The charts illustrate the proprotion of food budget allocated to restaurant meals of the average family and the graph compares the number of meals consumed in fast-food and sit-down restaurants over a 30-year period, starting from 1970.
Overall, the average family spent an increasing amount of money on restaurant meals. Notably, while the number of meals eaten in both fast food and sitdown restaurants underwent a remarkable growth, fast food was the predominant category at the end of the period.
Starting at 10% in 1970, the percentage of food budget for restaurants meals saw a modest rise to 15% by 1980. Over the next twenty years, the figure soared by 35%, accounting for 50% of the total food budget.
The number of meals consumed in fast food restaurants was equivalent to that of sitdown restaurants in 1970, standing at 20 meals. During the next 10 years, the share of sitdown restaurants grew to around 35 meals, which overtook fast food restaurants at approximately 29. However, in 2000, the figure of fast food restaurants recorded a steep increase to 85, far exceeding that of sitdown restaurants at roughly 49 meals.