The social significance of dining out: A study of continuity and change : Manchester University Press : 9781526134752 : 1526134756 : 15 May 2020 : ?This is a remarkable book that will be of wide interest to sociologists of consumption and scholars of food studies more generally.' British Journal of Sociology 'This is an exquisitely detailed and deliberate sociology of the ordinary restaurant meal and dinner with friends ? It is the perfect book to teach with, and I will do so.' Contemporary Sociology Dining out used to be considered exceptional. However, the Food Standards Authority reported that in 2014, one meal in six was eaten away from home in Britain. Previously considered a necessary substitute for an inability to obtain a meal in a family home, dining out has become a popular recreational activity for a majority of the population, offering pleasure as well as refreshment. Based on a major mixed-methods research project on dining out in England, this book offers a unique comp