The cost of dining out

Culture, Media, General
1

Really informative article from The NY Times about the rising cost of dining out at a nice restaurant.

Surprising to see that the cost of dinner out in Charlotte is what a dinner out in NYC can be. Reading the comments always provides a chuckle in how clueless some people can be.

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Reading the comments is never a good idea.

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Just read that article. I appreciate
the way the reporter details specifically how costs have increased. What an eye-opener.

I will say that we pay a lot more attention to what we order on a menu than we used to. Itā€™s easy to run up a bigger tab than weā€™d come to expect.

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You can say that again. I had brunch in the theatre district (NYC) on Sunday and paid $80 for a steak Caesar salad and two Bloody Marys after tax and ~22% tip. Granted, it was a tourist trap right next to a theatre, chosen for convenience ($$$) rather than food quality, and I knew that going in, but still. Pre-pandemic I would have expected the same experience to cost closer to $60.

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Paywall.

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6

Yah, saw that this morning. Interesting breakdown!

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Here is a ā€œgiftā€ link to the article. Fingers crossed that it will work.

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Thank you! Interesting article. I know there are shipping containers stuck lots of places but, judging by the number of trains running through our town from 4:00 AM to late night, some things are definitely getting through.

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Worked for meā€¦ Thanks!

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10

The average pretax profit margin for the typical restaurant with annual sales of $900,000 has dropped to around 1 percent from about 5 percent, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Insane. What other industries are expected to run on so little profit?

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11

I think grocery stores run on even less. Iā€™ve heard they typically are in the 2-3% margins range. I guess there is always a sensitivity to that line when food is involved, between what is high end and we can safely target those in a particular income range and that which is the general population needs me for basic sustenance. And I donā€™t mean the redonkulous show off dishes like gold flaked wagyu hamburger BS.

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12

LOLā€¦ remember the Dennyā€™s 2+2+2+2 breakfast for $2.22? Just saw an ad on TV and it is now $8.99 (with them bragging about the value).

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13

NYT interactive article:
That Dinner Tab Has Soared. Here Are All the Reasons. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/09/dining/dinner-bill-restaurant-costs-inflation.html

" When the check hits the table at Good Food on Montford, an upscale yet casual restaurant in Charlotte, N.C., all the headlines about inflation suddenly add up to a hard number ā€” and serious sticker shock. "

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  • An window of opportunity for companies to boost profits thanks to inflation is shrinking, experts say.
  • Consumers are likely to spend less moving forward, potentially stamping out ā€œgreedflation.ā€
  • Other experts say companies wonā€™t be able to absorb higher input costs and thereby inflate prices.strong text
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Thereā€™s an identical thread here. The cost of dining out - #12 by ScottinPollock

Do we need a duplicate?

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To keep spending about flat, those who find their dining out now costs fifty percent more will go out twice instead of three times during the ā€œbilling periodā€. If your dining inflation rate is a one-third increase, then itā€™s out to eat three times instead of four.

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When I worked third shift, that was my supper.

I was just at a new Mexican place with my dearest. Things are up a few bucks; but the food was good and the service was EX, so I was generous with the tip. Even then, $30 for lunch. Iā€™ll still patronize any place that serves up the goods, consistently, and with fine service. What a nice, family run, little place.

More money at every turn.

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All I can say is that itā€™s a good thing we know how to cook! I feel sorry for restauranteurs who are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They need to raise menu prices to cover rising costs but doing so will drive away customers. I love to dine out but will be doing it less often and will be going ā€œdownmarketā€
Restaurants.

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19

Itā€™s an interesting order ā€“ starting with three different cocktails. Bread, 3 sides, 5 presumably small plates that seem a bit awkward for sharing, and three desserts. No wine?

There are a lot of high end places in Charlotte. Itā€™s a banking center and the big banks pay their Charlotte employees the same salaries as their NYC and SF employees. The joke is that new hires in NYC live i 1 br apartments and those in Charlotte buy 5 br houses.

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20

I took up home cooking on an advanced level 6-7 years ago, because I was tired of paying high prices at pretty fancy restaurants for dishes I felt I could make better at home.

Inflation has only made my original drive to cook at home even more strong.

I also in general hate the waiting times at restaurants - I get easily bored and drink too much wine/beer while waiting for my meal at restaurants.

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