When you say a meal at a restaurant is expensive, what do you mean?

[Big Cuddly Bear]

My real estate agent's husband - who is doing work for us - keeps mentioning this place to go eat. It is his wife's cousin's place. And he always says it isn't expensive. So I went online and looked at the menu.

My guess - with drinks - is that my wife and I would spend $100+ for dinner for two if we went.... IMO that is an expensive meal.

Part of that for me though, is that I probably would rather eat a cheeseburger instead of rack of lamb, or veal, if all were in front of me, and all were free. Fancy food doesn't excite me. I'm quite happy eating at a diner or mom and pop restaurant.

 

[eliza61]

My real estate agent's husband - who is doing work for us - keeps mentioning this place to go eat. It is his wife's cousin's place. And he always says it isn't expensive. So I went online and looked at the menu.

My guess - with drinks - is that my wife and I would spend $100+ for dinner for two if we went.... IMO that is an expensive meal.

Part of that for me though, is that I probably would rather eat a cheeseburger instead of rack of lamb, or veal, if all were in front of me, and all were free. Fancy food doesn't excite me. I'm quite happy eating at a diner or mom and pop restaurant.

Bear, you hit the nail on the head though.

Depends on what you are ordering. 50 per person is not expensive if you are ordering veal, steak or lobster but If I'm eating pasta, that's an outrageous price.

For me, it depends. Some times I love a great steak or lamb probably because I don't eat either very often so these are treats to me.

I also enjoy a great burger from fresh ground beef.

Unfortunately true "mom and pop" restaurants are becoming rare in the suburbs. I live right outside of Philly in southern New jersey and I can't convince my neighbors that "Olive garden" is not great italian food. It's good and cheap but if they ever ventured into south Philly for a family owned italian restaurant it would be a world of difference.

My neighborhood is plastered with chain eateries "TGI fridays, applebees, olive garden, friendly's" etc. while these places are ok, they are not what I would call really good.

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

Unless its a high quality restraunt like Mortons. $50 is expensive.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I'd say $150+ starts to run into the expensive zone for me.

I know DH & I can spend $100 for the 2 of us at Outback - it's a good meal but hardly a fine dining experience. Then there's an out of this world steakhouse that we go to for special occasions that will run us about $230-250 - that's expensive to me.

[my numbers include tips]

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

I'd say $150+ starts to run into the expensive zone for me.

I know DH & I can spend $100 for the 2 of us at Outback - it's a good meal but hardly a fine dining experience. Then there's an out of this world steakhouse that we go to for special occasions that will run us about $230-250 - that's expensive to me.

[my numbers include tips]

Wow, I have a family of 4, and when we go to Outback or similar, we spend less than $100 with tip... probably more like $80 - $85 with tip... but we wouldn't have anything but iced tea or soda at a place like that.

ETA: It would probably take a gun to my head to pay $250 for a meal for 2.... I am a cheap sucker when it comes to food.

 

[Liberty Belle]

For me, any entree over $20 is expensive. Not necessarily too expensive for what it is or too expensive to purchase, but a more expensive meal in my opinion. I'd say a moderate entree would be from 10 to 20 and inexpensive entrees would be under 10.

Maybe things are different in different parts of the country and we don't usually go to very high end restaurants that often.

 

[JessicaR]

A meal is expensive if its costs more than $200 for the 2 of us. A normal meal out is about $100 w/o tip and thats low balling most times. When we eat out I like nice atmosphere and food that I don't cook at home.

However, restaurants are expensive around here. I love to eat in Florida where I can have an amazing meal for a fraction of what we pay here.

 

[Disney Doll]

Depends on the restaurant....$100+ for dinner for 2 @ Olive Graden is expensive. $100+ for dinner for 2 @ a Ruth Chris steakhouse, maybe not so much.

 

[IUTBAM]

For me, any entree over $20 is expensive. Not necessarily too expensive for what it is or too expensive to purchase, but a more expensive meal in my opinion. I'd say a moderate entree would be from 10 to 20 and inexpensive entrees would be under 10.

This! We go out to eat 4-6 times a month to sit-down restaurants (a family of four, two adults, and two teens), and I wince when the check is in the $60-$70 range. We are just cheap, lol.

 

[dngnb8]

When the cost outweighs the product value. To me, McDonalds is expensive.

 

[phorsenuf]

My real estate agent's husband - who is doing work for us - keeps mentioning this place to go eat. It is his wife's cousin's place. And he always says it isn't expensive. So I went online and looked at the menu.

My guess - with drinks - is that my wife and I would spend $100+ for dinner for two if we went.... IMO that is an expensive meal.

Part of that for me though, is that I probably would rather eat a cheeseburger instead of rack of lamb, or veal, if all were in front of me, and all were free. Fancy food doesn't excite me. I'm quite happy eating at a diner or mom and pop restaurant.

Hard to answer that question without more details. Are you ordering alcohol? Is it beer or mixed drinks? How many each? Are you getting an appetizer? One to split, or each your own? Same with dessert. Way to many variables.

 

[JessicaR]

Hard to answer that question without more details. Are you ordering alcohol? Is it beer or mixed drinks? How many each? Are you getting an appetizer? One to split, or each your own? Same with dessert. Way to many variables.

So true! When we eat out its drinks, apps and an entree for each oh and btw what ya got for dessert!

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

So true! When we eat out its drinks, apps and an entree for each oh and btw what ya got for dessert!

Never dessert. Too full from our meal for dessert.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I like to keep it around $30 a person when we eat out. Anything >$50 pp would give me pause.

 

[JessicaR]

Never dessert. Too full from our meal for dessert.

Usually I agree with this but sometimes you have to make an exception and share one. I am a total foody but my husband has a sweet tooth.

 

[Adipoo]

$200 - $250 is what I consider getting in the pricey range, but that usually includes a bottle of wine and is generally some "celebrity chef" restaurant. Now if my husband decides he wants some obnoxiously priced bottle, it can go over that. At our local favorites, it's BYOB and the bill is more likely to stay in the $75 - $100 range. I should add that we split an appetizer and dessert and we also tip well and I'm including that in the total.

 

[DisneyOHFan]

I think an appetizer, entre, dessert and drink would be $150 + for 2 to be considered expensive. But definitely a meal I would not do often.

 

[Poohforyou]

Food really doesn't excite me all that much and I don't have a big appetite so spending that kind of money on a meal isn't something I'd enjoy. Now dropping $100+ for a spa treatment is a whole other story.

When we go out to eat my meal usually costs less than my 11 yo DD . I'm good with a bowl of soup or a salad. DD has moved from the kid's menu to steak. When DH and I go out our meals generally run in the $50 range. If it's a special occasion it might be closer to $100 because we'd have a full couse meal or at least share more courses than normal.

 

[JessicaR]

$200 - $250 is what I consider getting in the pricey range, but that usually includes a bottle of wine and is generally some "celebrity chef" restaurant. Now if my husband decides he wants some obnoxiously priced bottle, it can go over that. At our local favorites, it's BYOB and the bill is more likely to stay in the $75 - $100 range. I should add that we split an appetizer and dessert and we also tip well and I'm including that in the total.

I tend to love an obnoxiously priced bottle - occasionally.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I'm cheap and don't like to spend more than $50-60 plus tip (normally no drinks and either an app or dessert is split).

We went to the Melting Pot once and the bill was $97 for 4 courses plus our drinks and tip was extra, that was really expensive in my mind. We'd rather spend money on doing stuff than eating.