Even Lawyers Cut Back on Restaurant Meals

Evidence is mounting that Americans are dining in more and eating out less.

The New York Times presents the facts. A July survey by a market research firm found 60 percent of the respondents were eating at home more often. Some cooking schools report an increase in registrations for nonprofessional classes. Sales of canning equipment are increasing. And even some lawyers are cutting back on restaurant meals.

One of them is newly minted lawyer Sandy Dawes of Cardiff by the Sea, Calif. She told the Times that she and her husband eat out once a week, at most, compared to four times a week in the past. Student loans, higher prices and car payments were forcing the change.

"We needed to cut back, and that was the easiest thing to cut,” Dawes told the newspaper.