Going out to eat at restaurants is no longer worth the money, amirite?

It's this price because they would simply not offer it but people ask for it so they put it at that price so they don't lose money for having a cheaper option on the menu simple business. But in all seriousness it's way overpriced even McDonald I drop the discount in the bin when I get them it's like 0% discount at that price

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Plus the hidden fees etc on the apps can easily double the entire cost compared to phoning directly and picking up.

by Gloomy_Sky9410 1 month ago

Select few restaurants where I would disagree with you and none of them are chain restaurants. I like going out to eat every now and then, it's a fun time with family but it definitely breaks the bank these days.

by Jovannyrice 1 month ago

They still get their food off the Sysco trucks

by Vince98 1 month ago

I was so mad at myself today. Yesterday we had lunch with my Mimi, I took care of the yard, she did laundry. We played tennis from 6-8ish, had a great time. I typically do the cooking, I did it professionally for years, but I said "ya know, I'm feelin lazy. Let's order in" I didn't think twice about paying 80 bucks for Mexican until I looked at it and realized how disgusting it was

by johann89 1 month ago

I like it for stuff I can't make at home. I'm not frying chicken at home. Also something like a club sandwich is pain to prepare and a lot of ingredients to have on hand for 1 lunch. I never understood someone who orders spaghetti at a restaurant even at an Italian restaurant.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

As someone who has been cooking professionally for almost 10 years trust me when I say the industry won't adjust, restaurants will just close, it already hard enough keeping the lights on with insane rent and product costs

by boehmcorbin 1 month ago

The ability of the home cook hasn't increased IMO I think it's people finally realizing how easy a lot of seemingly fancy restaurant food is to make at home Bar some exotic or complex dishes, I'd wager a good 80% of outside food can be made at home with standard home ingredients. People are just sharing how to do that over social media and it's made people realize they can cut the price in half while doubling the experience

by Anonymous 1 month ago

You are literally agreeing with my point. Thank you.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It was never particularly difficult, people just didn't want to put the time into making it because they had more disposable income.

by Greedy_Ad 1 month ago

I just hate how skrinkflation made all the dishes smaller, while at the same time the prices went up. Not like the dishes taste any better nor the service being exceptional either.

by Sufficient_Stable 1 month ago

This is why home cooking is better. You can go bigger or smaller. I find certain foods worth eating out, seafood and fried food.

by Helpful-Shallot6535 1 month ago

Idk where you buy from but at restaurant I don't see anything smaller like at the grocery.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

And honestly, I don't mind a smaller portion if I'm paying the right price for it. I don't need some giant plate that's three times the size of my face filled with the to the brim with food with the belief that I'm gonna pay five dollars for it. But I also, don't want to pay $75 for a tapas plate. If the portion is small, but the price align with the portion that I'm totally fine with that.

by Professional_Mud3365 1 month ago

Covid destroyed restaurants. We lost a generation of exceptional employees. People aren't willing to pay wages to get good restaurant employees.

by Gwilliamson 1 month ago

Sadly. I had a passion for food and was a AKM pre pandemic, it killed the industry

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Tipping at Five Guys is crazy.

by mossiesenger 1 month ago

Lmao right? That's your own fault.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Tipping in general is crazy.

by Cummeratajed 1 month ago

I would never tip. I also don't live in America.

by Vdickinson 1 month ago

Why would you tip? It's fast food?

by hupton 1 month ago

Going to 5 guys and being shocked at the price is a trend lol

by ProfessionalShop4634 1 month ago

You can buy it frozen but it won't be even a quarter as good as from a restaurant/homemade, unless you're going to chain restaurants where it's most probably frozen anyway.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

You tipped the cashier?

by Lizzielemke 1 month ago

If I could find raising canes toast, I'd be set for life😩

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Easy to make yourself.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I tipped a cashier when he HANDED me a pizza I picked up.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Any tips for what items are good to purchase frozen and what kind of stores you buy them at (normal grocery, specialty store)?

by Silly-Bathroom 1 month ago

For one person?? That's crazy.

by AutomaticProduct6570 1 month ago

$25!? What an absolute armed robbery!

