Preference for Restaurant Foods Over Home Made

G. Radha Krishna; Silpa Somavarapu

Abstract

Food has special meaning and significance for human beings throughout the history. Foods meet physiological needs for human beings in order to survive. However, restaurant foods are often high in calories, and lack of enough essential nutrients. Gaining knowledge in how people make food choices on a daily basis is a first good step in being able to address public health issues that relate to food. Objective: This study aims at understanding of why people make the choice to eat outside the home, the ways by which people utilize restaurants, consumer’s awareness on health issues relating to consumption of restaurant foods and the roles of restaurants in society. Method: This was examined primarily through properly designed questionnaire among the population of Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh. Results: The results show the preference of people for restaurant foods in modern society. Reasons for people eating outside the home included trying new and different foods, to establish and maintain social connections and to enjoy a food that they would otherwise consider unhealthy Other reasons include the good experience of dining out and to avoid the routine. For some individuals their threshold of capability in home cooking skills often led to eating out because they did not feel confident in their ability to prepare certain foods with the same taste and flavor as a restaurant. Above and beyond the reasons why individuals make the choice to eat outside the home was the different ways that individuals utilize restaurants as a resource to reallocate their time and energy. Conclusion: Thus, promoting a healthier diet should be one successful future strategy used by the restaurant industry. Keywords: Restaurants, consumers, nutrients, consumptionCite this Article G. Radha Krishna, Silpa Somavarapu. Preference for Restaurant Foods Over Home Made. Research & Reviews: Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2017; 6(3): 32–48p.