Dining out is so stupid these days

[Anonymous]

It's now a special treat for us, not a weekly thing.

And, like the other pp said, I could really tell the difference when I started to eat out again post shut down: I had no idea there was so much sodium!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Checking out a new restaurant they just opened online and their menu says they charge the following:

$20 for 8 wings
$21 for a burger
$18 for a burratta appetizer
$16 for fried green tomatoes
$16+ for every salad
$15+ for every cocktail
$7-9 for every beer
$12 bread appetizer
$25+ at a minimum for any entree


Has anyone else given up on dining out? Prices are now astronomically stupid. Nearly $200 or over for dining out is now a minimum. What are these places going to do if there's ever a significant recession and people really start to give up on these prices? Two beers and friggin burger now run you $50 if you just want to watch the game at a bar area. Ridiculous. And this isn't even remotely close to any kind of finer dining.

It's really shocking how much restaurants are overpriced in the US. You can travel to Asia and get amazing for for $1-10 per dish, and even when you count for purchasing power parity, they spend way lower relative to income on dining out in Asia. Why does the US love to gouge the crap out of consumers?

I mean this literally “Are you new here”? Burgers have been over $20 at not even particulars high end sit down establishments for over 5 years now. Are you coming from a lower COL area of the US? And the comparison to Asia is strange. They have an entirely different food system.

You've probably never been to Asia. You can eat ridiculously well for very affordable prices that locals can very easily afford.

The biggest problem here is rent. We have a commercial property crisis that will work its way through the system in the years ahead. It's not remotely sustainable. Commercial rents need to go down drastically and tax codes need to change. It's no surprise that your local favorite places have turned into banks lately

Then there's the inflationary pressure of food costs in recent rears. We all experience that in the grocery store, but of course restaurants get hit really hard by that.

$50 for a burger and a couple of beers is ridiculous. People will stop eating out. But these high prices are generally not the owners trying to screw customers. They are reflective of extremely high rent and food costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Checking out a new restaurant they just opened online and their menu says they charge the following:

$20 for 8 wings
$21 for a burger
$18 for a burratta appetizer
$16 for fried green tomatoes
$16+ for every salad
$15+ for every cocktail
$7-9 for every beer
$12 bread appetizer
$25+ at a minimum for any entree


Has anyone else given up on dining out? Prices are now astronomically stupid. Nearly $200 or over for dining out is now a minimum. What are these places going to do if there's ever a significant recession and people really start to give up on these prices? Two beers and friggin burger now run you $50 if you just want to watch the game at a bar area. Ridiculous. And this isn't even remotely close to any kind of finer dining.

It's really shocking how much restaurants are overpriced in the US. You can travel to Asia and get amazing for for $1-10 per dish, and even when you count for purchasing power parity, they spend way lower relative to income on dining out in Asia. Why does the US love to gouge the crap out of consumers?

I mean this literally “Are you new here”? Burgers have been over $20 at not even particulars high end sit down establishments for over 5 years now. Are you coming from a lower COL area of the US? And the comparison to Asia is strange. They have an entirely different food system.

You've probably never been to Asia. You can eat ridiculously well for very affordable prices that locals can very easily afford.

The biggest problem here is rent. We have a commercial property crisis that will work its way through the system in the years ahead. It's not remotely sustainable. Commercial rents need to go down drastically and tax codes need to change. It's no surprise that your local favorite places have turned into banks lately

Then there's the inflationary pressure of food costs in recent rears. We all experience that in the grocery store, but of course restaurants get hit really hard by that.

$50 for a burger and a couple of beers is ridiculous. People will stop eating out. But these high prices are generally not the owners trying to screw customers. They are reflective of extremely high rent and food costs.

We’ve never, as a country, paid so little for our food. And as a result, it’s showing up in the garbage we put in ourselves. Animals are kept in horrific conditions, are food is pumped full of garbage hormones and chemicals.

Affordable priced food shows up in healthcare.

If people stop eating out, than the market will reflect that.

Rents are a problem, your Mom & Pop places cannot afford to subsidize. But
again, it’s not just the pandemic and inflation. The prices you quotes have been hovering around those since at least 2017/2018. As someone else up thread said, one of the bigger problems is the homogenized choices we’ve been left with, with all the small business forced to closed bc the rising costs.