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Why would you tip at 5 guys? Unless it's delivery (but you say you went there)

by Empty_Ad 1 month ago

Five guys is notorious for being over priced and undersized. I avoid them and if I do go I never get fries or a soda.

by marquardtjose 1 month ago

this is a popular opinion, its time to become a home chef

by Significant_Nose6464 1 month ago

it also has been true since always. it has nothing to do with current economy issues

by Anonymous 1 month ago

The unpopular opinion is that the opinions are unpopular.

by Prestigious_Fan9287 1 month ago

Dunno about a home chef, but I'm making it a point to learn how to make all my favorite dishes. I don't want to have to go to a restaurant to get my favorite things. I made paella last week, wasn't too bad. Gonna try making Adobo next

by Kaelagottlieb 1 month ago

Fast food certainly isn't worth what they're charging now.

by AutomaticProduct6570 1 month ago

it was worth the money until they made it obligatory to pay for non obligatory tips? like wtf man your customer service and your food was decent but not good enough to get a tip. not my responsibility to pay your workers

by Anonymous 1 month ago

What restaurants make is mandatory to tip ?

by Anonymous 1 month ago

A lot of them include service fees now. Fees to pay for healthcare, fees to pay for employee insurance, bs stuff like this the owner should be paying but isn't.

by Silly-Bathroom 1 month ago

a lot of them. they include it in the fee, which basically forces u to pay for it lol

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Depends on the country, where I live no restaurant I have ever visited or heard of has a mandatory tip

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Extremely popular opinion.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Restaurants shouldn't be open if they can't generate enough revenue to pay their staff without charity.

by EquivalentPair 1 month ago

I was talking to my wife about this. We were talking about how going out to eat now pretty much feels the same as in college, which is problematic considering our income has tripled.

by showell 1 month ago

Depends on the restaurant, bro. It can be worth or not worth the money. I guarantee that you cannot make the food from the actual really good restaurants by yourself. You won't have the exact ingredients and recipes/techniques. That's just poor people mentality. That you can do it yourself at home. Yes, you can beat the cooking of some crappy insignificant diners. But not the food from the serious places.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Also taking a gamble these days if the service is going to be good or not is a huge factor, i'm getting dressed up, leaving the house, spending gas and paying more money, and the quality of service may just ruin the meal/experience lol. I usually eat at home but we'd rather just doordash and stay in the comfort of our own home if we're going to eat out tbh.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I don't remember a single time in my life where eating out was cheaper than making your own food lol

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It used to be a close enough gap that it was worthwhile sometimes. Now it feels like being mugged

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Depends entirely on your disposable income

by Oconnellbirdie 1 month ago

Not really. I can afford to eat out. It isn't worth what it costs for the experience I have. Maybe if I was a billionaire? But nobody here is.

by Silly-Bathroom 1 month ago

Perhaps it's the restaurants you chose.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Suggesting it's only worth eating out if you're a billionaire is incredibly hyperbolic.

by Oconnellbirdie 1 month ago

To me, eating out is not worth it. I have the money to do so and don't feel it is worth it. If I had a considerably GIANT amount of money, maybe it would not matter at all but right now with disposable income it just doesn't appeal. I'd rather spend it on food at a fancy grocery store.

by Silly-Bathroom 1 month ago

Mostly very true- however if I don't cook it I don't have to clean it. We are moving to saving going out to going to higher end restaurants that are really good much less frequently.

by Quiet_Ad5843 1 month ago

It saves me the cleanup, which still makes it worth it to me. I have to wait one way or the other, so I might as well relax and wait.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I mean for fast food sure but all my local restaurants have had some great deals now. A certain chain around me is doing $10 endless wings and the leftovers are another dinner

by Exciting_Active 1 month ago

I think it depends on the restaurant, and the meal but these days I only go to restaurants that serve food I have no idea how to make at home, and where I get service that's actually worth a 20% tip. I have not paid for a hamburger at a sit down restaurant since right before the pandemic.

by Rosalyn54 1 month ago

Eating at a restaurant has never been "worth the money", you're agreeeing to pay more than you'd pay at home for the pleasure of a meal cooked by a professional, and for the pleasure of eating a meal without having to cook the meal or clean it up afterwards. The harsh truth is that so many people, younger folks especially, are spending "more than they can afford" on eating out, getting DoorDash, etc., and it's really just rooted in laziness

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It's "worth the money" if someone pays the money. Prices and money aren't real we made them up and they function al long as 1 buyer and one seller exist.

by Julianne58 1 month ago

Price doesn't factor in to "worth it", what matters is do you get what you pay for. Everything you said is true, but it is still possible for restaurants not to be 'worth it" anymore. I definitely feel restaurants are no longer worth it but used to be. With fast food you used to get some tasty dirt cheap food and who doesn't like that? Now the quality has somehow went down and you pay a premium price for it. With sit-down restaurants you pay a premium over while the food quality has also went downhill. The entire industry has experienced rising prices, declining service & a drop in quality. This is what makes it no longer worth it

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Agree to a point. I love getting food to go, but sitting down at a restaurant is more hassle than it's worth.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Amazing this isn't popular (yet?) considering how many people are complaining about the salary to inflation disparity...

