for lunch or breakfast. I have access to a fridge, a microwave and a stove in the office. We frequent locally owned and operated casual places, occasionally a chain, for dinners out.

I cook for two, but have no difficulty finding packages of meat for 1 or 2. Steaks always seem to be indiviually wrapped. I can buy a single chicken breast or package of 5 drumsticks or 2 pork chops. I think the magic number is 1 pound - harder to find a smaller weight without digging. That's one of the reasons I appreciate a full service seafood counter - I try for 6 ounce servings of fish, order 30 littleneck clams at a time, a half pound of shrimp.

I will say when I still had 4 kids at home, we ate out a lot less frequently. But we didn't eat as well at home either, with far more prepared foods from the box or freezer. Time was the driver - I needed to get a meal on the table within 30 minutes of getting home from work or the kids would start gnawing on the chairs. As they got older, the kids learned how to cook or at least do the prep before I got home and weeknight dinner quality improved. Until at least 2 had grown up and moved out, dinner out was a once or twice a month event.

cubbie

I'm a bit surprised to read how much some posters in this thread eat out, but I guess I shouldn't be. On other food-centric forums I see some people eat out all the time, and if they have the money for it and/or they'd rather not cook, why not?

But that's not me. I work at home and my budget doesn't stretch to eating out more than about once or twice a month, so I'm on the low end of the spectrum. When I used to commute to work, I ate lunch out just about every day, of course.

I disagree with the poster who said:

Not that I discount that that's the poster's experience, but it's not mine. In my experience, two people eating out almost always costs $10-$15 per person at least, without drinks, whereas feeding two people at home can usually be accomplished for much less than $10/person. Dishwashing takes little enough time that I don't factor it in, and we do buy in bulk and make good use of a freezer. I grew up in a household of nine (!) people, so it took me some time to learn how to scale down to cooking for two and not make too much food routinely, but I let hardly anything go to waste, and I think our weeknight meals probably average under $5/person. Our occasional desires for takeout--more my husband's than mine--throw off the average.

Maybe people in different countries have different expectations of what eating out should cost. When I watch Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, for example, and see people in the UK asked about what they'd be willing to pay for a certain dinner at a certain place, I'm routinely shocked. Is it just farm subsidies that make USofAns and UKans have such different ideas of what eating out should cost? No, I know it's not. I live in the US Midwest, just outside Chicago. I know people who live in NYC and SFO, for example, spend a lot more on food---at home and in restaurants---than we do here.

I enjoy cooking, so it doesn't bother me not eating out much. I enjoy it more for the social interaction than for the food itself -- I enjoy a couple of opportunities a month to go out for a drink and/or a meal with a friend or family member. An attractively lit place with some nice appetizers and wines, conducive to lingering and conversing, I'll pay for that. Molded plastic bench seats or ordering through bullet-proof glass, I'd rather eat at home.

When I eat out I try to order somewhat more exotic things that I wouldn't know how to make or wouldn't be likely to try to make at home, partly because (along the lines of what indianwells said) it annoys me to pay for a mediocre dish that I could easily have made better myself at home.

For example, fried chicken is big among the eat-outers in Chicagoland lately, and if you don't know how to make it or you find frying foods intimidating or your little tiny city apartment kitchen isn't conducive to frying up a big batch of chicken, it's great it you can get it at restaurants. But I can make fried chicken at home or get it from Popeye's, so I don't need to spend a bunch of money to go downtown to get some.

I am the kind of person who is happy with a dinner put together from one or more appetizers rather than one big entrée (a good steak or seafood entrée excepted). I am also the kind of person who doesn't much want to spend my going-out $$ at places that don't serve alcohol or allow BYOB. Barbecue on white bread comes to mind as an example. I'd rather pick it up and take it home.

I am a confused about the premise of the original post. What else can you do but eat out when travelling away from home, unless you count eating in your hotel room as eating at home?

GatoAndaluz

I eat out way too often. Breakfast is the only meal I usually eat at home. Monday through Friday I always eat lunch somewhere near work. Dinner, when I'm in DC my girlfriend and I cook at home maybe three nights a week, and eat out the rest of the time. When I'm on the road, dinner is out every night.

BamaVol

I can't speak for the OP, but I have stayed long term at Extended Stays, Residence Inns and Value Place properties where I had the facility and tools to cook a meal and did so. And my bosses always appreciated seing the grocery store receipts vs. a stack of restaurant receipts.

airsupply

When home, maybe once every other week, mostly food I would not make at home. I definitely eat less and healthier when I cook. There are plenty of farmer's markets around for fresh produce so summertime is great. Traveling abroad one of my favorite things is exploring local food markets and visiting local supermarket.

Aventine

Just lucky here that there's no service charge or tipping in Korea. Tax is in the prices and not too unreasonable for 2 people to eat out even with drinks (wine, cocktails, etc) I totally sympathize with eating out in North America and how it can be budget busting.

Lkeade

We eat out 2-3 times a week. We always go out to dinner on Friday nights and usually lunch on Saturday, sometimes Sunday too. We are empty nesters and it is easy to cook and clean for just two people, especially with easy week night meals.