Friday Nights and Inflation
Every Friday night, our family ends the week the same way. We gather on the couch in the basement, lights low, a movie queued up, and for a couple of hours the noise of the world fades. It is not fancy. It is not planned weeks in advance. It is simply movie night. And it matters more than we probably realize in the moment.
For years, part of that ritual has been my role as dad. I stop on the way home and bring food for the family. Tacos. Burgers. Something easy. Something that says the weekend has arrived. It was never about the food itself. It was about the signal. Friday night is different. We are together. We are not rushing. We are present.
Over the last year, though, something has changed. The cost of that simple food has climbed in a way that is hard to ignore. What used to feel like a reasonable stop now feels like a small financial decision that requires a pause. A family of four ordering nothing complicated can easily spend fifty to seventy dollars. No extras. No indulgence. Just dinner.
We are incredibly blessed. We can absorb that increase. Still, we have begun to change our habits. More often, we cook at home. We pull something together before settling onto the couch. The tradition remains, but the shape of it has shifted. And that shift has made me wonder about the future of restaurants, both traditional and fast food.
If a family like ours hesitates, what does that mean at scale. If convenience comes with a price that feels out of step with everyday budgets, how often will people choose it. Restaurants depend on regular habits. Families picking up dinner because it fits both their schedule and their finances. When that balance breaks, something else has to give.
What weighs on me most is not our adjustment, but the reality for families who do not have the same margin. When a basic meal out becomes a luxury, the impact is not just economic. It affects stress, time, and choice. It means more pressure on parents who are already stretched. It means fewer small moments of relief.
Friday movie night continues in our basement. The couch is the same. The laughter is the same. The togetherness is the same. What has changed is my awareness. Traditions endure, but the world around them shifts. And sometimes, a simple dinner on a Friday night reveals more about where we are headed than we expect.