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Depends on the place. Many places have specials which are good deals, letting you get a meal and a drink for about $10. Some places give a lot of food and for one $15 meal, I can get two meals out of it. Pretty reasonable. Otherwise, absolutely, eating-in nowadays is a ripoff. Everyone feels entitled to bigger and bigger tips for doing less and less, the prices are not realistic, and so much of what you get you is obviously microwaved, when you could have just when to the frozen section and microwaved it yourself. Worked in two restaurants, a lot of places are not clean and a lot of this food that's like $20 is just a microwave dinner put on a pretty plate. It's a scam.

by Commercial_Cow 1 month ago

I don't think a situation where I am surrounded by strangers while eating was worth money to begin with. I eat for the food, not for the experience, if the food is as good as home made, be sure I am eating at home.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It never was. It's just for people who don't want to cook or do dishes.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I like to cook and think of myself above average but we have plenty of kick ass restaurants around here that are quite reasonably priced and haven't changed that much in the past 10 years

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Yeah, at most I get takeout these days unless it's someone's birthday. Having to flag down waiters because they are understaffed and then having to tip 20% is ridiculous.

by vpacocha 1 month ago

"I'm serving 12 other tables right now and gave you a way worse experience than you came out for so make sure to tip even more than the absolutely absurd 20% rate!"

by Anonymous 1 month ago

THIS. I feel guilty for wanting to tip poorly, because it's not the server's fault they've been understaffed.

by Silly-Bathroom 1 month ago

20% is absolutely the standard and has been for over a decade. You don't have to tip 20%, but it's considered an average tip.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Agreed on every point. There's something to be said for learning to cook.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Not really an unpopular opinion as of late. Restaurants, fast food, and groceries are all pretty unaffordable to the average person right now. Are you going to spend a minimum of $35 for a mediocre meal at Wendy's or to sit down and eat meh food at Chilis? It doesn't really matter anymore, it's all expensive.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Not all that unpopular of an opinion

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Agree, my wife is a fantastic cook, every time we go out (well we have not eaten out in over 5 years now) we were always disappointed, "we paid for that?". And now a sandwich at a place near us is $25 (I checked their online menu)...forget about it.

by Practical_Rub 1 month ago

Totally agree.

by BigYard 1 month ago

This ins't an unpopular opinion.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Could not agree more.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Do us a favor and don't go out to eat.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It never was worth the money. It has always been a luxury.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I still like Texas Roadhouse.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Many of us are thinking like this. It's been like this for a while.

by Shyannegusikows 1 month ago

I rarely eat out, you save money & eat healthier. That's a win win.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I bought a Korean corn dog for the first time and it only cost me 5 dollars.

by Federal-Bet-364 1 month ago

I like to go out to eat for things I can't make myself. I can get a $20 steak that would cost $50+ in restaurants. My roasted chicken is better than you're going to get in pretty much any restaurant. But can I make quality Asian or Mexican food? Can I do Greek or Italian? Not really. I eat our rarely and when I do it's the kind of things I'd have a really hard time making on my own, and would be expensive in terms of ingredients if I had to buy it all.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I cook regularly at home, but I still love eating out at good restaurants, and do so multiple times a week. I love food too much to forgo eating out.

by yundtaaliyah 1 month ago

Absolutely true. I just can't afford it like we could before as prices have doubled and then there's tipping and tax.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It's not worth it, not all all. Unless you have a husband that owns a casino dealer school who is really good at winning and walking away from blackjack tables. Then you get all your dinner and drinks dates for free! Plus a lil extra. True story, my husband and I do this weekly. And we've discovered some pretty good restaurants, I'm kinda a foodie so it's been extra fun for me.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

First Table makes eating out worth it

by Cold-Writing 1 month ago

Yeah, I just make my own food for the most part. If I want something with no effort I use microwave meals because they'll be about the same as half the restaurants around where I live and theyre cheaper. There are still good restaurants worth the money, but those are a rare occasion for me and my partner.

by Cristalklein 1 month ago

Eating almost isn't worth the money anymore lol

by dmayer 1 month ago

Only food that's incredivly time consuming, I don't know how to make, or costs about as much to make do I get from restaurants. Like persian/Greek food. Making good chicken kebab takes hours of prep and cleaning. I'll pay for that from a good restaurant

by Dry_Berry 1 month ago

Agree 100%. Every time I've eaten at restaurants in the past year, I've regretted it. Can't help thinking how much $ I'd save by just making food at home.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It literally has never been worth it, you don't go to get your money's worth you go to socialise have a good time and not worry about cooking something

