Shh…WB and Bond Street still have the best burgers and both are <$10!
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I’m partial to WB ,Bond St was “too cool “ for me but the secret is safe with me!
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Well, I’m not sure what your area is, but here’s where we’ve gone recently and the last two bills with tax and tip for each (unless otherwise noted two entrees, no appetizers, no drinks):
Rinconcito 25.00, 42.00
Park Place Diner 31.25, 32.72
Thai Thai 33.68, 36.00
Big Ed’s (triple combo) 29.58, 30.65
Texas Roadhouse (includes one glass of wine) 57.51, 41.82
Attillio’s 25.22, 30
Evan’s 22, 23
Shanghai Bun (take-out, three dishes) 50, 47.95
Popeye’s (4-piece combo) 15.55, 14.70
D.A. Subs (whole sub) 15.75, 16.69
I think this probably labels us as cheap. 
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No labels here
Not familiar with most on this list though I used to love Big Ed’s and still love Shanghai Bun and Popeye is usually a snack for me but it is a good barometer of what costs are .
Thanks for taking the time
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Yes, no matter where you are.
For me, I’m a Bombay Gin Martini drinker when out, unless at a dive bar when I’ll just get something on the rocks. Most places just carry Bombay Sapphire which is slightly pricier.
I’m a big Costa Verde (South Amboy) guy. Its my go-to Portuguese spot since my favorite in Perth Amboy changed hands. Food is not as good but portions are ginormous. Prices are also not fitting the time we are in-- they have yet to catch up. $8 for my Sapphire martini. $7 for wine in a stocky glass filled to the top. I know I can’t compare ANYTHING to them because they’ve been there a thousand years and just refuse to raise prices but the thought creeps into my mind when seeing the bill at other places and it does irk me.
Right now, non-house gin martini standard is $14. The Globe charges $12 but it is not well made. Houlihan’s is $14 but I usually ask for Beefeater which is $10.50. A Salute was $15 and the glass was missing an inch of booze. For the price of my two drinks that night, I could have had a HANDLE of Bombay. Another reason that makes me just want to stay home.
There isn’t a cocktail in existence that has more booze than a gin martini. So anything above $14-15 is ridiculous. I remember Iron Whale was charging $18 when they opened. Not sure about now. I’ve told the story before: pre-Covid they offered me a $100 gift card to review them. I determined it would have probably cost me $200 to spend their $100 if we adequately sampled the menu for a review (still without going overboard).
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I’ll repeat something I said earlier in the thread, though it has probably gone up even more!
To me, paying $18- $20 for a burger and fries is outrageous but is slowly becoming standard. But then you have another place that charges $14 for a burger, $1.50 to add cheese, and $5 for a side of fries instead of potato chips. The $14 burger ends up costing $20.50.
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Thanks for sharing this
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Haven’t been to Court Jester in Freehold for awhile that was their schtick
I did notice that American Hotel had a decent price on the burger could be their loss leader
I know many restaurants have 30-40 dollar entrees but a burger price in the teen$
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If a glass of wine/cocktail is over $14 I’m out. Not worth it to me. And it’s unhealthy.
Plus I noticed that drinks are getting smaller: never near the top of the glass anymore. Servers use a magnifying glass for the wine pours so you don’t get a mL extra (that grinds my gears more than the price- when they’re making their head level with the glass and really concentrating, lolol).
I hate it when they carafe you, too. “Here’s ya pour, you’ll not get a drop more”.
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Since we’er talking about prices, I’m surprised the Aarzu lamb chops are stilll $48 (app!). The way things are going they should be about $60 by now.
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SHHHHHH! Don’t speak the unspeakable! 
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just saw a blurb - - - the median income in USA . . . $191,xxx/year
not sure we’ve even seen the light at the end of the expensive tunnel yet, much less the end of the tunnel . . .
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Can’t be that high.
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Is this thread still limited to NJ?
Expensive is all contextual.
I know something is expensive when I look at the price and say something along the lines of, “hmm, that seems a bit high.”
Just saying a burger and fries at $20 is expensive is both underinclusive and overinclusive.
Yes, if a McDondald’s burger and fry was $20, I would have the reaction of “hmm, that seems a bit high.”
But if I got a burger and fries at, say, JG Melon, for $20 then, no, I wouldn’t consider it expensive.
And, it’s not just quality of ingredients, or whether it’s fast-food or sit down.
I could get a soda for $1.50 at Costco and think it’s perfectly not expensive.
I could also get the same soda at a Taylor Swift concert for $10 and likewise think it’s perfectly not expensive.
TL;DR what is (or is not) expensive is all contextual, there is no one size fits all price metric
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There’s expensive outside of NJ, methinks.
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Census Bureau says $74,580.
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Very true my original point was that a meal at the bar in a typical NJ restaurant prices seemed out of wack
In the same regard a cocktail in NYC at a good restaurant for $25-30 is not out of the ordinary anymore
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This is exactly it. Expensive or cheap is wildly variable by person and location. I do certainty agree that food prices are way up and I confidently can tell you my salary has not increased at the same pace. We eat out a heck of a lot less “post” covid and save eating out for places with better experiences than quick stuff.
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plz do not shoot the mezzenger -
that’s the blurb, doesn’t ring right to me either . . .
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