Prices are going up in Montana, as well. And even with the price increases several restaurants are still going under. And more are unable to staff up sufficiently.
I had fish and chips yesterday and it was $18US with fries, or $21.50 if I sub out the fries and get a cup of clam chowder instead. And I think that is a reasonable price now considering how much more it can be in other places nearby. Staff was shorthanded and many were inexperienced.
This is the new normal. We will see how it turns out.
I get this dish nearly every week now that my doctor has nearly convinced me to cut way back on red meat. Fried fish might not have been what he wanted me to switch to, but it is a step in another direction.
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The cost of a Burger & fries is the metric I follow. This is Rosieās Menu here in Portland, Maine:
Note the price is $19 w/ fries-- a $2 āupgradeā.
Itās a pub me & best bud and/or my wife would go to Rosieās oh probably 12+ times a year for 35 years or so depending on weather & close by movie playing, Havenāt been back in the last 5 years-- a move & COVID.
So, burger & fries was $4.95 then. Iād often get the F&C instead which was about the same $ maybe a dollar or 2 more. Now the F&C is $25.
Hereās the menu for Brunoās:
When we moved here in early 2020 COVIDās impact hadnāt hit yet. The lunch price of Chicken Piccatta then was $12.95-- now gone up $5 and the portion is smaller.
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I feel like the cost of restaurant meals at fast food and fast casual restaurants have increased at a faster rate than at fine dining restaurants.
A meal at French Laundry, for example, pre-pandemic was 310 (circa 2017). Currently, itās 350. Approximately 12% price increase.
McDonalds, Chipotle, etc. have increased price far more than 15%, sometimes 20%.
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Agreed. Weād go to Rosieās usually after a show; It was a pleasant walk from our building. Eventually a Five Guys opened right on the way to the theater. Rosieās got more & more pricey so we stopped (not completely) & went there instead. Then 5 Gās began ramping up their prices getting close to parity for Beer/burger/fries vs Burger/fries/soda. Rosieās won since pub ambience & good food beats good food & mall food court ambience. (that 5 Gās was a store front though-- it did not survive COVID)
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Quote the whole thing:
āDonāt call me Shirley, dammit!ā
Donāt call me Dammit. Shirley."
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Iām going to start a Greater Toronto Area Burger and Fries metric thread, as well as a Greater Toronto Area Coffee Shop Latte/ Cappuccino/ Coffee metric thread .
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I thought Iād give a longer-term, more specific look at inflation. Iāve used a local Chinese restaurant as an example, because I actually have menus going back six years. Iām not naming it, but locals will probably be able to guess. The rest of the menu has increased similarly.
Steamed Pork Buns:
05/17 $6.25
07/19 $6.95
10/20 $7.25
06/21 $7.95
06/22 $8.95
06/23 $9.25
Spicy Beef Noodle Soup:
05/17 $ 7.50
07/19 $ 7.95
10/20 $ 8.25
06/21 $ 9.25
06/22 $10.50
06/23 $10.95
Fish Fillets with Spicy Bean Sauce:
05/17 $12.45
07/19 $12.95
10/20 $13.25
06/21 $13.95
06/22 $14.95
06/23 $15.50
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So, roughly $3 more over the course of 5 years. That does not seem outrageous to me.
Itās roughly 10% inflation a year which is about double the inflation rate over the same time frame here in the U.S. Itās not unjustified since the double whammy of COVID & staff wages = higher prices or going out of business. The thing is that at the lower end of annual income it tends to stand out-- plus MEMORY. ( NINE DOLLARS FOR A MILK SHAKE!!!???!!!) 
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My iced latte has been running $6.50 to $7 in Toronto. So, an $7 indie iced latte and a $4 indie donut/muffin runs $11 Cdn and change at an indie shop. Almond croissants are running $6-$8 Cdn.
I know round up, or add a $1 tip for the order, rather than tip 15 % at indie coffee shops and bakeries when Iām not dining in. I had been tipping 12-15 % at bakeries in 2020-early 2023.
I still tip regularly at restaurants.
I hear you.
I was down with Travolta about a $5 milk shake just a few years ago.
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I have just about stopped buying coffee at coffee shops even though a double is only $3 at one of my favorite places. I used to buy double espressos at Starbucks because as a Realtor I was always getting SBs gift cards, so even though the coffee was only fair at best, the caffeine was there and free is good.
But I have always had either a Bialetti coffee maker or an Illy espresso machine at home. I get irritated by the price of an Iperespresso capsule costing 88 cents now, but compared to buying an espresso at most coffee shops it is still a bargain. My Illy machine is not working very well but until it dies, I will not be getting coffees from baristas too frequently.
The place that inflation is changing my behavior the most is eating out, not coffees. I used to have a bunch of places where I could get lunch with water for a drink for less than $10 before tip. Now most of my lunch places are around $16 before tip and that kind of burns.
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It is on a percentage basis, which for that store is about 50% increase
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I pay my bills in money, though, not percentages.
True.
But whether you should pay extra $$ for something should be on a percentage basis.
If you had 3 million dollars then an extra $3 is irrelevant.
If you only had $30 then an extra $3 is very relevant. Or at least it should be.
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$9 for a milkshake?! Vincent (Travolta) was outraged at $5 in āPulp Fictionā.
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$7 for a latte where I live, so Iād expect a milkshake to cost $7-$9.
lol.
āGoddamn thatās a pretty fucking good milkshake. Not sure itās worth $5 but itās pretty fucking good.ā
I donāt think a $5 shake would make anyone blink these days.
