$18 for a freakin’ B.L.T. sandwich? These cafes and restaurants have lost their minds

[Anonymous]

I'm cooking at home more and will let myself get treats at the grocery store like a fancy sparkling water or pre-chopped vegetables to make it easier/more special. But soon those will probably be eliminated.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I don’t really get how fresh prepared food could cost less, tbh. I think the margins are razor thin.

Probably someone will come up with an ai or automation innovation that will change the labor math at some point, like what happened with the Automat and the McDonalds assembly method. I know Pret makes the sandwiches ahead but I don’t think that’s different enough to really dent the economics.

You’re paying $18 for a single BLT that you make in your own kitchen with grocery store ingredients? Sounds like someone who’s never ever cooked.

Well, why don't you factor in your labor and rent/mortgage costs, plus utilities? It's not just the ingredients you're paying for, obviously.

That’s the most absurd argument I’ve heard. Listen, restaurant owner. People are waking up to your ridiculous prices.

Oh, please. I work in media. But the idea you are only paying for ingredients is obviously false and you are dumb as a ham sandwich if you don’t see that.

The owner's overhead isn't my problem. If the chain next door has a fungible product for half the price, then they are getting my business. We're not talking about Brooklyn Delis. The Corner Bakery, Jersey Mikes, and Jimmy Johns are close enough to most lunch places and much cheaper

Haha. of course the owner's overhead is your problem! Do you think the overhead is not baked into the price of your meal at any of the chains you mention? It is, which means that the owner is skimping somewhere else, likely in the quality of the food. You've been trained to enjoy the taste of ground rat tail and pig anus, flavorless iceberg lettuce, and "cheese product."

Keep telling yourself that. I care about the price point and am fine not eating out if it’s too high. Look at all the restaurants going under if you think I’m an outlier

DP

You not eating out is a separate issue from the overhead being baked into the price. Which it is. For pretty much every business. This is not even debatable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really get how fresh prepared food could cost less, tbh. I think the margins are razor thin.

Probably someone will come up with an ai or automation innovation that will change the labor math at some point, like what happened with the Automat and the McDonalds assembly method. I know Pret makes the sandwiches ahead but I don’t think that’s different enough to really dent the economics.

You’re paying $18 for a single BLT that you make in your own kitchen with grocery store ingredients? Sounds like someone who’s never ever cooked.

Well, why don't you factor in your labor and rent/mortgage costs, plus utilities? It's not just the ingredients you're paying for, obviously.

That’s the most absurd argument I’ve heard. Listen, restaurant owner. People are waking up to your ridiculous prices.

Oh, please. I work in media. But the idea you are only paying for ingredients is obviously false and you are dumb as a ham sandwich if you don’t see that.

The owner's overhead isn't my problem. If the chain next door has a fungible product for half the price, then they are getting my business. We're not talking about Brooklyn Delis. The Corner Bakery, Jersey Mikes, and Jimmy Johns are close enough to most lunch places and much cheaper

Haha. of course the owner's overhead is your problem! Do you think the overhead is not baked into the price of your meal at any of the chains you mention? It is, which means that the owner is skimping somewhere else, likely in the quality of the food. You've been trained to enjoy the taste of ground rat tail and pig anus, flavorless iceberg lettuce, and "cheese product."

Keep telling yourself that. I care about the price point and am fine not eating out if it’s too high. Look at all the restaurants going under if you think I’m an outlier

DP

You not eating out is a separate issue from the overhead being baked into the price. Which it is. For pretty much every business. This is not even debatable.

But one poster was trying to argue that a BLT at home would cost the same $18 because you have to account for your own rent and labor. That doesn’t make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really get how fresh prepared food could cost less, tbh. I think the margins are razor thin.

Probably someone will come up with an ai or automation innovation that will change the labor math at some point, like what happened with the Automat and the McDonalds assembly method. I know Pret makes the sandwiches ahead but I don’t think that’s different enough to really dent the economics.

You’re paying $18 for a single BLT that you make in your own kitchen with grocery store ingredients? Sounds like someone who’s never ever cooked.

Well, why don't you factor in your labor and rent/mortgage costs, plus utilities? It's not just the ingredients you're paying for, obviously.

That’s the most absurd argument I’ve heard. Listen, restaurant owner. People are waking up to your ridiculous prices.

Oh, please. I work in media. But the idea you are only paying for ingredients is obviously false and you are dumb as a ham sandwich if you don’t see that.

The owner's overhead isn't my problem. If the chain next door has a fungible product for half the price, then they are getting my business. We're not talking about Brooklyn Delis. The Corner Bakery, Jersey Mikes, and Jimmy Johns are close enough to most lunch places and much cheaper

Haha. of course the owner's overhead is your problem! Do you think the overhead is not baked into the price of your meal at any of the chains you mention? It is, which means that the owner is skimping somewhere else, likely in the quality of the food. You've been trained to enjoy the taste of ground rat tail and pig anus, flavorless iceberg lettuce, and "cheese product."

