From Sit-Ins to Put-Downs: Why Dining Out Matters
Whether you
*swing through the drive-through at McDonald’s for a Royale with Cheese,
*Hit the buffet at Random Quasi-Asian (middle of the strip mall next to the Beauty Supply and the impromptu H&R Block office)Super Buffet
*Hit down for your fix of random pre-fabricated Applebee/Friday’s/Bennigan’s
*Take a stroll down memory land for what USED to be fine dining for common folk, Red Lobster or Olive Garden
*Or if you, like me, get your anti chain restaurant on with any number of singular dining experiences
*Or if you get your white tablecloth sommelier and chef’s table on
We all like to get our eat on and let someone else cook and clean.
In the 21st century, with more and more two income households, the notion of a traditional family dinner is virtually impossible.
With every advance in technology and alteration in personal priorities, dining out is becoming less and less of a luxury.
Add to that the simply jawdropping number of choices and you have a completely different industry from 20 years ago.
The explosion of the restaurant industry has opened up opportunities and challenges in the Black community. With each passing year, it becomes apparent that while it is clear that the Black dining market is growing, the level of respect that it commands is not growing at the same pace.
Think for a moment about how much you spend every month on food that you don’t have to prepare and you will rapidly understand how much dining Out matters.
InkogNegro 2.75 
Hey Ink, Thanks for doing this post. I didn’t comment right away because I was stirring things around in my mind. I spend a lot of time talking about voting with my dollars. And where we eat has a direct relationship to this. So – thanks for making me take a few “snapshots” from my youth. (Otherwise, my comment would have been longer than your post! LOL!)