Restaurants have gotten so expensive……also recycling and phone apps (1 Viewer)

[The Gator]

Went out to eat last night and thought of this thread

- 11.99 for 4 deviled egg halves

Lobster deviled eggs (3) in Maui were $14. Seems like a deal now lol

 

[Major]

$22 avocado toast was on the brunch menu today

 

[fruity pebbles]

$22 avocado toast was on the brunch menu today

I swear I think some restaurants throw crazy numbers out there just to see if it sticks.

 

[dkp993]

They could not explain the policy to me, just responded “that’s how we do it.”

Well in fairness, the real answer of “it’s more profitable for us to not take them” isn’t exactly an answer that would go over well with the customer wanting the large party reso.

 

[dkp993]

It's almost like different restaurants have different policies and the ones that are more customer-friendly will get more customers, all other things reasonably constant. Quelle surprise!

Unfortunately this isn‘t true, branding, marketing and location are very real factors into that equation.

 

[rockaction]

This varies wildly state to state

Sure thing. I took a page out of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' playbook and decided that everything revolved around California.

 

[Mitchie]

$22 avocado toast was on the brunch menu today

I would've offered $10 and see what they said.

 

[Doug B]

$22 avocado toast was on the brunch menu today

I would've offered $10 and see what they said.

“… I see what the menu says … but what’s your price for [crisps bill] Mister Hamilton?”

 

[Major]

$22 avocado toast was on the brunch menu today

I would've offered $10 and see what they said.

“… I see what the menu says … but what’s your price for [crisps bill] Mister Hamilton?”

I was negging the girl a bit and asked how her $22 avocado toast was. I guess I undersold it as I just saw avocado toast on the bill and $22. I was told it also had a slice of salmon and a fried egg on it. Supposedly it was to die for.

 

[Judge Smails]

To be fair Panera bagels are ok, but their sandwiches…I can find better stuff in the frozen food aisle

SWC’s comments are great schtick. Panera is so bad they should be out of business. Which they will be in a few years. Take that to the bank bromigos.

 

[Galileo]

Went to the local Mexican place tonight with family of 4...$85.53 before tip.

 

[General Malaise]

To be fair Panera bagels are ok, but their sandwiches…I can find better stuff in the frozen food aisle

SWC’s comments are great schtick. Panera is so bad they should be out of business. Which they will be in a few years. Take that to the bank bromigos.

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

 

[Judge Smails]

To be fair Panera bagels are ok, but their sandwiches…I can find better stuff in the frozen food aisle

SWC’s comments are great schtick. Panera is so bad they should be out of business. Which they will be in a few years. Take that to the bank bromigos.

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

Plenty of chains die. They may be a slow death. But many eventually die or become irrelevant. One man’s opinion, but Panera just puts out a ****ty, nondescript product. They aren’t good with even the basics. Soups, salads, sandwiches. Got a grilled cheese and tomato soup there. Inedible. They’ll be sold to other private equity in fire sales. But my bet is they will see a very steep decline.

 

[culdeus]

To be fair Panera bagels are ok, but their sandwiches…I can find better stuff in the frozen food aisle

SWC’s comments are great schtick. Panera is so bad they should be out of business. Which they will be in a few years. Take that to the bank bromigos.

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

Plenty of chains die. They may be a slow death. But many eventually die or become irrelevant. One man’s opinion, but Panera just puts out a ****ty, nondescript product. They aren’t good with even the basics. Soups, salads, sandwiches. Got a grilled cheese and tomato soup there. Inedible. They’ll be sold to other private equity in fire sales. But my bet is they will see a very steep decline.

Even subway is dying and it was more profitable than God while Jared wasn't into pedo stuff.

 

[SoBeDad]

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

How many of the more than 250 menu items gave you tried at the Cheesecake Factory? They offer quality food, made fresh daily, good portions, at a decent price, something for everyone. The public is not wrong on the Cheesecake factory.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

 

[Dr. Octopus]

How many of the more than 250 menu items gave you tried at the Cheesecake Factory? They offer quality food, made fresh daily, good portions, at a decent price, something for everyone. The public is not wrong on the Cheesecake factory.

Do you work for them or something?

It’s a decent but mediocre meal (the size of the menu is actually ridiculous and takes away from the quality of the meals by trying to do too much). They’re always located in malls which attracts families and office workers (lunch crowd) - and the public thrives on name recognition mediocrity (see Olive Garden, McDonalds, TGIF, Sbarro….)

