According to Brech, these trends do not leave much time -- or money -- available for dining at full-service restaurants. In this study, the respondents "reported their families ate at cafeterias, family or chain restaurants, or fine dining restaurants only once or less each week" (Brech 1998: 21). This is not to say, though, that the number of full-service restaurants in countries such as the United States has declined in recent years. To the contrary, during the period between 1972 and 1997, the number of full-service restaurants increased by 35%; however, the number of fast food establishes more than doubled during this same time period (Akst 2003). These trends represent a sharp divergence from consumer eating habits a few years ago, and it was not until 1995 that consumers spent more at fast food establishments than they did at full-service restaurants (Pardue 1999).

Not surprisingly, given the highly competitive nature...
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