Mom, What’s for Dinner?

Published on Monday, October 22, 2007, by MiriamWolf / Edit Post

The mommy wars between the stay-at-home moms (or “helicopter parents”) and the working moms (or “neglectors”) may continue apace.

But the tide seems to be turning: For the first time since the 1950s, the percentage of women opting out of the work force to stay home with their families (and immolating their careers on the pyre of motherhood) is rising. According to Advertising Age, this could have a “profound” impact on the restaurant industry.

As women joined the work force over the years, they had more disposable income and less time, so eating out became more common:

Nothing captured the power of women joining the work force for the restaurant industry like McDonald’s 1971 ad campaign ‘You deserve a break today,’ said Harry Balzer, VP of NPD Group and longtime chronicler of the nation’s eating habits.

But now, restaurants could feel the pinch, especially since recent growth for them has been in takeout, and supermarkets like Whole Foods have been chipping (and in some cases, gouging) away at that market. In addition, packaged-food giants like Campbell’s and Kraft are seeing an opportunity to snatch back some ground they’ve lost over the years to casual-dining restaurants.

So support your local dining scene. The favorite restaurant you save could be your own.

ALLFood Media
POST A COMMENT |5 Comments

COMMENT

  • Thanks for your comments. As a mom who's worked both sides of the street, I was thinking that I was making a point of showing the whole damned-if-you -do, damned-if-you-don't nature of modern motherhood, but I'm not quite sure it came across. Regardless, I know other economic factors are definitely playing into restaurant's monetary woes, but for myself, I know that when I am working outside of...+READ

    Thanks for your comments. As a mom who's worked both sides of the street, I was thinking that I was making a point of showing the whole damned-if-you -do, damned-if-you-don't nature of modern motherhood, but I'm not quite sure it came across. Regardless, I know other economic factors are definitely playing into restaurant's monetary woes, but for myself, I know that when I am working outside of the home, that extra disposable income sometimes does go to an extra restaurant meal or two for my family.-COLLAPSE

  • I'm sure you were just trying to be funny... but the combination of family-unfriendly workplaces and the lack of affordable childcare does not make this "drop-out" (well, freelancing!) mother amused.

    And as a previous commenter points out, economic conditions are probably responsible for restaurants' pain, not stay-at-home mothers (who are dealing with the same economic climate.)

  • eating out? lol..whats that?..i work in a resturant and cant even afford to eat there..

  • eating out? lol..whats that?
    ..i work in a resturant and cant even afford to eat there..

  • Wow, anyone you didn't insult in that blurb? There are many, many "helicopter parents" who both work. They're the reason you have such innovations as spy cams in teddy bears, and webcams at daycares.

    Also, since the 1950s a lot of men have learned to cook. All of the stay-at-home moms I know are not housewives, and I don't think their status has that much impact on dining out.

    I'm going to go...+READ

    Wow, anyone you didn't insult in that blurb? There are many, many "helicopter parents" who both work. They're the reason you have such innovations as spy cams in teddy bears, and webcams at daycares.

    Also, since the 1950s a lot of men have learned to cook. All of the stay-at-home moms I know are not housewives, and I don't think their status has that much impact on dining out.

    I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the fact that wage growth has not been matching inflation, and that food prices have been inflating quickly, might have more to do with it. Consumer confidence has been falling all year. It would make sense that people who are a little worried about the economic situation might not spend as much eating out.-COLLAPSE