Band 8+: The charts below show the percentage of their food budget the average family spent on restaurant meals in different years. The graph shows the number of meals eaten in fast food restaurants and sit-down restaurants. Summarize the information and compare where relevant, by selecting and reporting the key features. You should write at least 150 words.

The pie chart illustrates the proportion of an average family’s food budget allocated to restaurant meals from 1970 to 2000, while the line graph compares the quantity of meals eaten in fast food and sit-down restaurants over the same period.

Overall, it is clear that the percentage of money spent on restaurants meals increased steadily throughout the period. In addition, eating in fast food restaurants became more popular than dining in sit-down restaurants by 2000.

In 1970, people spent most of their time on cooking at home, and only 10% of the food budget was allocated to restaurants meals. Over the next 10 years, this figure rose slightly to 15% before jumping to 35% in 1990. By the end of the period, dining out was prefered to home meals and accounted for half of the total food budget.

When comparing fast food and sit-down restaurants, the former showed a sharper increase. In 1970, the number of meals eaten in both types of restaurants started at only 20%. However, the figure for fast food restaurants went up dramatically to around 90% in 2000, while that for sit-down restaurants only represented nearly 50% in the same year.