One of my life's biggest rewards is being able to eat lunch at home. For me, lunch is the meal where fresh veggies and fruits are most important to me. It's probably related to how my digestion works; this is the time when I need most water and roughage.
I prefer to eat lunch at home because that is where I can guarantee fresh, simple and fast. Hunger comes up on me fast and I prefer not to wait much after I feel hungry. (I believe hunger is a sign to eat now, but that's the theme of another post.)
Deliciousness comes from the juicy, crunchy, moistness carrying fantastically subtle tastes of nature. And home is where I can find that. Often restaurants carry fresh but then overprocess it or it's not quite as fresh as I like. I'm picky and I'm clear; I'd rather not eat an orange than eat one that looks older than me.
Salad is, in my opinion, one of the hardest menu items to produce well, consistently, in a commercial kitchen. Oh sure, chefs get all gooey over perfect souffles or microscopic cooking, but for my money, I'd rather have something that blows me away with simple perfection.
But then you worry that might obviate the need for chefs. No, I don't think so. We still need ingredients to be assembled creatively and for some cooked dishes. I just don't see the need for everything to be over-flavoured. I would like to see a chef who excells - and can get diners excited about - fresh foods artfully presented.