Keep telling yourself that. I care about the price point and am fine not eating out if it’s too high. Look at all the restaurants going under if you think I’m an outlier

Fine, don't go out to eat. But don't act like you're entitled to dine out wherever you want at the price you think is reasonable (it isn't).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really get how fresh prepared food could cost less, tbh. I think the margins are razor thin.

Probably someone will come up with an ai or automation innovation that will change the labor math at some point, like what happened with the Automat and the McDonalds assembly method. I know Pret makes the sandwiches ahead but I don’t think that’s different enough to really dent the economics.

You’re paying $18 for a single BLT that you make in your own kitchen with grocery store ingredients? Sounds like someone who’s never ever cooked.

Well, why don't you factor in your labor and rent/mortgage costs, plus utilities? It's not just the ingredients you're paying for, obviously.

That’s the most absurd argument I’ve heard. Listen, restaurant owner. People are waking up to your ridiculous prices.

Oh, please. I work in media. But the idea you are only paying for ingredients is obviously false and you are dumb as a ham sandwich if you don’t see that.

The owner's overhead isn't my problem. If the chain next door has a fungible product for half the price, then they are getting my business. We're not talking about Brooklyn Delis. The Corner Bakery, Jersey Mikes, and Jimmy Johns are close enough to most lunch places and much cheaper

Haha. of course the owner's overhead is your problem! Do you think the overhead is not baked into the price of your meal at any of the chains you mention? It is, which means that the owner is skimping somewhere else, likely in the quality of the food. You've been trained to enjoy the taste of ground rat tail and pig anus, flavorless iceberg lettuce, and "cheese product."

Keep telling yourself that. I care about the price point and am fine not eating out if it’s too high. Look at all the restaurants going under if you think I’m an outlier

DP

You not eating out is a separate issue from the overhead being baked into the price. Which it is. For pretty much every business. This is not even debatable.

But one poster was trying to argue that a BLT at home would cost the same $18 because you have to account for your own rent and labor. That doesn’t make sense.

No, I'm saying that you can't compare a BLT you make at home with one made at a restaurant. You have to account for so many other costs at a restaurant, so of course the price will not be just the ingredients. If you were to account for your time and the cost of your home, it would be much higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really get how fresh prepared food could cost less, tbh. I think the margins are razor thin.

Probably someone will come up with an ai or automation innovation that will change the labor math at some point, like what happened with the Automat and the McDonalds assembly method. I know Pret makes the sandwiches ahead but I don’t think that’s different enough to really dent the economics.

You’re paying $18 for a single BLT that you make in your own kitchen with grocery store ingredients? Sounds like someone who’s never ever cooked.

Well, why don't you factor in your labor and rent/mortgage costs, plus utilities? It's not just the ingredients you're paying for, obviously.

That’s the most absurd argument I’ve heard. Listen, restaurant owner. People are waking up to your ridiculous prices.

Oh, please. I work in media. But the idea you are only paying for ingredients is obviously false and you are dumb as a ham sandwich if you don’t see that.

The owner's overhead isn't my problem. If the chain next door has a fungible product for half the price, then they are getting my business. We're not talking about Brooklyn Delis. The Corner Bakery, Jersey Mikes, and Jimmy Johns are close enough to most lunch places and much cheaper

Haha. of course the owner's overhead is your problem! Do you think the overhead is not baked into the price of your meal at any of the chains you mention? It is, which means that the owner is skimping somewhere else, likely in the quality of the food. You've been trained to enjoy the taste of ground rat tail and pig anus, flavorless iceberg lettuce, and "cheese product."

Keep telling yourself that. I care about the price point and am fine not eating out if it’s too high. Look at all the restaurants going under if you think I’m an outlier

DP

You not eating out is a separate issue from the overhead being baked into the price. Which it is. For pretty much every business. This is not even debatable.

But one poster was trying to argue that a BLT at home would cost the same $18 because you have to account for your own rent and labor. That doesn’t make sense.

No, I'm saying that you can't compare a BLT you make at home with one made at a restaurant. You have to account for so many other costs at a restaurant, so of course the price will not be just the ingredients. If you were to account for your time and the cost of your home, it would be much higher.

You’re just stating the obvious. Prices have gone up dramatically since Covid, and at least part of that is greed.

[Anonymous]

Restaurant prices are sky-high because food prices are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to pay the higher prices for the higher minimum wage. That’s it. You can’t pay more unless you collect more.

That’s fine, but the quality needs to be there as well. Food quality has been lacking so many places lately and orders constantly getting messed up. At some point the scale tips toward it just not being worth the price.

