tilla chips rivaled potato chips and onion dip in
snack popularity, and previously unfamiliar ingredi-
ents such as blue cornmeal and cilantro became res-
taurant favorites.
The number of mid-range establishments that
served a time-conscious clientele also increased in
number. Casual dining restaurants such as Benni-
gan’s and TGIFriday’s expanded rapidly into suc-
cessful chains, while others, such as Olive Garden,
were developed by corporations to appeal to chang-
ing consumer needs. Décor-laden theme restaurants
such as the Hard Rock Café distinguished them-
selves from competitors not by their food but by
the celebrity-autographed items, faux antiques, and
tchotchkes that covered their walls and even ceilings.
Trends in Home Cooking American palates became
more sophisticated during the 1980’s, causing su-
permarkets to expand their range of international
and gourmet products. European cheeses, exotic
mushrooms, and fancy greens such as arugula and
radicchio became staples in yuppie kitchens. Bever-
ages also became upscale. Tap water no longer suf-
ficed in the status-obsessed 1980’s, nor did a simple
cup of coffee. Bottled waters such as Perrier and
Pellegrino appeared on store shelves, and Ameri-
cans became enamored of specialty coffees, paying
high prices for whole beans from Hawaii, Jamaica,
Colombia, and Kenya.
It was not only ingredients that became upscale
during the decade but appliances and kitchen gad-
gets as well. Top-of-the-line Cuisinart food proces-
sors, Kitchenaid mixers, and professional-quality
knives became de rigueur in middle-class house-
holds. The microwave oven went from a novelty to a
household staple. By the end of the decade, micro-
waves could be found in 75 percent of American
homes.
As larger numbers of women entered or returned
to the workplace, preparing dinner became a more
difficult task for American families. Many Americans
were not willing to settle for tasteless frozen meals
and sought more upscale convenience-food options.
The range of prepared-meal choices expanded, as
supermarkets, gourmet food stores, and restaurants
began to cater to the take-out market. By 1988, over
80 percent of Americans were regularly buying take-
out meals for home consumption.
Impact During the 1980’s, American food tradi-
tions finally achieved the same level of culinary re-
spect that continental cuisines had long enjoyed.
The American gourmet revolution celebrated re-
gional cooking and made use of previously ignored
indigenous ingredients. At the same time, increas-
ingly frenetic lifestyles left little time to cook the
elaborate dishes that sophisticated palates of the
1980’s demanded. As Americans became more har-
ried, the food-service industry responded by pre-
senting more choices for consumers: Mid-range
chain restaurants, take-out options, and prepared
gourmet groceries were all markers of the decade’s
eating habits.
Further Reading
Belasco, Warren.Appetite for Change: How the Counter-
culture Took on the Food Industr y. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cor-
nell University Press, 1989. Includes a description
of the role corporations played in 1980’s food cul-
ture.
Brenner, Leslie.American Appetite: The Coming of Age
of a Cuisine.New York: Avon, 1999. Personal over-
view of trends and influences in the American
dining scene, including many developments in
the 1980’s.
Levenstein, Harvey.Paradox of Plenty: A Social Histor y
of Eating in Modern America.New York: Oxford
University Press, 1993. Contains an overview of
trends in 1980’s food styles.
Lovegren, Sylvia.Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of
Food Fads. New York: Macmillan, 1995. Includes a
chapter on food trends of the 1980’s.
Piesman, Marissa, and Marilee Hartley.The Yuppie
Handbook.New York: Pocket Books, 1984. Con-
tains several discussions of 1980’s food prefer-
ences, including typical restaurant menus and
reviews, kitchen appliances, and popular ingredi-
ents.
Shelly McKenzieSee also Agriculture in Canada; Agriculture in the
United States; Diets; New Coke; Starbucks; Women
in the workforce; Yuppies.380 Food trends The Eighties in America