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

[2disneyboys]

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

Again, it's what I'm getting for the money. $60 at Applebees is too much, $100 at a locally owned "upscale" place isn't. The most we ever spend is about $150 at a local place that we only go to maybe once a year. That includes drinks and tips. If we splurge and go out it is to eat foods that I can't/don't cook at home, especially pricier seafoods and ethnic foods. I refuse to spend my money on crap at Olive Garden when my pasta is 10x better and 10x cheaper and I don't end up in the bathroom all night!

"I was born a poor black child...."

My first thought due to a recent experience was that $12 for a mediocre bacon cheeseburger, a handfull of fries, and a coke at TGI Fridays was too expensive.

It's funny how that really chaps me, but I am totally okay with going to some place like Morton's once a year and spending $200+ for an evening with my DH. Expense is all relative to the quality (and sometimes quanitity!).

ITA with these perspectives (I think there were other similar ones but lost track of my muliti quoting!) anyway, I don't mind paying top dollar for top quality food, atmosphere etc. However I can't stand paying ANYTHING for "junk" or some mediocore things tossed together with no regard to quality or taste. I personally prefer to spend my money on memories, not food, however, I dont mind paying for a unique eating experience or really really good food. I would also rather eat out once every few months somewhere really nice (and good) then weekly or even monthly at some places my friends just rave and rave about. so I can't say a meal @ this dollar amt is expensive or not. It's more about (to me) $20 @ a fast food joint is a waste, $50 at a typical "chain" type resturant is expensive for what you get.. but I don't consider $150-250 a waste if the food is excellent. with that said, I have eaten some very excellent meals and only paid $40-50 for a family of 4 (no "drinks" including tip), left stuffed w/ tons of leftovers and enjoyed every single bite! I've also paid $200 for a family of 4 and was like blech, I could have put that $ in my emergency fund and enjoyed a PB&J more than that slop we were served! it's all about perspective isnt in ?

 

[Planogirl]

One man's junk is another man's yummy food. Some people love McDonald's so it's well worth the money to them.

In my case, I think that something is expensive if I find it overpriced after considering quality, atmosphere and reputation. I expect to pay a lot at a nice restaurant so I don't think that it is expensive. Up to a point that is.

Of course like others, anything I dislike is always too expensive.

 

[AustinTink]

$250 for DH and me is my cap. And, that is for special date nights, no more than every couple of months. Regular date night meals run more in the $100 range.

 

[disykat]

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.

Exactly my opinion! While I have on occasion gone to nicer restaurants and ordered an entree over $20, I definitely consider it expensive.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

Well, we celebrated Cinco De Mayo by going to an Indian restaurant
.... It was all 4 of us.... and it was $76 not including tip ( $15 ), which I thought was very reasonable, as the food was great, as it always is at this place. But tonight even moreso because the waiter knows us and like us.... and is amazed that my kids eat Indian, and also like it VERY SPICY.... Like almost habanero spicy....

But to finish my thought, the waiter also gave us 3 free desserts ( I didn't have one )... and extra Naan bread at no cost. Had that been added to the total, I imagine dinner would have been $90 pre - tip, which is just about the most we ever spend when taking the kids along to eat. They eat just about everything, but some nights they eat very little, and we don't usually enjoy restaurant reheats all that much the next day.

ETA, usually when the kids go along we go someplace cheaper....

 

[SandrA9810]

To me, it depends on the restaurant. Like my cousin's place was more of a casual american steakhouse. He worked for years at an upscale place (making top ten in the nation for steakhouses), so he knew that route and wanted something a little more casual, a little cheaper than that. But still gave the quality of his previous place.
So if I was to describe it, I would say a lower priced steak house, even though you're probably not going to get out of there under $25 a head, wine not included.
Now describing his previous place. That was upscale and high priced. You're not getting out of there with a $25 tip... Without wine, you might get away with $50 a head, if you're lucky.

I guess it all comes down to what kind of restaurant they say it is, what kind of meals are served. If some one said they found a reasonably priced steakhouse, I'd still assume about $30 a person. You also have to remember what economic class he's from. If that's his average dinner, then that's probably cheap to him. I wouldn't want to know what's expensive for him.

 

[Nancyg56]

If the total bill gets above $30 my wife and I look at each other and wince. Our special occasion dinners (anniversery) might hit $50-70.

!!!CAUTION!!!

OPINION AHEAD

I just can't see spending that much money to eat.

I have neighbors who will not spend more than $40 for the two of them to eat out. That ususlly means that there is no wine or dessert, no frills at all. They will tell me that we are crazy to enjoy a meal that costs that much per person before cocktails. I get that but they will spend way more than that at the casino and come home with no more than a memory. I usually have a doggy bag . I am a terribly sore loser so if I spend more than $20 at the casino I will have buyers remorse.

I think that meals out are like any other entertainment, the value is about how you feel at the end of the evening. For DH and me, if the food is good and we had a nice evening it is worth it. If we spend less and the food and atmosphere is sub standard...no value at all.

