Imho this is the most fun part of going out for dinner… 
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I’m not good at waiting for meals out. Reminds me too much of my time in the Army standing in long lines at the mess halls. Or Oliver Twist standing there with empty bowl in hands, “Please Sir, I’d Like Some Food” (manufactured quote, of course).
So we either get reservations or go at less trafficked times.
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I don’t mean waiting for a table. That I hate too. But once I’m seated, I always try to extend my stay a bit.
Especially since restaurants seem on a mission these days to turn as many tables as possible per evening. Meaning they usually push me into ordering asap, so that they can sell the table later on.
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Really makes ya wonder how the rest of the world’s restaurants survive. If you reserve a table at almost any restaurant in Berlin, for example, say at 8pm… that table is yours for the evening if you wish to linger. Maybe you want to order another bottle of wine after dinner? Maybe a digestif?
According to the US idea of absolutely having to turn over tables more than once per night, everyone else should be going broke. Staff is generally paid better wages, too.
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I generally agree, but (although I’ve only had lunch in Berlin), in Frankfurt or Hamburg or Munich or Zurich or Geneva, the cost of dinner is significantly higher (even despite no tip) than in many large cities in the US for a similar level of restaurant.
As long as I’m on an expense account, I do love those no-rush, all-evening dinners.
I get what you mean, Damiano and I also get the slight sarcasm, but unless I’m in a really positive mood that evening or the restaurant has spectacular surroundings, the waiting time between courses is dreadful for me and I’m either getting myself drunk or going through my phone or both at the same time.
When I go to restaurants where I know one of the chefs, I seriously call him up first and order on my way to the restaurant so I avoid or minimise the waiting time between the courses.
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That has not been my experience, but I don’t frequent higher end places. Too much good food to have at mid level prices. Plus you’re not obligated to add a 20% (or more) tip.
Something I’ve noticed perusing Western Europe menus when people put up restaurant links in their posts is how similar mid level prices are to here. E.g. here the burger & fries is $15. There it’s 15 euros. Euro & dollar are about the same at the moment. I looked-- it was 98 cents to the dollar. Sandwiches here are running $8 to $12. Same there. Steak Frites in Paris do seem to be cheaper then here by $3 or $4.
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Making dinner at home isn’t an alternative to dining out for me. I can cook as well as almost anyone I know short of a professional. I enjoy cooking but I also appreciate dining out and do it often.
Dining out is about NOT having to cook and clean up. Enjoying a meal normally in the company of others for the experience. It’s not about just feeding oneself. If it will cost more well that’s something I will have to absorb. The article did a good job of explaining what all the things are that go into the cost of a meal.
If on the other hand it’s not worth it to you, that’s ok. No one is forcing anyone to eat out.
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What you are seeing is function of exchange rates at this time. I worked in Europe when the exchange rate of $/€ was over 1.40. I recall when £ was almost $2. I would sit in a restaurant and look at a menu and the numbers I saw were the same I would see in NYC. As I was paid in $ the cost to me was actually double. That was painful.
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I didn’t eat out or order take-out from March 15,2020 until April 2021.
Prior to March 2020, I was dining out at least 6 to 10 dinners a month, 4 brunches a month, and a couple pub nights a month.
Even now, I’m only getting take-out dinners around once a week.
I’m not enjoying cooking as much as I used to.
I also have become pickier with respect to what I order when I get a restaurant meal.
I’m treating myself more now, when I get a meal out. I don’t return to mediocre places if I can help it. I am spending a little more on nice breads. I’m tipping more at bakeries and for take-out since I don’t do indoor restaurant dining anymore.
I’m eating out less often but holding out for the good stuff more often.
In terms of pricing, it’s gone up. A burger and fries at an independent pub are $18 to $20 Cdn. Eggs Benedict or Huevos Rancheros run $18 Cdn.
I’ve started keeping track of which dishes I’ve been ordering.
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Look I totally understand why people dine out, and there are more reasons than just one for that.
As you say the experience.
I totally agree about that. My only problem is that for me to want to call dining out an experience the surroundings have to be extraordinary and just not an average restaurant. But that’s all subjective.
Then of course there’s the relaxation of not having to cook and clean up. I totally get that. That’s a nice bonus, when dining out. I just get pissed, when I eat out and don’t feel the quality of the food impresses me and I hate it when I say to myself that I can make this better in my home kitchen. And that happens too often in even quite expensive well regarded restaurants in Denmark and Europe where I travel mostly (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Greece)
This brings me to the third point.
To get inspired and to add new recipes to your home cooking. This is where I feel the really great restaurants separate themselves from the middle of the road restaurants. Rarely when I eat out at mid class restaurants am I wowed or inspired to try out new recipes.
But at the really great and unique restaurant - and they don’t necessarily have to be very expensive - I’m sometimes amazed over new recipes or old recipes done in a new way.
