Dining Out and the Present Economy

There is much to be said with the state of the current economy. People love to eat out, but the weak economy could be testing their appetite for restaurant food.
Rather than just an infrequent visit, a restaurant meal has become a daily ritual for many people.
A competitive environment for restaurants is getting tougher as hungry consumers spend more time cooking at home. With the current economy being the main culprit moving people in this trend.
As unemployment rates rise and home prices fall, people feel both less wealthy and more insecure about their future income. Even if consumers do decide to eat out or order in, they're increasingly likely to experience sticker shock when the bill arrives. Prices of many necessary food items used in the restaurants have skyrocketed, meaning restaurants are paying more and more for their raw materials - thus leaving many operators feeling the squeeze. Do they increase prices and potetially drive away cash-strapped consumers, or suffer with narrow profit margins? Some questions evoke many answers, or more questions, or much debate.
Conversely, being an employee and not an employer, how will the economic downturn affect me and my present position? Do I take a second job, and if so, can I find an employer willing to 'work around my other job', or do I 'weather the storm'?
My feeling is that in these tough economic times, we have to be diligent and work harder than ever to retain the customer base that we have.