[Anonymous]

Agreed that most restaurants where I am are "upscale pub" or "modern southern" and all the menus seem to look the same. Not worth $75 dollars for two burgers and beers. We mainly order pizza on busy nights as the cheapest kid-pleasing option and don't get out much any more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elections have consequences

This. And raising minimum wage so the prices would go up for restaurants and fast food. Dumb. Tired as I am some days, it’s not worth the cost. Food is expensive enough from the grocery store. Wake up people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Checking out a new restaurant they just opened online and their menu says they charge the following:

$20 for 8 wings
$21 for a burger
$18 for a burratta appetizer
$16 for fried green tomatoes
$16+ for every salad
$15+ for every cocktail
$7-9 for every beer
$12 bread appetizer
$25+ at a minimum for any entree


Has anyone else given up on dining out? Prices are now astronomically stupid. Nearly $200 or over for dining out is now a minimum. What are these places going to do if there's ever a significant recession and people really start to give up on these prices? Two beers and friggin burger now run you $50 if you just want to watch the game at a bar area. Ridiculous. And this isn't even remotely close to any kind of finer dining.

It's really shocking how much restaurants are overpriced in the US. You can travel to Asia and get amazing for for $1-10 per dish, and even when you count for purchasing power parity, they spend way lower relative to income on dining out in Asia. Why does the US love to gouge the crap out of consumers?

I mean this literally “Are you new here”? Burgers have been over $20 at not even particulars high end sit down establishments for over 5 years now. Are you coming from a lower COL area of the US? And the comparison to Asia is strange. They have an entirely different food system.

In 2018 I was regularly going to quiz nights with 1lbs giant burger specials with all sorts of toppings for $9.99. Craft beers were $5 and domestics $3. I could go 3 hours during quiz nights and spend $25-30 with tax and tip. Now if all I wanna do is watch a stupid football game, have a burger and 2-3 beers, I'm blowing through $50+. Have people's salaries gone up 70-100% in 5 years? No? So why have prices. People always complain about corporations price gouging, but your local places are now doing the same S.

$20 for 8 stupid chicken wings? F off. They were only $0.25 15 years ago. Tell me what other things have gone up over 500% in that time span. Dining out in the US is now a massive ripoff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Checking out a new restaurant they just opened online and their menu says they charge the following:

$20 for 8 wings
$21 for a burger
$18 for a burratta appetizer
$16 for fried green tomatoes
$16+ for every salad
$15+ for every cocktail
$7-9 for every beer
$12 bread appetizer
$25+ at a minimum for any entree


Has anyone else given up on dining out? Prices are now astronomically stupid. Nearly $200 or over for dining out is now a minimum. What are these places going to do if there's ever a significant recession and people really start to give up on these prices? Two beers and friggin burger now run you $50 if you just want to watch the game at a bar area. Ridiculous. And this isn't even remotely close to any kind of finer dining.

It's really shocking how much restaurants are overpriced in the US. You can travel to Asia and get amazing for for $1-10 per dish, and even when you count for purchasing power parity, they spend way lower relative to income on dining out in Asia. Why does the US love to gouge the crap out of consumers?

I mean this literally “Are you new here”? Burgers have been over $20 at not even particulars high end sit down establishments for over 5 years now. Are you coming from a lower COL area of the US? And the comparison to Asia is strange. They have an entirely different food system.

In 2018 I was regularly going to quiz nights with 1lbs giant burger specials with all sorts of toppings for $9.99. Craft beers were $5 and domestics $3. I could go 3 hours during quiz nights and spend $25-30 with tax and tip. Now if all I wanna do is watch a stupid football game, have a burger and 2-3 beers, I'm blowing through $50+. Have people's salaries gone up 70-100% in 5 years? No? So why have prices. People always complain about corporations price gouging, but your local places are now doing the same S.

$20 for 8 stupid chicken wings? F off. They were only $0.25 15 years ago. Tell me what other things have gone up over 500% in that time span. Dining out in the US is now a massive ripoff.

You’re comparing specials night (which is not the normal price) to today’s standard price, and you get that’s not an apples to apples right?

