"Bon appétit" is resounding throughout the restaurant industry, with the nation's 935,000 restaurants grossing more than $500 billion in sales this year and forecasted to generate even more revenue in the years ahead. Bars and nightclubs are also toasting to good news, with business booming in small towns and big cities alike and attracting clientele from all walks of life. The three major entertainment venues in the United States - restaurants, bars and nightclubs - are highlighted below:
1. Restaurants
Consumers may choose from several types of restaurants: (1) fast food, (2) family-style or casual dining; (3) chain, (4) drive-thru, (5) mobile catering, (6) greasy spoons, and (7) fine dining. Mobile catering and fast casual restaurants are an offshoot of fast food restaurants. As in fast-food restaurants, full table service is not available at fast casual restaurants. However, the latter generally offer a more upscale setting, cutlery, and a more diverse menu with ingredients that are of a higher quality than conventional fast food. Customers pay more at fast-casual restaurants than at fast-food franchises, typically an amount ranging from $6 to $10 per person. The health-conscious are drawn to fast casual establishments due to the variety of healthy dishes on the menu.
Family-style or casual-dining restaurants offer table service and moderately-priced menus in a relaxed atmosphere. Breakfast-type meals are served around the clock at a number of chains. Another type of informal restaurant is the greasy spoon, also known as the "diner" in the Northeast or a coffee shop/cafe in the rest of the country. These restaurants boast late operating hours and a casual atmosphere. Customers may choose from a variety of made-to-order sandwiches and hot meals, such as cheeseburgers, hot dogs, sausages, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and hash browns, among other grilled or fried foods. Side dishes include French fries, soups, coleslaw, chili, and baked beans. Breakfast foods such as pancakes, waffles, omelets, and French toast are usually emphasized at greasy spoons. Ethnic and regional influences are oftentimes infused into diner menus. For instance, Philly cheese steak sandwiches are commonplace on the east coast, while Chinese rice and noodles are prevalent on the west coast. The typical beverages at these cafe restaurants are soda pops, iced tea and coffee, and for dessert, customers usually order either ice cream or pie (apple, blueberry, pecan, and cherry being the most common). The average American can order a nourishing meal (main dish, side dish and beverage) for a low fare.
Among the numerous sub-categories of restaurants available throughout the U.S. are the following popular dining places:
- Coffeehouses
- Bakery/cafe restaurants
- Japanese restaurants
- Italian restaurants
- French restaurants
- Ice-cream parlors
- Tea houses
- Theme restaurants
- Doughnut shops
2. Bars
From a street corner drinking hole featuring billiard tables, electronic or steel dart boards, televisions and a jukebox to chic martini bars serving up jazz and delectable hors d'oeuvres, bars cater to a wide variety of clientele and specialize in a specific form of entertainment. There are bars that (1) are micro-breweries, producing and selling beer on-site, (2) offer live bands or a floor show, (3) showcase comedians or go-go dancers, (4) feature disc jockeys spinning the top 40 hits and latest dance and techno, and (5) that specialize in high-end cigars and fine wines, pleasing the palate of an elegance and glamour-seeking crowd. Some of the most popular specialty bars are as follows:
- college bars
- hotel lounges
- singles bars
- biker bars
- piano bars
- sports bars
- coffee bars
- cigar bars
- gay bars
- country bars
- wine bars
- bars with dancing
- karaoke bars
- live music bars
- traditional bars
- beer bars/pubs/taverns (English, Scottish, Irish).
The smoking prohibition is waived at certain bars. Patrons can usually stay until 4 a.m. or even longer, and unless they are spending the evening at a posh martini bar or dance club, they may dress casually. Bars may be open-air, on rooftops, underground, or at an ocean-front location.
3. Nightclubs
Generally, a nightclub differs from a bar in that the latter does not offer a DJ booth and dance floor. The majority of nightclubs specialize in a genre of music, such as jazz, country-western, house, disco and top 40, and hip hop, to name a few. In the U.S., one will find many alcohol and smoking-free nightclubs as well as comedy clubs. Average cover charges may range from a few dollars to $15. Lower covers are usually extended to college students, club members, women, patrons arriving prior to 11 p.m. or midnight, customers who order food, and hotel guests. Trendy and elite nightclubs with sophisticated interior design and architecture sometimes require membership fees or "table charges" whereby a table can only be reserved if the customer orders a minimum amount (i.e. $1,000). Many nightclubs do not charge a cover, opting instead to charge more on beer and snacks.