I was with you up until that. Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? Most families can spend $100 at chain restaurants several times a week?
RE: ". . .slaving away at some factory job. I'm thinking these "factories are going away" alarmists listen to too many Bruce Springsteen albums."
I remember the 1940s, 50s and 60s. It weren't that bad. Low taxes. Twice a day mail delivery by the only Fed you'd ever meet in your life (besides doing military duty), low taxes so that the little wife didn't have to work, secure jobs promised to most high school graduates, retirement and mortgage burning -- and NO damn Bruce Springsteen.
Someone above suggested that those days were an anomaly. Maybe so but slaving away at 'dem factory jobs weren't that bad for most.
Well they obviously do. Everytime I go to one of these places, they are absolutely mobbed and unless you call ahead, you are waiting for a table for up to an hour. The waitstaff are usually friendly but they are dreadfully overworked as these places are often understaffed (they all have HELP WANTED signs at the door).
I took five people to the restaurant last night...
Five entrees with an average cost of $13 = ($65)
Two appetizers = ($12)
Four margaritas (between three adults) at five dollars each and four softdrinks between the two kids at two dollars each = $28
Desserts (three of us declined) = $8
Total tab was about $113. Add $25 tip (service was excellent) and it was $138 total.
This is not a pricy restaurant but it adds up fast. This place was an absolute madhouse however. People were literally out the door waiting to get in. We had to park in the next parking lot over. We waited nearly an hour for our table. This scene was repeated hundreds and hundreds of times in just about every other eatery in the metro Boston area. EVERY TIME we go out to eat on a weekend night, it is a total mob scene at every place we decide to go.
I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that an enormous amount of families can afford to go out to eat often and they are spending big, big money to do so.
This is not what would be happening if our economy, as is being argued here, is going down the toilet.