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Food in the US is astronomical. Outrageous. I was in Germany for work in December and the food and restaurant prices were so low while the quality was super high. What up US?

by Character_Jello 1 month ago

Interestingly at some point I heard groceries are getting to the point of being more expensive than eating out. Interesting right?

by Anonymous 1 month ago

We are only willing to eat in Chinatown now pretty much. (There are other predominantly immigrant neighborhoods that would also work, just our food preferences.) Everywhere else will guaranteed be above the $40 for two, which is the max of what we feel is reasonable to spend. This is like once a week at most.

by oledner 1 month ago

How is this unpopular?

by treva83 1 month ago

It never was

by Pale-Conversation902 1 month ago

This is not an unpopular opinion

by Anonymous 1 month ago

If you make better food at home than a restaurant, you're simply going to the wrong restaurants

by Miller63 1 month ago

What would be unpopular about this? Fast food is garbage, and that's 85% of all restaurants, local food might be great, but between labor and storefront costs, not really worth it to own or patronize.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Aside from specialty restaurants that handmake everything there is no point in going to chain restaurants. I'll never understand people who will turn their nose up at a local Mexican restaurant but will drop $100 at Chili's

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I agree. at a certain point great things become not worth it anymore. even when the food is good when a main is 30 or 40 dollars in some cases, I will never enjoy it no matter how good it is

by DemandAdventurous 1 month ago

Please do not bring politics into a forum that is worldwide. I'm not American.

by Silly-Bathroom 1 month ago

You just have to find the restaurants that are worth it. 🤷‍♀️ I have a Thai place near me that has a lunch special for $11 and I dream about that food when I'm not eating it.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I think this is shifting from unpopular to uncommon. But agree it's not an enjoyable as it was previously

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It's funny I just went to a restaurant tonight and for the first time in memory I looked at the bill and said "this isn't too bad". Cheap local pubs with greasy burgers is the only remaining hope.

by eunicebreitenbe 1 month ago

I feel sorry for America. Here in Japan eating out can actually be cheaper unless you're making something in bulk. Not to mention there's no tipping

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Everyone thinks this

by Anonymous 1 month ago

That's why you stay away from chains. Small businesses actually have to compete against chains so typically their stuff should be better. If a small business has been open for a long time, then they probably have quality stuff

by These_Knowledge 1 month ago

don't forget food sizes shrinking....

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Instead of going to mediocre places multiple times a week, I'll go to a nice place once a week. Maybe twice, all depends.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It's not unpopular opinion- lol!

by Anonymous 1 month ago

This wasn't even an unpopular opinion 10 years ago, but it's getting worse

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Totally agree - I'm an excellent home cook and my food is way healthier, more nutritious, tastier, and way cheaper than most places where I live. The only places I can't remake are the good pizza shops, Mexican places, good sushi restaurants, dim sum, and some Vietnamese dishes like Banh Mi, Banh Cuon, or a good Pho.

by Stiedemannjuana 1 month ago

Yeah but it's worth the time spent with family and friends

by Charming-Poetry-7144 1 month ago

Other side of the coin, if you can find a tolerable restaurant it's not that expensive anymore compared to groceries unless you're preparing dinners for large groups or just eating garbage.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Chilis is $11 for a three course meal

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I agree to some extent. When you go out and spend $40 on a meal that used to cost $20, it's disappointing when the meal is just mediocre. This has happened to me a few times this past year. But, with regard to tipping: I don't think you should tip 20% for mediocre service. No, I am not against tipping. Not at all. But part the reason tipping is a thing is to encourage good service. If you tip for bad service, you're ruining the whole construct.

by Zgislason 1 month ago

i haven't ate out in 10yrs. Its a waste of money.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I've cut back on eating out. Especially at sit down restaurants. It's just not a great value anymore.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

We've always been a little frugal and didn't go out much even before, let alone now. But every once in a rare while you really want something that just hits the spot like nothing made at home, and you just need to have someone else make it for you for a change. For those complaining about Five Guys and other faster places- hit up your local neighborhood pub. You can sit down to a fantastically juicy burger for about the same price or even less.

