Eating Out is a fascinating study of the consumption of food outside the home. Through surveys and intensive interviews carried out in England in the 1990s, the authors have collected a wealth of information into people's attitudes toward, and expectations of, eating out as a form of entertainment and an expression of taste and status. This book will be a valuable resource to academics, advanced students and practitioners in the sociology of consumption, cultural studies, tourism and hospitality, home economics, marketing and to the general reader.

Acknowledgements; List of figures; List of tables; List of boxes; 1. The study and its rationale; Part I. Modes of Provision: 2. The development of the habit of eating out in the UK; 3. The meanings of eating out; Part II. Access: 4. Patterns of eating out; 5. Domestic organisation, family meals and eating out; Part III. Delivery: 6. Personal service in public and private places; 7. Last suppers; Part IV. Enjoyment: The Attractions of Eating Out: 8. Eating out and its gratifications; 9. The enjoyment of meal events; Part V. Conclusion: 10. Eating out and the theories of consumption; Methodological appendix: data collection and analysis; References.