 

[Mitchie]

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

How many of the more than 250 menu items gave you tried at the Cheesecake Factory? They offer quality food, made fresh daily, good portions, at a decent price, something for everyone. The public is not wrong on the Cheesecake factory.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I've eaten there once, enough to know it's not very good. The public is wrong often.

 

[SoBeDad]

I've eaten there once, enough to know it's not very good. The public is wrong often.

Which few of their 250 menu items weren't good?

I saw the opening of a new Cheescake factory on Lincoln Road last month and was impressed with the training. I believe the chefs had 2 months of on- site training and the waiters trained for a few weeks without real clients, memorizing the entire 21 page menu, and then they trained for about10 days, an invitation only, with family and friends as diners. They're doing something right, including the fettuccine Alfredo, which I bet would do well in a blind taste test. I haven't eaten there in 5 years but I recall my last meal there was a veggie burger and fries made to perfection.

It's popularity leads to good pay and quality staff.

 

[Capella]

Preggo wife wanted Panera today lol. When I did the online order that I was going to drive to go get and then walk inside to pick up, it defaulted to a 20% tip.



My sandwich truthfully was abysmal. The little pecan braid thing was ok.

 

[Doug B]

I've eaten there once, enough to know it's not very good. The public is wrong often.

Which few of their 250 menu items weren't good?

I saw the opening of a new Cheescake factory on Lincoln Road last month and was impressed with the training. I believe the chefs had 2 months of on- site training and the waiters trained for a few weeks without real clients, memorizing the entire 21 page menu, and then they trained for about10 days, an invitation only, with family and friends as diners. They're doing something right, including the fettuccine Alfredo, which I bet would do well in a blind taste test. I haven't eaten there in 5 years but I recall my last meal there was a veggie burger and fries made to perfection.

It's popularity leads to good pay and quality staff.

Cheesecake Factory, like Panera and Olive Garden, is a challenging and complicated model to implement. Done well and to completion, the food should be decent or better. However, it’s got to be kind of a high-wire act compared to, say, a Five Guys or UNO’s.

 

[massraider]

Once those guys have a solid formula for middle America, it's really just mismanagement that can derail. Bad choices for locations, bad lease deals, trying to grow too fast, like any other company.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

the food at Panera is mediocre but it's my go to if I am on the road and have to work because they are always big, rarely too crowded and have lots of booths and have unlimited (acceptable) coffee.

 

[General Malaise]

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

How many of the more than 250 menu items gave you tried at the Cheesecake Factory? They offer quality food, made fresh daily, good portions, at a decent price, something for everyone. The public is not wrong on the Cheesecake factory.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I went enough and tried enough to know that it's not for me. I disagree that it's quality. If it were, the portion sizes wouldn't be so massive. The public isn't wrong, it's just what they like. I don't consider Outback fine dining but it's always packed - at least here.

I'm also not waiting more than 90 seconds to dine inside a Cheesecake Factory when there are plenty of other options I can go to where the food is better, crowds are smaller and I don't feel like I have a boat anchor in my stomach when I'm done.

 

[General Malaise]

To be fair Panera bagels are ok, but their sandwiches…I can find better stuff in the frozen food aisle

SWC’s comments are great schtick. Panera is so bad they should be out of business. Which they will be in a few years. Take that to the bank bromigos.

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

Plenty of chains die. They may be a slow death. But many eventually die or become irrelevant. One man’s opinion, but Panera just puts out a ****ty, nondescript product. They aren’t good with even the basics. Soups, salads, sandwiches. Got a grilled cheese and tomato soup there. Inedible. They’ll be sold to other private equity in fire sales. But my bet is they will see a very steep decline.

I certainly am not defending Panera - I haven't been to one in 20 years. But the one we have close by seems to always be busy when I drive by. Just wondering what has changed recently that will suddenly author the end to a place many Americans think is a healthier option to fast food.

 

[Stoneworker]

To be fair Panera bagels are ok, but their sandwiches…I can find better stuff in the frozen food aisle

SWC’s comments are great schtick. Panera is so bad they should be out of business. Which they will be in a few years. Take that to the bank bromigos.

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

Plenty of chains die. They may be a slow death. But many eventually die or become irrelevant. One man’s opinion, but Panera just puts out a ****ty, nondescript product. They aren’t good with even the basics. Soups, salads, sandwiches. Got a grilled cheese and tomato soup there. Inedible. They’ll be sold to other private equity in fire sales. But my bet is they will see a very steep decline.

Sold to a private equity firm in a fire sale? Doubtful.

In reality, Panera is preparing an IPO this summer.

