Front of the House Sanitation and Consumers’ Perceptions of Sanitation

The number of Americans eating away from home has been increasing over the last few decades except during the time under recession (Kumcu and Kaufman, 2011). American consumers are now dining out more frequently than ever before (Variyam, 2005). This is one reason that the food industry has continued to expand over the last few decades. In fact, according to a report from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) (2013), restaurant sales increased rapidly during the 1970s, and have continued to increase so that it is projected to reach about $660.5 billion dollars in 2013. In 2013, $1.8 billion in sales are occurring in restaurants everyday (NRA, 2013).