• USA Today, Wednesday, June 13, 2007 11:32 AM

Takeout lunch or dinner no longer is limited to the neighborhood fast-fooder, the supermarket deli or the prepared-food section of an upscale grocer. In a trend that's reshaping the $537 billion restaurant industry, consumers are demanding takeout from casual and even fine-dining eateries.

Twenty-five years ago, far more people ate restaurant food in eateries than took it out. By 2006, the typical American ate 81 meals inside restaurants but ordered 127 to go, reports researcher NPD Group.

So, faster than you can say, "To go," the restaurant industry is reinventing itself with double-lane drive-throughs, curbside pickup and takeout-only counters. More than nine in 10 family-dining and casual-dining restaurants offer takeout, as do three-quarters of fine-dining locations, reports the National Restaurant Association. And 47% of casual-dining operators recently surveyed say their takeout business will grow in 2007.

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