Full Plate
Exploring my hometown’s growing food scene is one of my favorite indulgences, and multiple statistics show that many other Americans feel the same way.
Nationwide, consumers spend nearly as much of their income (12.6%) on food as they do on transportation (15.8%), which takes the second spot in the lineup of top three expenses, after housing. Forty-five percent of diners eat out multiple times each week and another 20% go out at least once a week, helping the restaurant industry garner $863 billion each year, equaling 4% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to the National Restaurant Association.
After all, what better way to elevate an everyday activity like eating than with a taste of adventure?
Adventurous diners in the Scenic City have had a pretty full plate lately. Chattanooga is really piling it on in terms of new restaurants and more are on the way. Dig in.
– Jennifer Bardoner, editor