We are joining friends this evening and I bet what we spend will be about the same as when we entertain at home but no work for me By the time I buy the ingredients for appetizers, mains and dessert, wine and after dinner cocktails my grocery bill is over the restaurant cost. i know that we have leftovers but ther are times it is worth letting someone else do the cooking, cleaning and serving.

 

[mhsjax]

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.

I wish someone could explain the Olive Garden phenomenon to me. I just don't get it, There is always a line out the door and I don't understand waiting for chef boy r dee food.

 

[mrsdon]

The older I get the more I hate spending money eating out
We have a local steak house here and we spend about $60 for the 2 of us. That is expensive to me.
I would absolutely have a heart attack if a meal cost over $200 for the 2 of us

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

after reading responses saying, something like "well it depends on what he have".... I can say that for ME, now that I have thought about it, there is NO MEAL on earth I would spend $250 on for 2 people, including drinks.

I don't care if a 16 ounce Kobe beef steak was included, with lobster for both people. I would never do it. Not even if you added bottles of Dom Perignon - unless I could sell them to get my money back.

I think the most I ever spent was about $125 for 2 at a French / Thai place.... and I even ordered Snapple. And they wanted to charge me for a 2nd Snapple when they took away the first one when it was still half full. When they brought a second full one I told them to bring me back the one I hadn't yet finished.

My wife, OTOH, was once in Japan on business. The company she worked for was entertaining clients. And my wife had to cut the check for the bill at the end of the night.... This was 15 years ago.... she told me that the bill - with drinks - came out to about $550 pp! And there were 30 people at the meal.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Wow I'm shocked at what people call expensive. For me anything more than $500 for 4 adults would be expensive.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Wow I'm shocked at what people call expensive. For me anything more than $500 for 4 adults would be expensive.

HOLY CRAP!!!

Well, I guess this separates the po' folk from the rich here.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

HOLY CRAP!!!

Well, I guess this separates the po' folk from the rich here.

LOL not really but I see you're in Missouri I'm outside NYC so $125 pp including drinks is not unreasonable. Then again, some of us can go out for drinks & spend well over $100.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Expensive for me would be a meal that would cost my husband and I over $200 to eat at including appetizer/salad, entree, dessert, a few drinks and tip.

 

[MomofKatie]

I think that WHERE you live also comes into play. Some places around the country (and world) have much a much higher cost of living. What to me is an outrageously expensive meal could be an average price for a more expensive city.

It's the same with housing costs- the house we bought here in NC would probably cost double or triple what we paid for it somewhere like New England, California, or northern Virginia.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

I wish someone could explain the Olive Garden phenomenon to me. I just don't get it, There is always a line out the door and I don't understand waiting for chef boy r dee food.

Olive Garden is great for what it is. An somewhat inexpensive chain restaurant offering Italian STYLE food.

You get what you pay for. My kids love it there, DH and I think it's ok. DH is Italian, he knows he's not going there for a replica of what his grandmother would have made.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I wish someone could explain the Olive Garden phenomenon to me. I just don't get it, There is always a line out the door and I don't understand waiting for chef boy r dee food.

Olive Garden is great for what it is. An somewhat inexpensive chain restaurant offering Italian STYLE food.

You get what you pay for. My kids love it there, DH and I think it's ok. DH is Italian, he knows he's not going there for a replica of what his grandmother would have made.

Everyone I know that goes there, says they go for the breadsticks and salad, not the entrees.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

LOL not really but I see you're in Missouri I'm outside NYC so $125 pp including drinks is not unreasonable. Then again, some of us can go out for drinks & spend well over $100.

That is why we still live in MO. But if I win the lottery, I am moving to the east coast.

 

[NotUrsula]

Wow I'm shocked at what people call expensive. For me anything more than $500 for 4 adults would be expensive.

Part of the reason that my threshholds are where they are is that I grew up in New Orleans. It's very much a foodie city, but one where the locals do not tolerate not getting fair value, and also one that holds hard to the rule that excellent does not necessarily have to equal expensive. I was a waiter there for quite a while.

As an example: one of the hottest restaurants in New Orleans right now is Cochon, and the most expensive regular item on their dinner menu is $24 at the moment. Five courses off the top of the menu there will run you $60, not including liquor, but almost no one local orders that much food -- you would be dying by the time you got up from the table from having eaten way too much. That is pretty typical, and the average local customer does not order more than two courses when eating out. (A restaurant like John Besh's August is considered much more high-end, but still generally won't exceed your "expensive" threshhold unless you count liquor in the total. The six-course degustation menu there is around $100 pp, but that of course has the portion sizes controlled so that you don't overdo.)

Having formed my "eating out habits" in that city, as a general rule I don't order an appetizer unless I am planning NOT to eat an entree, and we normally don't order dessert, either, unless it is something so unusual and scrumptious that we just have to experience it, in which case we usually share.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

We don't drink alcohol so that cuts costs a lot! For us, entrees more than $15 is $$, entrees more than $20 is $$$ (we would not take our kids). We usually only drink water when we are out at a restaurant, anyway. We will split an appetizer and sometimes split a dessert. If it's a special occasion (and we don't have our kids!), we will go all-out with appetizer, soup, salad, entree, dessert. For Valentine's Day this year we spent $100 at Portobello Yacht Club at DTD.