I bet trivia/$10 burger night was on some otherwise super slow week day evening, they were trying to drum up business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agreed that most restaurants where I am are "upscale pub" or "modern southern" and all the menus seem to look the same. Not worth $75 dollars for two burgers and beers. We mainly order pizza on busy nights as the cheapest kid-pleasing option and don't get out much any more.

Yup.... loooking at another local place right now. Shrimp and grits.....$28. Come on man, since when is a $12 dish in Nawlins $28 friggin dollars before taxes and tip? It is peasant food.

[Anonymous]

We stopped going out as much as its just not worth it and when we do its much cheaper restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Checking out a new restaurant they just opened online and their menu says they charge the following:

$20 for 8 wings
$21 for a burger
$18 for a burratta appetizer
$16 for fried green tomatoes
$16+ for every salad
$15+ for every cocktail
$7-9 for every beer
$12 bread appetizer
$25+ at a minimum for any entree


Has anyone else given up on dining out? Prices are now astronomically stupid. Nearly $200 or over for dining out is now a minimum. What are these places going to do if there's ever a significant recession and people really start to give up on these prices? Two beers and friggin burger now run you $50 if you just want to watch the game at a bar area. Ridiculous. And this isn't even remotely close to any kind of finer dining.

It's really shocking how much restaurants are overpriced in the US. You can travel to Asia and get amazing for for $1-10 per dish, and even when you count for purchasing power parity, they spend way lower relative to income on dining out in Asia. Why does the US love to gouge the crap out of consumers?

I mean this literally “Are you new here”? Burgers have been over $20 at not even particulars high end sit down establishments for over 5 years now. Are you coming from a lower COL area of the US? And the comparison to Asia is strange. They have an entirely different food system.

In 2018 I was regularly going to quiz nights with 1lbs giant burger specials with all sorts of toppings for $9.99. Craft beers were $5 and domestics $3. I could go 3 hours during quiz nights and spend $25-30 with tax and tip. Now if all I wanna do is watch a stupid football game, have a burger and 2-3 beers, I'm blowing through $50+. Have people's salaries gone up 70-100% in 5 years? No? So why have prices. People always complain about corporations price gouging, but your local places are now doing the same S.

$20 for 8 stupid chicken wings? F off. They were only $0.25 15 years ago. Tell me what other things have gone up over 500% in that time span. Dining out in the US is now a massive ripoff.

You’re comparing specials night (which is not the normal price) to today’s standard price, and you get that’s not an apples to apples right?

I bet trivia/$10 burger night was on some otherwise super slow week day evening, they were trying to drum up business.

You’re defending these massively inflated prices? I would say unbelievable, but nothing surprises me with you people anymore. Completely out of touch.
-DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love cooking and I’m great at it. So, no I don’t mind paying those prices a few times a month.

Seriously if you wanna know why you should not eat out list the sodium levels of each of those dishes .

I like cooking and while I’m not “great at it,” I’m good enough that I can don’t need to eat out often. I like to eat out, but it’s not a necessity for us, but a treat.

[Anonymous]

Dining out has gotten stupidly expensive. We are eating out way less than we used to.

What I don't understand is why dining out in other first world countries is often cheaper than here. When we go to Western Europe we're always amazed at how much more reasonable it is to have a nice meal out.

[Anonymous]

The thing is, with prices going up, if the food is disappointing, you really feel burned. We got Thai takeout last night from a place we have been going to for years, it is usually good, but the chicken was really tough this time. I could not believe how much I paid for an unsatisfying meal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree these prices are high; I'm eating out less.

But the restaurants are not, generally, getting rich. Their costs are going up and they are having lots of trouble hiring enough people, so they have to raise wages, and they don't want to lower prices and get slammed with more business than they can handle, or lose money because they could have charged more.

If you disagree, open your own restaurant.

I know 4 restaurant owners and they are all rich. People are suing these prices. I rarely go out to eat for same reasons already listed.

Your anecdotes are not data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elections have consequences

Yeah, was gonna, OP voted for this.

Yep an incompetent president ignored a pandemic… consequences for decades.

Ok? You still voted for it. Enjoy your $50 burger.

(And Trump strongly recommended lockdowns, which destroyed my life, so...you're just insane thinking he ignored it, lady.)

You’re sooooo melodramatic.