Eating out can be entertaining and pleasurable. Weather it is a family dinner, a romantic evening, lunch with friends or a special occasion, everyone likes the hassle-free option of not having to prepare their own meal. However, while eating is often both convenient and enjoyable, preparing and eating at home also has many advantages. Ultimately, dining out or eating at home are both good options, but they also differ in terms of cost, quality and atmosphere.
Perhaps the most striking difference between eating out or at home goes to expense, as dining out usually costs more. This is an important difference in an economy limiting choices on how to spend, and keeping an eye on unnecessary expenses is usually a household priority at any time. This factor then promotes eating at home; there are no overhead charges to add to the bill, there is no service charge, there is no waiter to tip 15 percent or more, and there are no extra costs added to the food in order to pay labor costs for employees. Then, smart shopping works to add even more incentive to eating at home. By clipping coupons and making a list before going to the grocery store, as well as keeping an eye out for sales and specials, the cost of eating at home may go significantly down. Restaurants do offer deals and many have low prices, but the reality is that eating at home is almost always less expensive than dining out.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Eating Out vs. Eating at Home".
Another important distinction between eating at home and eating out is the quality of the food. When you cook at home, it allows for the precise selection of ingredients and there are no surprises. At a restaurant, and no matter how the dishes are described, there is no such control. For example, a chef may use vegetables that are too ripe or not ripe enough, thus giving the dish a distinctive flavor not expected from the menu or server description. Another significant aspect of food quality is the cleanliness of the equipment used. When preparing a home cooked meal, there is no guessing about how clean the refrigerator, cupboards, stove, pots and pans, and utensils are. Those things are within the preparer’s control. When eating out, however, there is no control over what happens behind closed doors. Health codes and regulations notwithstanding, the chef, server or other employees can use unsanitary utensils, drop food on the ground and still serve it, or – in extreme cases – spit in the customer’s food. It is likely that most restaurants may be trusted as to cleanliness, but the home allows for certainty.
Another distinction between eating out and eating at home is atmosphere. Eating at home can be more relaxing and comfortable than eating at a local establishment. There is no dress code and no need to worry about being too loud, or the children behaving badly in public. Eating at home also allows people to unwind, and maybe watch television during dinner. At the same time, dining out is often exciting, and people enjoy both dressing up and being a part of the social experience of the restaurant. The options then reflect two very different atmospheres, and each with its own appeal.
In conclusion, there is no right or wrong choice; there are simply differences in cost, quality and atmosphere. While cost and quality more support eating at home, the attraction of dining out as an event is also strong. When all the elements are considered, then, it seems that the right choice in eating out or at home depends very much on how the people concerned feel about it at the time.
