Middle class restaurants

Hari's post on the subject had me thinking if our understanding of what is middle class is changing. We like to think of ourselves as middle class people. But would we now like to eat at old Sukha Nivas in Luz, which looks seedy and uninviting. Perhaps the middle class now has so many strata with different spending patterns and preferences. The all round increase in the cost of living is another factor which is changing what we called middle class eateries into less affordable ones.

Middle class family restaurants - a dying breed?

I wrote an article on my blog about middle class family restaurants.

In past decades, we would probably apply the generic label "Udupi restaurant" to these kinds of eateries.

I wonder whether they're a dying breed because the increasing salary levels of the middle class has led to people patronizing the more glamourous restaurants, fast-food joints and even ethnic and speciality cuisine restaurants in favour of them.

The younger generation prefer the modern fast-food eateries and pizzerias while the relatively affluent crowd prefer the more modern and glitzier restaurants which charge fancy prices. The lower income groups naturally prefer the inexpensive roadside eateries.

I think it's a sign of the increasing income levels of the IT era and the fact that people now use credit cards and don't mind running up larger bills in order to dine in opulent ambience and comfort.

What are your thoughts?