I just feel 90% of the restaurants I’ve visited over the last decade in Denmark and Southern Europe have not wowed me - for me to be wowed these days it has to be an extraordinarily great tasting version of an ordinary recipe or a complete new take on a recipe or way, that astounds me.
A beurre Blanc with the right amount of white wine and butter does not wow me.
A perfectly cooked ribeye steak does not wow me.
A plate of basic wok hei made Chow Mein does not wow me.
But if the chef does something extraordinary to a recipe adding his/her own take & touch to it, I’m wowed.
This is when I feel I get value for money by eating out.
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As you said, people have different reasons for going out. For me, there are several:
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to order dishes I can’t or don’t want to recreate at home – though I may get inspiration from restaurants on occasion,
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simply to try a new place that has gotten good reviews from friends or the menu looks good to me,
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because I love what a particular place puts on the plate. That is why I have favorite restaurants I visit frequently.
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for the social aspect. I enjoy dining out with my PIC as well as my friends. Sharing a restaurant meal with them is one of my favorite things to do. The more people join in, the more food can be ordered
I’m not wowed by any of the examples you give at the end either, as those are fairly pedestrian things. However, I also don’t expect to be wowed every single time I dine out.
There’s a certain price point at which I do expect to be wowed, but that kind of dining has become both less affordable and less interesting to me over the years.
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You know what they say when you can’t meet your standards? Lower them! 
Like you said, we all dine out for different reasons. Seldom for me is it to be wowed by the food. Feed me a well prepared meal with solicitous service in a comfortable setting and I’m happy.
95% of the time I’m just looking for good meal. No fireworks. The other 5% I would say that I agree with Claus that I’m likely to be disappointed more than not. I’ve eaten at the restaurant that has been ranked number 1 in the world. Been more than once. Wasn’t thrilled with it. I am in a spot where I can pretty much dine anywhere I want and these days I would more likely pick a one star over almost any 3 star. Like I said I just want a good meal. I’m not looking for a life changing event. Other than when it comes to sushi.
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I agree with every one of your reasons but the last (although there are very few places up here that qualify for those first 3). For me… as long as I prep in advance, having folks all around the island or playing pool, listening to music, consuming cocktails and/or wine, smoking whatever they want, and talking about all things (including the food that is about to come) is a superior experience for me and (so far) my guests. Yeah… I foot the whole bill for it (except for guests who often bring wine and liquor), it’s usually cheaper than just my share of restaurant fare.
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BF has been WFH since the onset of the pandemic. We eat out now mostly when he’s reached critical mass and has to get out of the house. Criteria in these cases:
- Ready access to a wide selection of craft IPAs (him)
- Acceptable wine list (me…is there tolerable Sav Blanc or Rose? Ok.)
- Friendly service who are Johnny On The Spot with quick refills of said beverages
- A well executed menu of food that is complimentary to said beverages (Wings? Burgers? Tacos? What’s that you say? Tater tot nachos? Oh, yes…) Can I make these at home? Sure and probably better than the destination. But, the destination has taps that we don’t have room for and wouldn’t have the gumption to clean and maintain.
Otherwise, we’re staying in and I’m making something, getting delivery, or we’re saving up for The Good Sushi Place ™ or the very occasional “good” restaurant I can persuade him on (recently, Boston peeps, that was Row 34. He thought it was “meh” but is not a raw bar guy. I thought the raw stuff was good, but wasn’t into the vibe. We probably won’t go back.). I have reached the point in my life where I just want him to be happy when we go out. He reciprocates by letting me take him somewhere new and different that isn’t a bar if I really want to try it.
Sometime, I can tell you all about the time I traumatized him by bringing him to the late Aujourd’hui (fancy French for those not local).
Since this thread is about cost, our household has come to the conclusion that the increased costs are worth it:
- If we absolutely have to get out of the house (since the preferred activity in these cases is a visit to a bar or two, then Uber or Lyft are also factored in)
- If I can’t face cooking or even assembling crackers and cheese on a plate and we go with delivery
But, everyone has different metrics for whether spending money returns on the value for what they’ve received.
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Yeah, but then I get into pub mode, not eat mode. After two, and into three, I’m thinking “pss on this place, let’s head out pubbin’ and eat waaay later.”
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We host allllll the time, and I concur with our points regarding drinks, choice of music, smoke whatever one wishes (that’s more important to me than my guests for the most part 
)
All that’s missing here is a pool table, TBH.
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Putting food on the table is not a heavy burden for me. Eating mediocre food at a restaurant is. When i eat out, I want something that is INTERESTING, well sourced of course, BETTER THAN I TURN OUT AT HOME. I actually find it an insult when I make the effort to book and find parking only to be served an ill conceived and worse ill executed plate. I can do that at home at less than half the price.
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