by NoOutside3166 1 month ago

While OP is right, I'm still seeing PACKED restaurants. 🤷🏻‍♂️

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I still get takeout sometimes, it costs half as much as eating out.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I have a taco joint I go to once a week and that's it. Can't be experimenting with restaurants these days, gotta go where I know it's good

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I agree to a certain extent. I'm lucky we still have some very good restaurants in our area. But I don't enjoy the trendy ones everyone raves about. I find even the 4-5 star ones with great reviews leave me feeling disappointed in a way. It's like… the food is good, but the love is missing. And you can taste it. We tend to only go to restaurants for special occasions/events so I get really disappointed when they don't live up to expectations.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I think this applies to a lot of mid tier chain restaurants. Tbh though, the wife and I have decided to go to higher end restaurants in our area. With us close to spending 80-95 bucks at places like Barleycorns or a long necks(bar) for small quantities of low quality food. We go to a nicer steak house and find our selves only spending 10-15 bucks more in the end and have a significant nicer experience. So every our dates nights have spread out more but have been way better overall.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I'm not sure where you go but my waitstaff deserves a minimum 20% given their outstanding service. Inflation is real. Don't forget that OP

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I agree, I go out to eat but only to get sushi and lattes because I am awful at trying to make those. I always do takeout too, I never dine in that way I can avoid a tip. The rest though, I cook at home.

by Schinnerantonie 1 month ago

When was going out to dinner ever a cheap alternative to cooking?

by MarketingOdd 1 month ago

Food out hasn't been good for years.

by Perrydouglas 1 month ago

Food has always been more expensive at restaraunts, the people just tend to have more experience with the dishes they're cooking then you would (if you're smart). If you're going to a place that sells steaks or burgers (or something that's common where you live) then yeah you're wasting your money, just make it at home. But if you aren't particularly skilled in a certain style of cooking it's definitely worth eating out for. Of course you could always learn to make that food, but most people don't know how to/don't want too. Also, as someone who's working in food, most people definitely don't tip 20%. You're lucky if you get 15%, and lots of people think its ok to give like 5% or less consistently.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Is it an unpopular opinion? Seems like it's more of a popular opinion nowadays. But agreed, it's infuriating overpaying for mediocre food

by Anonymous 1 month ago

That's the plan. Make society so bad no one wants to participate.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

...and, you just might get sick. After long times of not going out, spouse hit 70; siblings insisted on treating a birthday dinner. 6 days later...COVID. For the 2nd time.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

This is not an unpopular opinion lol

by Anonymous 1 month ago

The reason I eat out is to experience food I wouldn't cook at home (I'm a pretty good cook but some things I'm not going to do alone or for 2). I've definitely scaled back but it's still something I enjoy.

by Newellbreitenbe 1 month ago

80 bucks, for how many people? Like 4 right?

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I mean…nobody ever went out to eat to save money lol.

by Acceptable-Foot9078 1 month ago

This is unpopular? It hasn't been worth the money in a long time. Paying $50+ a plate to be surrounded by screaming kids and parents changing diapers at the table 5 feet from where I am eating?! F that noise. Maybe someday if a childfree place opens nearby I will give it a try. Even on vacation I get 'fast food' takeout and just eat in my room. More often I just buy a loaf of bread and some peanut butter and make my own sandwiches. Cheaper and less likely to give me food poisoning.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I mean it was never actually worth the money. Making food at home was always significantly cheaper than going out to even a half decent restaurant. But yeah now it's even less worth the money.

by Comfortable-Ring5556 1 month ago

Hard agree. I also just don't care for the whole "experience" of eating out. I don't love the "trendy" vibe to so many places—these "trendy" places typically overcharge for mediocre food and service.

by Oscarmertz 1 month ago

It's so banal and played out too. Everywhere looks the same!

by Cary03 1 month ago

For sure! I feel like we all know what I mean by "trendy"—it's all aesthetic. And then you look at the menu and you could have sworn you've seen the SAME thing at four other places under a different name.

by Oscarmertz 1 month ago

We don't really order takeout anymore (exception: panang curry - we have a local Thai place that absolutely slaps and the ingredients are kind of hard to find near me). Eating out is more of a special occasion thing now. I try to pick a locally owned place if we're going to go out. Besides, most restaurant food isn't very healthy.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Between me and my fiance, we make better food than 95% of the restaurants in and around our hometown.

by Antonio90 1 month ago

I work in a restaurant, the waiters are very happy when they get 10%, but often times they simply get nothing at all. The one who gets the most tips basically says too His customers after they pay the bill: "and wheres my tip" which i simply find increadibly rude, but it somehow still works

by Anonymous 1 month ago