Dining out is so stupid these days

[Anonymous]

I met a friend for dinner last night and the menus said “all cocktails $17.” That’s over 20 with tax and tip. I got a Diet Coke.

I have reduced eating amount and try to be more intentional when I go. I still love trying new places but I seek out ones I really want to eat at, occasionally, not just oh I’ll have a $22 burger because I don’t feel like cooking. We try to keep the freezer stocked with a variety of stuff so we can make an easy meal when needed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t stand going to a restaurant and they want you to pull up the menu on your cell phone with a QR code and order on the phone.

Is the tipping range down to 5-15% from 15-25% if you order on your phone? I'd hope so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're complaining about grocery store prices, but you know the people who pick the produce are mostly immigrants, and some illegal, because according to the farmers, Americans don't want the job at $10 to 15/hour.

So, election does indeed have consequences. When you vote for an anti-immigrant, worker visa, you get produce rotting in the fields, and higher food prices.

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/18/1111768365/immigration-bill-food-prices-farmers-h-2a-visas-republicans

Biden is responsible for inflation and the recession we are in, not Trump. So yes, elections have consequences. Remember that when you vote in November 2024.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I generally agree, not even about the prices being high, but creativity is gone at midrange restaurants. Every menu is identical: sliders, pizza, wings, salad, steak, chicken, pasta. We have basically stopped dining out often because everything is a spin on things we can easily do at home.

Every new restaurant is a Mediterranean Greek/Lebanese concept, something "American" see above, sushi (which we generally can't afford), pizza or Korean chicken which I love but I'm trying to avoid fried chicken for health reasons.

We get Chipotle and pizza occasionally for the kids, and DH and I go out for tapas or Asian food once in a while for a date night, or I'll pick up sushi at Whole Foods.

Not even getting into the service fees they're charging on top of the prices.

I agree with this poster. Most of the stuff is the same every where and honestly doesn't even taste that good. At this point, we no longer have a favorite restaurant and kind of groan when we have to get take out since its kind of all the same and lackluster.

Same! I thought it was just me who felt this way. But, I have not noticed this problem when visiting friends/relatives in other cities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a story about the cost of two pizzas and a salad at Pete's in DC. With all the fees it came out to over $100 and it was take out. https://www.popville.com/2023/07/dc-total-for-2-pizzas-and-1-salad-103-dollars/?fbclid=IwAR3w-qmOJbYE0eDigGpvqsfxlarWjeuwv0dIck9ZkKVnFjZriqmakXcD9IE

Bananas.
I’d rather order an Ooni.

Agree--- completely bananas, and we occasionally get take out from Pete. Anyone else notice the $0.99 for vinagrette, in addition to the $11.50 for the salad.

[Anonymous]

I agree. The cost is a strong deterrent. I usually order salads because that's easiest to stay on track with my diet, but paying $25 plus tax and tip for a salad with a protein added at places that are just a step above fast casual dining seems absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a story about the cost of two pizzas and a salad at Pete's in DC. With all the fees it came out to over $100 and it was take out. https://www.popville.com/2023/07/dc-total-for-2-pizzas-and-1-salad-103-dollars/?fbclid=IwAR3w-qmOJbYE0eDigGpvqsfxlarWjeuwv0dIck9ZkKVnFjZriqmakXcD9IE

Bananas.
I’d rather order an Ooni.

Agree--- completely bananas, and we occasionally get take out from Pete. Anyone else notice the $0.99 for vinagrette, in addition to the $11.50 for the salad.

I think that was an “Order Processing Fee”, not the vinaigrette.

[Anonymous]

Great, I’m going to be back in DMV next month and I’m dreading the food already.

[Anonymous]

It's three things happening at once, and it's a problem for restaurants:

1) Inflation and other economic factors pushing up operating costs by a lot (labor costs more and is harder to come by, ingredients cost more, real estate costs more);

2) Post-Covid social issues make the dining out experience less pleasant. Some blame this on rude customers, some blame it on lackluster customer service and over-reliance on Covid-era tools like QR code ordering to avoid more personable service (and also reduce staff). I tend to think both are at play and create a race to the bottom. But no matter how you slice it, eating out doesn't feel as much like a treat as it used to, even aside from the bill. QR ordering is easier but impersonal, and I've had more truly bad service in the last year than in the previous 10 years combined;

3) Covid force many people, including me and my family, to cook at home more, which led us to become better, more efficient cooks and feel less "need" to go out or even order take out.

