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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I definitely notice it more at the fast casual and cheap places.  At a good restaurant it seems like a small increase.  At the casual places like five guys, I just don’t think it’s worth it.
The challenge is figuring out what to do with my teen that eats a ton and wants to hang out with his friends at the mall or similar.  He can now drop $40 on fast food without even trying since he eats double or triple portions (and no soda!).  We’ve told him he needs a budget but I don’t know what a fair budget is at this point.  [/quote]

I'm not sure I agree. I still think the fast casual places are a decent deal, because of how much food you get. Yes, it now costs more like 12-13 for a meal with a drink, instead of 8-9. But I can afford to spend an extra 3 dollars, plus I am not expected to tip. I know at least some of that money is going to pay workers since the a lot of these places are now paying a standard 15-17 per hour. So to me there is still a decent value proposition.

At nicer restaurants, the markup is now like 30-40% on each item, sometimes more on alcohol. Plus a service charge. So a dinner with one appetizer, two entrees, two drinks, and a dessert might have cost 100-120 at the sorts of restaurants we go to a few years ago. Now that meal costs $200-250. And then we still sometimes get suggestions or encouragement to tip on top of the service charge. When you factor in that for a meal like that we are also generally paying for a babysitter, it's astronomical. My pay did not double in the last three years.

Add to this situation the fact that service is not as good as it used to be. Restaurants, even higher end restaurants, are often short staffed or have lost a lot of their more experienced staff. Staff are more stressed and less patient for a variety of reasons. All of the worst service experiences I've had in my life have all happened in the last year or two.

So yeah, paying a few more dollars for a burrito or a burger doesn't bug me that much. Paying double for a nice meal out, only to feel pressured to tip even more for service that is often curt and surly? Sorry, I'd rather either cook at home or grab some sandwiches or burgers (my preference is for a local restaurant or chain for these, but Ill do Chipotle or something too) and then going home and relaxing in my own house with my family or friends is more enjoyable. For a fraction of the cost.

Restaurants keep talking about how they are still struggling post-pandemic, and I get it. But I think at this point, they need to be asking themselves what they are offering to customers. More restaurants will close, and if this is what they are offering, I'm not that sad about it. [/quote]

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