Dig Deeper >> Industry information >> Restaurants >> Casual dining >>

Home Tour About us Contact us Privacy policy Copyright Linking User agreement Contest Coupon Resources Parent resources Educator resources Imagine your future Interests Lifestyles Destination jobs All profiles Dig Deeper Education & training Institutions Scholarships Majors Industry information Industry segments Restaurants Quick service restaurant Casual dining Fine dining Onsite food services Hotels & Lodging Economy/budget hotels Mid-scale hotels Luxury hotels Manufacturing Distribution Other U.S. Department of Labor Sponsor companies Sponsor landing pages Sponsor info Associations & organizations Industry associations Student organizations Tour Showcase of the Stars News

With more and more people eating meals away from home, casual dining is one of the fastest growing segments of the Industry. At a casual dining restaurant, like Chili's or TGI Fridays, customers come dressed as they are (no suit jackets and ties required here!) and dine in a relaxed and sometimes "theme oriented" atmosphere (like Little Italy, On the Border, etc). Customers are seated at tables and personally served by wait staff. The focus is on friendly customer service. They cater to everyone - it is not unusual to find couples, groups of college students, parents with little kids, business people... everyone... at the same restaurant at the same time. And on top of that, a great meal can be enjoyed without breaking the bank. Most such restaurants have a bar, which adds to the atmosphere of settling down for a meal rather than getting it done in a hurry. Some companies that own these restaurants have hundreds of locations and often several different chains (Olive Garden and Red Lobster are casual dining chain restaurants owned by the same company - Darden Restaurants). Working for these organizations offers opportunities within one chain, opportunities to transfer to different chains, or to work in the head office. With the great geographical coverage, you could move to different cities, states, even countries, and still have a job you could count on. 1 a 1