Cheap eats places will still do fine (there’s a Mediterranean place near us that has GIANT reasonably priced bowls of kebab meat, chick peas, rice, etc. which we’re happy to pay for because it’s good and there’s leftovers).

The fine dining places will do ok because those were always special occasions where you knew you’d blow some money. And the quality is mostly there.

It’s all these middle of the road places with just ok basic food, sub par service, and heightened prices that are in trouble. But honestly some of them should close. If their pre-pandemic business model was to rely on lowly paid labor, then that wasn’t really a success to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really get how fresh prepared food could cost less, tbh. I think the margins are razor thin.

Probably someone will come up with an ai or automation innovation that will change the labor math at some point, like what happened with the Automat and the McDonalds assembly method. I know Pret makes the sandwiches ahead but I don’t think that’s different enough to really dent the economics.

You’re paying $18 for a single BLT that you make in your own kitchen with grocery store ingredients? Sounds like someone who’s never ever cooked.

Well, why don't you factor in your labor and rent/mortgage costs, plus utilities? It's not just the ingredients you're paying for, obviously.

That’s the most absurd argument I’ve heard. Listen, restaurant owner. People are waking up to your ridiculous prices.

Oh, please. I work in media. But the idea you are only paying for ingredients is obviously false and you are dumb as a ham sandwich if you don’t see that.

The owner's overhead isn't my problem. If the chain next door has a fungible product for half the price, then they are getting my business. We're not talking about Brooklyn Delis. The Corner Bakery, Jersey Mikes, and Jimmy Johns are close enough to most lunch places and much cheaper

Haha. of course the owner's overhead is your problem! Do you think the overhead is not baked into the price of your meal at any of the chains you mention? It is, which means that the owner is skimping somewhere else, likely in the quality of the food. You've been trained to enjoy the taste of ground rat tail and pig anus, flavorless iceberg lettuce, and "cheese product."

Keep telling yourself that. I care about the price point and am fine not eating out if it’s too high. Look at all the restaurants going under if you think I’m an outlier

DP

You not eating out is a separate issue from the overhead being baked into the price. Which it is. For pretty much every business. This is not even debatable.

But one poster was trying to argue that a BLT at home would cost the same $18 because you have to account for your own rent and labor. That doesn’t make sense.

No, I'm saying that you can't compare a BLT you make at home with one made at a restaurant. You have to account for so many other costs at a restaurant, so of course the price will not be just the ingredients. If you were to account for your time and the cost of your home, it would be much higher.

Of course restaurant food will cost more because of labor prices. You are paying someone else to make food for you. It's always cheaper to eat the same food at home since my own personal labor is always free to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really get how fresh prepared food could cost less, tbh. I think the margins are razor thin.

Probably someone will come up with an ai or automation innovation that will change the labor math at some point, like what happened with the Automat and the McDonalds assembly method. I know Pret makes the sandwiches ahead but I don’t think that’s different enough to really dent the economics.

You’re paying $18 for a single BLT that you make in your own kitchen with grocery store ingredients? Sounds like someone who’s never ever cooked.

Well, why don't you factor in your labor and rent/mortgage costs, plus utilities? It's not just the ingredients you're paying for, obviously.

That’s the most absurd argument I’ve heard. Listen, restaurant owner. People are waking up to your ridiculous prices.

Oh, please. I work in media. But the idea you are only paying for ingredients is obviously false and you are dumb as a ham sandwich if you don’t see that.

The owner's overhead isn't my problem. If the chain next door has a fungible product for half the price, then they are getting my business. We're not talking about Brooklyn Delis. The Corner Bakery, Jersey Mikes, and Jimmy Johns are close enough to most lunch places and much cheaper

Haha. of course the owner's overhead is your problem! Do you think the overhead is not baked into the price of your meal at any of the chains you mention? It is, which means that the owner is skimping somewhere else, likely in the quality of the food. You've been trained to enjoy the taste of ground rat tail and pig anus, flavorless iceberg lettuce, and "cheese product."

Keep telling yourself that. I care about the price point and am fine not eating out if it’s too high. Look at all the restaurants going under if you think I’m an outlier

DP

You not eating out is a separate issue from the overhead being baked into the price. Which it is. For pretty much every business. This is not even debatable.

But one poster was trying to argue that a BLT at home would cost the same $18 because you have to account for your own rent and labor. That doesn’t make sense.

No, I'm saying that you can't compare a BLT you make at home with one made at a restaurant. You have to account for so many other costs at a restaurant, so of course the price will not be just the ingredients. If you were to account for your time and the cost of your home, it would be much higher.

BLT is one item that even the worst cook can easily 100% make identical if not superior in quality to what you can buy from a cafe/restaurant. There is zero skill involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really get how fresh prepared food could cost less, tbh. I think the margins are razor thin.

Probably someone will come up with an ai or automation innovation that will change the labor math at some point, like what happened with the Automat and the McDonalds assembly method. I know Pret makes the sandwiches ahead but I don’t think that’s different enough to really dent the economics.

