Family Meals – Eating Out or Eating in

Treating the family to a special meal is always a great opportunity to get together, eat delicious food and catch up on everyone’s news. It seems there’s quite a few families nowadays who don’t sit down together at the end of every day. Instead eating separately, and missing out on all-important family time.

The Brook Restaurant

As the price of living and eating out has gradually increased, are families going to restaurants as much as they used to? Has the growing number of home delivery food companies encouraged families to stay at home. Choosing to dine in the comfort of their own home? Are parents still happy to pay for the additional costs that come with restaurant dining, like travel and restaurant tipping?

Interestingly, money saving experts Voucherbox recently did a poll of 1000 diners to find out how happy we are to pay for good service. The poll revealed that satisfactory service with a smile makes a huge difference, with one fifth of diners giving a bigger tip if the waiting staff are attractive. An amazing 30% of people eating out also said that they would not tip if the waiter looked scruffy!

What Are the Benefits of Eating Out?

Taking your family out for a meal has several benefits compared to staying in:
. It’s a special treat for the family
. Nobody has to think about an evening meal to cook at home
. It brings the family together and encourages communication

Chicken Chorizo

What Are the Disadvantages of Eating Out?

Eating at a restaurant does have some drawbacks which can be considered:
. You need to travel to the restaurant
. You are paying a lot more than cooking at home or home delivery
. Most restaurants expect you to tip

Eating out - The White Lion Cheshire

Eating at a restaurant with your children and partner can be a great time to get together and discuss family issues, make decisions about things, make plans for the future or just get some good communication flowing. In fact, a study carried out in 2015 showed that 75% of families are choosing to eat out at restaurants, rather than staying in compared to a study five years before. It showed that the main reason families chose to eat out was to spend quality time together, and some restaurants even let kids eat free. However, taking the family to a restaurant very much depends on affordability, but now as home delivery companies increase their catchment areas, more families are also choosing to get a takeaway delivered to the home. This seems to be a happy and affordable medium between cooking and going to a restaurant.

Takeaway Home Delivery

Interestingly, the increase in smartphone usage has created an upsurge in families ordering takeaway food to be delivered to their homes. Families are sometimes preferring the cheaper option (compared to restaurants) of ordering pizza, Chinese food and curry to encourage a special evening in for their family. Takeaway companies have created mobile apps and online menu selections. This makes it easier for families to simply select their order at the click of a button, and wait for it to be delivered.

Whether you choose to take your family out for a meal, have a takeaway delivered or cook a meal at home, creating that special family time to spend together and talk is still important. The evening meal is the one time every day, that you can bring together the family, chat about your day and communicate around a table.

Daughter and Husband

  • Written by Charlotte Blairman

2 thoughts on “Family Meals – Eating Out or Eating in”

  1. AH we really struggle to all eat together in the evening, I hope that when the boys are a bit older and staying up later we can manage it! We are starting to get more confident eating out though, they are pretty good sat round a table, especially if food is in front of them. Takeaway is usually our first option though 🙂 xx

    Reply
    • My two were always good at eating out too, and I think that’s because we used to take them from an early age. Sometimes though you can’t beat a takeaway sat infront of a trashy tv show can you x

      Reply

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