Living In USA

Fast-food chains, coffee shops, delicatessens (delis), lunch counters, and diners offer quick and inexpensive meals. The food and handling are inspected regularly by government officials, so you can usually feel safe about the food, although you are advised to choose a clean-looking place nonetheless. These places are crowded with people at normal mealtimes, particularly over the lunch hour, but if you eat a little early or a little late, you can usually get a seat without waiting too long. They can be found everywhere, are open long hours, and are useful in keeping your food budget down.

Diners are often found on the outskirts of towns. They vary from clean and shiny to rather old and run down. Truck drivers often stop at them because they are likely to have good parking facilities and serve large portions of good food at low prices. Furthermore, there is often an interesting cross section of people in them, especially in the early morning hours when long-distance truck drivers are eating breakfast. Some diners, built from the earliest prefabricated buildings, are remnants of another era. These have fan clubs with elaborate photographic books devoted to them. You do not generally tip at delis, where you serve yourself, or at fast-food restaurants, but you do leave a minimum tip at lunch counters and diners, say 10 to 15 percent.

Fast-food places (where a limited menu is precooked and ready for rapid dispensing and quick consumption) have become very widespread and popular in the United States. Such chains as McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Burger King, Subway, Jack-in-the-Box, Carl's Jr., Taco Bell, and Wendy's cater to millions of people who want quick service and fairly good food in clean, simple surroundings. There is no tipping, though in many cases you are expected to clear your own table and discard your trash in the containers provided. Fast-food shops are especially appealing to children and young people. By and large, these are not places to take a date!

Although not technically fast food, some restaurants provide full service quickly. Chains include Friendly's, Cracker Barrel, International House of Pancakes (called "I-HOP"), Shoney's, Perkins, Bob Evans, and many others. These emphasize breakfast foods, but offer other items as well.