You’re paying $18 for a single BLT that you make in your own kitchen with grocery store ingredients? Sounds like someone who’s never ever cooked.

Well, why don't you factor in your labor and rent/mortgage costs, plus utilities? It's not just the ingredients you're paying for, obviously.

That’s the most absurd argument I’ve heard. Listen, restaurant owner. People are waking up to your ridiculous prices.

Oh, please. I work in media. But the idea you are only paying for ingredients is obviously false and you are dumb as a ham sandwich if you don’t see that.

The owner's overhead isn't my problem. If the chain next door has a fungible product for half the price, then they are getting my business. We're not talking about Brooklyn Delis. The Corner Bakery, Jersey Mikes, and Jimmy Johns are close enough to most lunch places and much cheaper

Haha. of course the owner's overhead is your problem! Do you think the overhead is not baked into the price of your meal at any of the chains you mention? It is, which means that the owner is skimping somewhere else, likely in the quality of the food. You've been trained to enjoy the taste of ground rat tail and pig anus, flavorless iceberg lettuce, and "cheese product."

Keep telling yourself that. I care about the price point and am fine not eating out if it’s too high. Look at all the restaurants going under if you think I’m an outlier

DP

You not eating out is a separate issue from the overhead being baked into the price. Which it is. For pretty much every business. This is not even debatable.

But one poster was trying to argue that a BLT at home would cost the same $18 because you have to account for your own rent and labor. That doesn’t make sense.

No, I'm saying that you can't compare a BLT you make at home with one made at a restaurant. You have to account for so many other costs at a restaurant, so of course the price will not be just the ingredients. If you were to account for your time and the cost of your home, it would be much higher.

You’re just stating the obvious. Prices have gone up dramatically since Covid, and at least part of that is greed.

Gouging, diminished quality plus passive-aggressive demanding of large tips. It all makes what should be a pleasurable casual thing (to-go food) an exorbitant anxiety ridden activity. I’m so over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We pretty much stopped eating out because restaurant prices are crazy expensive.

+1
And I'm consistently disappointed with what we get for the inflated prices.

Exactly. My humble $18 B.L.T. looked just like a normal sandwich anyone could quickly make at home. It wasn’t like a sky high volume of premium bacon or anything exotic on it. Total rip-off.

I just made a BLT at home for dinner and it probably cost all of $4.50, even buying the "good" bacon. I made my own bread, too. It was delicious.

No way am I going to pay a more than 300% mark up on an extremely basic sandwich just because someone else assembled it for me. People need to start just walking away from these prices. It used to be that even at a place with $15 sandwiches, you could get a BLT, grilled cheese with bacon, or cheese and tomato sandwich for less than $10, because obviously these sandwiches have relatively cheap ingredients and are easy to make. This is 100% a deli saying "let's charge $18 for this and just see what happens -- if they still pay it, we can double our profit margin on them." So don't pay it!

Welcome to the cost of "living wages" for unskilled jobs. Jobs like these were never intended to support a person or family on. I understand that many of these people are supporting themselves and/or family on these jobs, but the wage scale should not be designed around that.

But what do you expect businesses to do when you have increased the hourly wage from $7.25/hr to $17.00/hr and current statistics have not yet caught up to pre-pandemic mode. Additionally, the businesses are paying for the 6-7% inflation and all of the ingredients and supplies they purpose are costing more. You expect businesses to operate in the red and eat those costs? Of course not. Their costs have gone up about 250%, so eateries are passing those cost increases on to the customer.

[Anonymous]

What I've done is split the difference - if I don't want to pay out the nose for restaurant food, but I don't want to cook, I take advantage of the premade and often fresh/delicious options at places like Giant or Wawa. Wawa sandwiches & quesadillas & whatnot, all to order, are the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids in their 20s and DINKs will pay $18 for sandwiches, and these stores will be fine. The older generation will bring lunches from home, just like older people always did.

There has to be a tipping point. I don’t even think about money, so if I’m double-taking at lunch it’s got to impacting decisions of less affluent. I think many cafes and restaurants might have fewer customers due to WFH, so they are gouging those who remain. It’s not sustainable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids in their 20s and DINKs will pay $18 for sandwiches, and these stores will be fine. The older generation will bring lunches from home, just like older people always did.

There has to be a tipping point. I don’t even think about money, so if I’m double-taking at lunch it’s got to impacting decisions of less affluent. I think many cafes and restaurants might have fewer customers due to WFH, so they are gouging those who remain. It’s not sustainable.

I agree. Between the two of us we make $320k a year. And food prices are beginning to startle ME. I cannot imagine the choices people with much lower incomes are having to make if people in this income bracket are starting to make different choices with regards to what they buy, how often they’ll eat out, etc.