Panera Bread parent announces CEO transition as it prepares for 'eventual IPO'

Panera Brands CEO Niren Chaudhary will be succeeded by Einstein Bros. Bagels CEO Jose Duenas, effective July 1.

www.cnbc.com

 

[General Malaise]

I've eaten there once, enough to know it's not very good. The public is wrong often.

Which few of their 250 menu items weren't good?

I saw the opening of a new Cheescake factory on Lincoln Road last month and was impressed with the training. I believe the chefs had 2 months of on- site training and the waiters trained for a few weeks without real clients, memorizing the entire 21 page menu, and then they trained for about10 days, an invitation only, with family and friends as diners. They're doing something right, including the fettuccine Alfredo, which I bet would do well in a blind taste test. I haven't eaten there in 5 years but I recall my last meal there was a veggie burger and fries made to perfection.

It's popularity leads to good pay and quality staff.

The Cubano was decent but there are 100 places that offer one of similar or better quality without having to visit a mall location or deal with throngs of people.

 

[Ilov80s]

$22 avocado toast was on the brunch menu today

I would've offered $10 and see what they said.

“… I see what the menu says … but what’s your price for [crisps bill] Mister Hamilton?”

I was negging the girl a bit and asked how her $22 avocado toast was. I guess I undersold it as I just saw avocado toast on the bill and $22. I was told it also had a slice of salmon and a fried egg on it. Supposedly it was to die for.

I was going to say, there had to be more to it.

 

[Keerock]

To be fair Panera bagels are ok, but their sandwiches…I can find better stuff in the frozen food aisle

If you want good bagels in our area... go here:

New York Bagel - Detroit, bagels, sandwiches, dogels and more!

 

[the moops]

Went out to a local Ethiopian place with the family yesterday for lunch. 50 bucks for the 4 of us with leftovers. Will gladly pay 50 for that deliciousness

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Went out to a local Ethiopian place with the family yesterday for lunch. 50 bucks for the 4 of us with leftovers. Will gladly pay 50 for that deliciousness

Twin Cities?

 

[dkp993]

How many of the more than 250 menu items gave you tried at the Cheesecake Factory? They offer quality food, made fresh daily, good portions, at a decent price, something for everyone. The public is not wrong on the Cheesecake factory.

Do you work for them or something?

It’s a decent but mediocre meal (the size of the menu is actually ridiculous and takes away from the quality of the meals by trying to do too much). They’re always located in malls which attracts families and office workers (lunch crowd) - and the public thrives on name recognition mediocrity (see Olive Garden, McDonalds, TGIF, Sbarro….)

Yep. The beauty of what the cheesecake factory has done is built on the strength of A+ locations, A (as in singular) quality product a.k.a. the cheesecake, excellent training and capitalizing on the brand they built. Their food quality is mediocre but consistent which isn’t as easy to do as it sounds. It’s a machine.

The size of their menu is a mistake in my opinion, as I have always tended to be drawn to the In-N-Out model of limited menu and great execution but obviously what they’re doing is highly successful, so who the hell am I to critique.

 

[massraider]

The size of their menu is a mistake in my opinion

Yes, but why?

Because what you have to do in order to maintain standards across that menu is expensive, and can be wasteful. Bad idea for almost any restaurant. How do you make that work? Who can pull of a huge menu?

Need to be doing massive volume, and have spectacular SOPs in place, and be willing to staff properly.

Welp, that's Cheesecake Factory.

 

[General Malaise]

Preggo wife wanted Panera today lol. When I did the online order that I was going to drive to go get and then walk inside to pick up, it defaulted to a 20% tip.



My sandwich truthfully was abysmal. The little pecan braid thing was ok.

Congrats!!!!!

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The size of their menu is a mistake in my opinion

Yes, but why?

Because what you have to do in order to maintain standards across that menu is expensive, and can be wasteful. Bad idea for almost any restaurant. How do you make that work? Who can pull of a huge menu?

Need to be doing massive volume, and have spectacular SOPs in place, and be willing to staff properly.

Welp, that's Cheesecake Factory.

There’s no denying whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it right. When I commented on menu size, it was in reference to the quality of their meals - it’s easier to do a few things right.

Obviously their food is decent and consistent enough that people keep going but the food is mediocre relatively speaking imo.


I’m no dining snob, I had just commented that I went there with my family and when I was in the office everyday, we went to the one in the local mall at least 5-6 times - but I’d much prefer a privately owned restaurant to the corporate types 99 out of 100 times.

 

[Stoneworker]

The size of their menu is a mistake in my opinion

Yes, but why?

