Got our tickets from Ticketmania via Mousesavers and paid only 21.00 per ticket. With 5 of us, that bought a nice lunch and snacks while inside.
If buying a day ticket (vs UPH) then I suggest you get there when it opens. Everytime we go, it gets very crowded in the evenings.
We also found eating inside (cheesecake factory food) was not that expensive, cooked to order and good. Would not have been worth going outside if we had planned to come back in. There is a big private party room, usually open to the public which is a nice quiet place for a meal.
Just FYI:
The days you have qouted have modified hours due to the anticipated crowds over the spring break holidays. The hours I posted above are the actual hours of operation for Disney Quest.