Posted by Phil Vettel at 2:00 p.m. CDT

Check, please? Probably not.

Technomic, Inc., a Chicago-based food-service consultancy and researcher, announced the results of its most recent consumer-sentiment survey, which says that very few consumers plan to spend their economic-stimulus checks at restaurants. If you were playing TV's "Family Feud," and the question was, “Name something you’d spend your tax rebate check on?,” the answer, “Go out to eat more” would earn you a depressing bzzzzzzttt!

Survey says: “Put it in the bank” was the No. 1 answer, followed by “Pay off credit-card debt,” “Spend it on necessities” and “Pay off debt.”

Man, you guys really know how to live it up. The answers, “Spend more on dining out” and “Eat out more often” were dead last and next to last, named by only five percent (aggregate) of respondents. And because consumers were permitted more than one answer, even that five percent may be misleadingly high.

For restaurant owners, the economic stimulation plan is proving to be a lot like kissing Richard Dawson. Sounds good in theory, but you’re not going to get anything out of it.