Because what you have to do in order to maintain standards across that menu is expensive, and can be wasteful. Bad idea for almost any restaurant. How do you make that work? Who can pull of a huge menu?

Need to be doing massive volume, and have spectacular SOPs in place, and be willing to staff properly.

Welp, that's Cheesecake Factory.

They're just fine for their target customer. It's what they want. Do a search of their locations.

MI - Twelve Oaks Mall, Woodland Mall
OK - Woodlands Hills Mall, Penn Square Mall
CO - 16th St Mall, Park Meadows (mall), Southwest Plaza (mall)
MN - Ridgedale Center (mall), Southdale Center (mall)


There's a theme here.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The size of their menu is a mistake in my opinion

Yes, but why?

Because what you have to do in order to maintain standards across that menu is expensive, and can be wasteful. Bad idea for almost any restaurant. How do you make that work? Who can pull of a huge menu?

Need to be doing massive volume, and have spectacular SOPs in place, and be willing to staff properly.

Welp, that's Cheesecake Factory.

They're just fine for their target customer. It's what they want. Do a search of their locations.

MI - Twelve Oaks Mall, Woodland Mall
OK - Woodlands Hills Mall, Penn Square Mall
CO - 16th St Mall, Park Meadows (mall), Southwest Plaza (mall)
MN - Ridgedale Center (mall), Southdale Center (mall)


There's a theme here.

I’ve never seen one that wasn’t a part of a mall.

 

[Sullie]

So, I called my brother and asked him out to dinner for his birthday and my son wanted to join, my wife had a work emergency so she couldn't join us unfortunately. I asked him what he was in the mood for, he said a "steak and a beer" and Longhorn was the closest, most convenient and very casual, So, my son got Parmesan chicken and water (which was odd to me b/c he's usually a steak and soda kinda guy), my brother got a large beer and a New York strip, I also got a large beer and a Porterhouse steak and I got an order of stuffed mushrooms for the table. Overall, I was pleased with the cook on the steak, my meal was good, I think it was a decent value. $115 plus tip, so $145 was the total (the waitress looked like a college kid, she did a great job and I remember being a broke college kid.) I will just say this, that was about 24 hours ago and I'm still not hungry, it was big meal to me. Thinking about it, it seems like 5 years ago that meal would have been probably $20 or $30 cheaper but that meal doesn't seem unreasonable to me at all, it's not fast food but it's also not fine dining.

I would say this, if I were in "economy mode" I would not have gotten a beer nor the Porterhouse, I would have had water and had the special (whatever the special is), skipped the appetizer and I'm sure I would have saved $30+ on my meal alone. I agree that dining out has gotten more expensive but, at the same time, I feel like everything has gotten more expensive lately.

 

[the moops]

Went out to a local Ethiopian place with the family yesterday for lunch. 50 bucks for the 4 of us with leftovers. Will gladly pay 50 for that deliciousness

Twin Cities?

Yep.

Place called Bole. Psyched that my kiddos are into good and interesting foods

 

[Major]

To be fair Panera bagels are ok, but their sandwiches…I can find better stuff in the frozen food aisle

SWC’s comments are great schtick. Panera is so bad they should be out of business. Which they will be in a few years. Take that to the bank bromigos.

Will they though? I see no discernable difference between Panera, Cheesecake Facory, Cracker Barrel, or all the fast food restaurants that people frequent. The American public loves mediocre food chains, especially ones that have carved out a niche like Panera. What's the catalyst that puts them out of business?

Plenty of chains die. They may be a slow death. But many eventually die or become irrelevant. One man’s opinion, but Panera just puts out a ****ty, nondescript product. They aren’t good with even the basics. Soups, salads, sandwiches. Got a grilled cheese and tomato soup there. Inedible. They’ll be sold to other private equity in fire sales. But my bet is they will see a very steep decline.

I think the only time I tried Panera was for coffee in the airport so I can't speak on their food quality. Business wise, they went private a few years back and sold to a huge conglomerate so lots of fire power to keep them afloat.

 

[Stoneworker]

The size of their menu is a mistake in my opinion

Yes, but why?

Because what you have to do in order to maintain standards across that menu is expensive, and can be wasteful. Bad idea for almost any restaurant. How do you make that work? Who can pull of a huge menu?

Need to be doing massive volume, and have spectacular SOPs in place, and be willing to staff properly.

Welp, that's Cheesecake Factory.

They're just fine for their target customer. It's what they want. Do a search of their locations.

MI - Twelve Oaks Mall, Woodland Mall
OK - Woodlands Hills Mall, Penn Square Mall
CO - 16th St Mall, Park Meadows (mall), Southwest Plaza (mall)
MN - Ridgedale Center (mall), Southdale Center (mall)


There's a theme here.

