Women call the shots at dining out, survey shows

by Tony Halstead

Women are on top when it comes to choosing restaurants, ordering their partners' food and selecting the wine, according to a new survey carried out for PizzaExpress.

The poll, which quizzed 2,000 people, revealed that 95% of women now take the lead when choosing a pub and restaurant. A healthy 65% of women also choose their partners' meal and two out of three select the wine and even taste it before serving.

'Going Dutch has also increased in popularity with 94% of women paying their own way and 5% electing to pick up the whole bill.

The research has led to the formation of a new category of people dining out FOODD (Female Ownership Of Dining-out Decisions).

The survey suggested there are now 12 million FOODD devotees across the UK with the majority in the East Midlands.

The FOODD phenomenon is less apparent in Scotland.

PizzaExpress attributes the increase in female influence to diners having less time and women generally being able to decide more quickly.

'People expect the best quality but can only afford to invest about an hour to dine. Fifty-eight per cent of women will make decisions about the whole meal within five minutes, said a spokesperson.

'Only 30% of men are able to choose their meal within the same time span and men have lost their control because they just cannot keep up.

Behavioural observationalist Jenni Trent revealed: 'Women are genetically built to multi- task and are now choosing houses, cars and where we go on holiday so it's only natural they also choose where and what we eat.