Regulars have cut back dining out to once or twice a week rather than three or four times, he said, and deliveries are down.
Her new Italian furniture from Giorgio USA -- a platform bed and clean-cut dining room table, both made from dark wenge wood -- had just arrived.
Cutting-edge dining now also incorporates the projection of augmented reality imagery on to food – an experience offered to diners at some of the world's top restaurants, such as El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, which staged an immersive opera-dinner called El Somni, and Ultraviolet in Shanghai.
Even so, several passers-by in Times Square said Friday that they had cut back on dining out.
The hard times for restaurants began in 2008, as the recession and staggering unemployment forced Americans to cut back on dining out.
Makers of packaged foods like Kraft Foods are working harder at marketing because the last five years have been a propitious time for them as budget-minded consumers cut down on dining out in favor of eating at home.
Just make sure you really do have enough space, she said, because "aesthetically, if the living room is small and you cut off the dining area to create a second bedroom, it might seem cramped".
That competition has intensified in the last couple of years as the nation's economic woes forced many consumers to cut back on dining out and eat more meals at home.
The pair are among a group of packaged food companies that have benefited as Americans cut down on dining out to eat at home and save money.
Cal-Maine's shares fell 2.9% to $36.17 Monday after the Jackson, Miss.-based company warned that feed costs could remain volatile, and that sales to food service establishments could face continued pressure as cash-strapped consumers cut down on dining out.
Of all the things people spend money on that they're willing to cut back on, dining out topped the charts.