I’ve never seen one that wasn’t a part of a mall.

So corporate has obviously put a lot of marketing analytics into selecting locations. Most likely they've done similar research operationally with the menu and food logistics.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

So, I called my brother and asked him out to dinner for his birthday and my son wanted to join, my wife had a work emergency so she couldn't join us unfortunately. I asked him what he was in the mood for, he said a "steak and a beer" and Longhorn was the closest, most convenient and very casual, So, my son got Parmesan chicken and water (which was odd to me b/c he's usually a steak and soda kinda guy), my brother got a large beer and a New York strip, I also got a large beer and a Porterhouse steak and I got an order of stuffed mushrooms for the table. Overall, I was pleased with the cook on the steak, my meal was good, I think it was a decent value. $115 plus tip, so $145 was the total (the waitress looked like a college kid, she did a great job and I remember being a broke college kid.) I will just say this, that was about 24 hours ago and I'm still not hungry, it was big meal to me. Thinking about it, it seems like 5 years that meal would have been probably $20 or $30 cheaper but that meal doesn't seem unreasonable to me at all, it's not fast food but it's also not fine dining.

I would say this, if I were in "economy mode" I would not have gotten a beer nor the Porterhouse, I would have had water and had the special (whatever the special is), skipped the appetizer and I'm sure I would have saved $30+ on my meal alone. I agree that dining out has gotten more expensive but, at the same time, I feel like everything has gotten more expensive lately.

Yeah, skipping the drinks alone makes a big difference on the bill.

 

[Capella]

Preggo wife wanted Panera today lol. When I did the online order that I was going to drive to go get and then walk inside to pick up, it defaulted to a 20% tip.



My sandwich truthfully was abysmal. The little pecan braid thing was ok.

Congrats!!!!!

Thanks Gb!!

 

[Doug B]

I’ve never seen one that wasn’t a part of a mall.

Two Cheesecake Factories in the N.O. area and one I visited in Houston were standalones, FWIW.

For a long time down here and in Mississippi, Ruby Tuesday’s was the official “upscale” choice at most malls. “Upscale” compared to the mall food court, to be clear.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Went out to a local Ethiopian place with the family yesterday for lunch. 50 bucks for the 4 of us with leftovers. Will gladly pay 50 for that deliciousness

Twin Cities?

Yep.

Place called Bole. Psyched that my kiddos are into good and interesting foods

Nice!! Ditto with my kids.

Aside: Pre kids (20+ years ago) we lived about a 1/2 mile from where Bole is now.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

The size of their menu is a mistake in my opinion

Yes, but why?

Because what you have to do in order to maintain standards across that menu is expensive, and can be wasteful. Bad idea for almost any restaurant. How do you make that work? Who can pull of a huge menu?

Need to be doing massive volume, and have spectacular SOPs in place, and be willing to staff properly.

Welp, that's Cheesecake Factory.

They're just fine for their target customer. It's what they want. Do a search of their locations.

MI - Twelve Oaks Mall, Woodland Mall
OK - Woodlands Hills Mall, Penn Square Mall
CO - 16th St Mall, Park Meadows (mall), Southwest Plaza (mall)
MN - Ridgedale Center (mall), Southdale Center (mall)


There's a theme here.

I’ve never seen one that wasn’t a part of a mall.

Or a shopping center. The one closest to me is in the parking lot of an upscale outdoor shopping center.

 

[massraider]

Or a shopping center. The one closest to me is in the parking lot of an upscale outdoor shopping center.

Nothing to back this up, but I would not be surprised if they get sweetheart lease deals to open up new locations. Cheesecake Factory should pay less per sqf than TJ Maxx.

 

[General Malaise]

Thought of this thread yesterday - fancy new beer/bottle shop opened up with a small tap house and limited menu. Went in to buy my wife some hard seltzers that are tough to find. $5.75 per 16oz can. Took 4 to the register, swipe my debit card and get a tip screen next. Why? Why am I being asked to tip on a transaction that was no different than buying something at a supermarket or convenience store?

 

[the moops]

https://twitter.com/RussellFalcon/status/1676248595538870278?s=20

 

[dickey moe]

Went out to a local Ethiopian place with the family yesterday for lunch. 50 bucks for the 4 of us with leftovers. Will gladly pay 50 for that deliciousness

This is the way.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Too expensive?! What has happened to FBG$?!!

Need to go back to ol' yella days and must email Joe last two years tax returns before getting approval to post IMO