Five years ago, we went out 2-3 nights a week. Now we go out 2-3 nights a month unless we go on vacation. And even on vacation, we have changed how we dine out and do less formal sit down dinners -- instead we'll grab inexpensive take out and head to an outdoor location at our destination, or get a rental or hotel with outdoor seating and eat there, or just do an AirBnB and eat most of our breakfasts and some of our dinners there.

It's sad for the restaurant industry and it's not all their fault -- they didn't cause Covid. But I do think the industry has reacted to the shifts it caused poorly, and many restaurant owners have taken a combative stance on issues like pricing and staffing. Well, you can't be combative in the hospitality industry and expect to stick around. So a lot of restaurants haven't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're complaining about grocery store prices, but you know the people who pick the produce are mostly immigrants, and some illegal, because according to the farmers, Americans don't want the job at $10 to 15/hour.

So, election does indeed have consequences. When you vote for an anti-immigrant, worker visa, you get produce rotting in the fields, and higher food prices.

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/18/1111768365/immigration-bill-food-prices-farme-h-2a-visas-republicans

Biden is responsible for inflation and the recession we are in, not Trump. So yes, elections have consequences. Remember that when you vote in November 2024.

Yes, shame on Biden for invading Ukraine.

Also, we are not actually in a recession, no matter what your “news” outlets are telling you. In fact, at this point most economists think that we won’t end up in one.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/05/economy/recession-chances/index.html

MAGAts, man.

[Anonymous]

We used to really enjoy eating out. Now we are almost always disappointed in the quality and the prices are astronomical. Plus now some tack on fees which are hard to decipher. We brought in dinner frequently in 2020-2021 so when we returned to dining in 2022 we were really struck by how much more expensive it is to dine-in with the 20% tip. My son requested Cheesecake Factory to celebrate a special occasion a few weeks ago (not my choice!) and our bill with tip was $120 for 4 people - no alcohol and only 1 dessert. We just had sandwiches. We’re eating out a lot less as a family. I’d rather save restaurants for socializing with good friends or date night with my husband.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're complaining about grocery store prices, but you know the people who pick the produce are mostly immigrants, and some illegal, because according to the farmers, Americans don't want the job at $10 to 15/hour.

So, election does indeed have consequences. When you vote for an anti-immigrant, worker visa, you get produce rotting in the fields, and higher food prices.

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/18/1111768365/immigration-bill-food-prices-farmers-h-2a-visas-republicans

Biden is responsible for inflation and the recession we are in, not Trump. So yes, elections have consequences. Remember that when you vote in November 2024.

I’d rather pay more for a burger than have a president who emboldens and invites white nationalists, racists and anti-Semites to destroy our country. That’s what I’ll be remembering in 2024.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Minimum wages have increased. That money doesn’t come from no where. They must increase their costs.

People keep repeating this as a reason for high prices. but the fact is that corporate profits are sky-high.

Local places aren’t corporations. They’re still gouging consumers through the nose with prices. Keep on blabbing about nebulous ‘corporations’….meanwhile the stupid restaurant owned by a local is charging you $20 for 8 chicken wings before tax and tip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Minimum wages have increased. That money doesn’t come from no where. They must increase their costs.

People keep repeating this as a reason for high prices. but the fact is that corporate profits are sky-high.

Local places aren’t corporations. They’re still gouging consumers through the nose with prices. Keep on blabbing about nebulous ‘corporations’….meanwhile the stupid restaurant owned by a local is charging you $20 for 8 chicken wings before tax and tip.

So what? That's what it costs. They don't get any corporate incentives. They charge what they have to charge to stay open. But at least money made in the community stays in the community and gets reinvested into the community. I'll take that over a big corporation any day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Minimum wages have increased. That money doesn’t come from no where. They must increase their costs.

People keep repeating this as a reason for high prices. but the fact is that corporate profits are sky-high.

Local places aren’t corporations. They’re still gouging consumers through the nose with prices. Keep on blabbing about nebulous ‘corporations’….meanwhile the stupid restaurant owned by a local is charging you $20 for 8 chicken wings before tax and tip.

I think some local restaurants adopted this attitude during Covid like they should be treated like a non profit or a charity. Like "we're a struggling local business, you need to help us out." Because during Covid when everything got shut down, workers and businesses really did need help to get by (and got it in the form of federal and local assistance, unemployment, etc.). But now everything is open and it's still like "come on, you have to help us out with these fees and paying these super high prices, we're a restaurant during Covid, we're still struggling." And I'm like... ok but you are open for business. If people aren't showing up or you still can't pay your bills with what's coming in, at this point it's no longer a "help us out" situation. Either your business is viable or not. You are a for-profit business, not a charity.