When a group of people go out to eat at a restaurant, surely one or two will eat slowly and take their time to empty the plate. In many countries, taking time to enjoy a meal is quite normal. This had emerged from data published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development focusing on the dining habits of travelers.
Diners in France, for example, usually spend an average of 2 hours 13 minutes per day sitting at a table. Their neighbors in Italy and Spain are not far behind, with an average of more than 2 hours per day.
In the Asian continent, the inhabitants of South Korea spend approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes eating and drinking every day. In China, the dining habits are not much different as they spend about 5 minutes less.
On the other hand, eating is a much faster experience in North America, where Canadians spend 1 hour and 5 minutes eating and drinking per day, while Americans do so for 1 hour and 2 minutes.
Although it may seem like a simple curiosity, the time spent by citizens of each country can have a significant impact on the tourism industry. The rates of services of meals/dinners in a hotel are seriously affected by the type of clientele and their dining habits.
Thus, aspects such as the rotation of tables or organization of work shifts can vary greatly from one establishment to another depending on their guests. Not to mention the schedules of certain clients such as Spaniards who, in addition to spending a considerable amount of time on food, also eat at totally different times than the rest of Europeans.