The Decline of Red Lobster Is the Decline of the Middle Class

[Xithras]

138. Middle Class and Working Class are not the same thing

As my very-redneck father used to put it: "There's no such thing as a middle class redneck. If someone claims to be one, they're either pretending or confused."

Middle Class = Working professionals. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, small business owners, management level employees in a business, skilled craftsman, etc. Basically, it means that you have a job that requires more than just a basic bachelors degree, or a job in a skilled trade that requires an apprenticeship, or a large cash investment in a business (like buying inventory or purchasing a store location to found a company). Historically, the middle class has been the backbone of the economy, and typically purchases most of the goods in our society. In America, the average middle class household takes home about $75k per year, with a range of over $150k a year.

Working class = Blue collar workers, sales people, hourly employees, unskilled craftsmen and apprentices, etc. Generally speaking (and yes, there are many exceptions), these are workers who have jobs that do not require college degrees beyond the basic bachelors, advanced training or apprenticeships, or major investments on the part of the employee. Working class people tend to produce most of the goods for society, but consume far less of them directly, mostly because of lower incomes. The average wage in a working class American household is around $40k a year, but can range a bit higher.

There's actually a bit of overlap between the two definitions, but many Americans erroneously assume they're middle class when they're actually working class. Population-wise, it's a pretty even split with working class and middle class each comprising about 30%-40% of the overall population.

FWIW, I'm solidly middle class with an upper middle class income, and I can't remember the last time I was in a Denny's as an adult. My mom waitressed there for a while when I was a kid, and I mostly remember the food being really bad and really cheap. A quick look at their menu online doesn't inspire any confidence that things have changed. Moon Over My Hammy? Pancake Puppies? Country Fried Steak? It doesn't sound like a place that is targeting Yelp-loving modern diners who actually care about the quality of their food. Sounded more like a truck stop menu. I'll eat at a greasy spoon now and then (and being a native Northern Californian, have a soft spot for food trucks), but it's usually the kind of thing I'll eat in a pinch, and not the kind of food I'd eat if I were going out to enjoy myself. I don't think I'm in their target demographic