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

[Doug B]

I think we’re way too deep in the weeds on this, all I’m saying is, there’s no scenario in which working a low skilled profession earns you a career living wage.

That’s not exactly crazy talk.

This is largely true.

Consider, however: When you see fast-food places advertising "$15/hr wages!" ... that's not the proprietor just trying to be fair and do right by his employees by overpaying. Rather, there is wage competition even for reliable low-skilled workers. The level of employee you could get for $10/hr in 2018-19 now costs more.

And proprietors are not paying for the job skills, per se. They're paying for people who have a basic work ethic. Who are conscientious about even their "schmidt job". Who will show up on time, every time. Who don't need to be supervised to perform. And so forth.

Places that won't engage in this wage competition in 2023 end up like the fast-food place by my house that is chronically understaffed. A proprietor can end up with the staff hiding out inside, screwing around, and letting the drive-through customers pass on by. And "fire 'em all and hire new people!" doesn't work if you won't budge off the outdated figure you think they should be making. Again -- you're not paying them for their job skills.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

It's intesting.

My local BBQ guy now is at $32 a pound for BBQ brisket. That's shocking for lots of people.

But knowing what I know about prices and effort required, that's a bargain for the customer.

On the other hand, the bar charging $15 for an Old Fashioned made with well bourbon or the guy charging $25 for the artisanal pizza is making a sweet profit margin.

What was it "before"?

 

[MTskibum]

@Major look at those menu prices. Katsu don is what I recommend.

What part of Houston do you live in?

Appreciate the recommendation. For cheap Sushi, Oishi is my go-to but it can get packed so recommend non peak hours. I'm in the Montrose area.

http://oishiihouston.com/dinnermenu.pdf

The place I linked does have sushi, but most the people there order other dishes. It is closer to a Japanese comfort food restaurant.

I live in Sugarland and work on the west side. Most of the reasonably priced restaurants I have found would be a drive.

Montrose area tends to have more fine dining/ upscale foodie restaurants compared to the west side suburbs.

No wonder you complain about the cost of eating out.

I do miss Barnaby's though.

 

[Brownsfan]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Avian flu is still reeking havoc on our poultry industry.

Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues

In the midst of the worst outbreak in US history, here’s what you should know about avian flu.

www.sciencefriday.com

I just checked and I can get commodity wings for $1.35 per pound. Average 4.5 wings per pound or 30 cents each. I am sure a busy wing place/franchise could get a much better price. Anyone overcharging for wings right now is doing just that, over charging.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

L

$15-20 drinks used to reserved for NYC and London but now that's everywhere.

a decent pint of beer is now $8 minimum at most places around me - even low quality macro beers like Miller Lite or Blue Moon are $5-$7 a pint.

Bud Light is really cheap.

I’ll have a Miller Lite sometimes, if I feel like having a beer or two or three without getting any real buzz, but I’ve always hated Bud and Bud Lite - and it has nothing to do with any recent marketing campaigns.

 

[General Malaise]

Yeah started cooking more at home for sure.
Wild its 15 bucks for burgers and fries almost everywhere

Decent hamburger at Kroger is $9 / lb.

Somehow Costco still at $3.99!

Costco is very smart about their pricing. They've decided to avoid raising their pizza and hot dog prices at the fast food kiosk up front - and they're pretty good, too.

I mean...it's gotta help charging everybody that shops there $120 a year just to, well, be able to shop there.

 

[General Malaise]

L

$15-20 drinks used to reserved for NYC and London but now that's everywhere.

a decent pint of beer is now $8 minimum at most places around me - even low quality macro beers like Miller Lite or Blue Moon are $5-$7 a pint.

Bud Light is really cheap.

I’ll have a Miller Lite sometimes, if I feel like having a beer or two or three without getting any real buzz, but I’ve always hated Bud and Bud Lite - and it has nothing to do with any recent marketing campaigns.

Miller Lite was my mom's beer, so it'll always have a special place in my heart. That said, I can only drink it out of a can if and only if it is ICE cold. It doesn't taste very good on tap, at least for me.

 

[Major]

I know not a shocking statement given the price of everything but restaurants in particular have hit a breaking point for me. I’m not taking the kids out nearly s much as I used to and I don’t enjoy going out as much as I used to either because of the feeling I’m being ripped off. I'm not in NYC or SF. I live in a foodie type town of around 100,000 people.

1. A good friend of mine and I used to go out every other week to a variety of nice restaurants. We would get a couple appetizers to split, a main course and each a cocktail. No dessert. Bill would be about $100 plus tip. This was two years ago. Now……..it’s impossible to get out of the same type of restaurants without dropping $150 plus tip. Bill is larger so the tip is larger as well so $120 to $180 in the course of two years.
2. Also every new restaurant is small plate tapas. Each tapa is the price of what entrees used to be but three or four bites each plate. We are typically informed that each of us will need to order a minimum of three tapas apiece to make a meal.
3. when did the minimum price of a cocktail become $15. I’m not talking about anything fancy here.
4. took my two kids to Elevation burger for lunch the other day. i got an elevation burger with no fries just the burger, the two kids each got a two piece chicken tender meal with fries. I got a fountain soda and they split a milkshake. Price……..$70. I mean WTF

I’m with you 100% on this. I know we go out to eat more than we should already but we’re making a more concerted effort to make dinner at home. When prices were normal it wasn’t that bad but it’s way more than it was. Ordering a pizza, 12 wings and garlic knots is $50 if you aren’t getting Dominos.

Actually that's about what you're paying for all that at Dominos after all the delivery fees and tip.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

L

$15-20 drinks used to reserved for NYC and London but now that's everywhere.

a decent pint of beer is now $8 minimum at most places around me - even low quality macro beers like Miller Lite or Blue Moon are $5-$7 a pint.

I remember when $8 beers were a joke you used to make about going to a ballgame or NYC. Now if I see $8 draft pints on a menu even in a normal town I'm like "hey that's not too bad these days".

 

[NutterButter]

Yeah started cooking more at home for sure.
Wild its 15 bucks for burgers and fries almost everywhere

Decent hamburger at Kroger is $9 / lb.

Somehow Costco still at $3.99!

Costco prices have just been amazing for the most part. I almost exclusively shop there and even though I'm not really price aware (I buy the same stuff every week regardless of price so I hardly look), nothing has jumped out as going up as much as it seems to have been the case.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I thought of an exception to the "no high school kids" at our local fast-food places: Chik-Fil-A is still staffed with almost all kids, and one or two adult managers. Looks a lot like 1980s fast-food staffing that I was familiar with growing up.

I've noticed that too. I don't know about other places, but here in TN they pay well for part time. LIke $17 an hour plus food plus help with college costs and such.

 

[Joe Bryant]

It's intesting.

My local BBQ guy now is at $32 a pound for BBQ brisket. That's shocking for lots of people.

But knowing what I know about prices and effort required, that's a bargain for the customer.

On the other hand, the bar charging $15 for an Old Fashioned made with well bourbon or the guy charging $25 for the artisanal pizza is making a sweet profit margin.

What was it "before"?

I remember Brisket hitting the $20 a pound mark and raising eyebrows.

 

[Doug B]

I thought of an exception to the "no high school kids" at our local fast-food places: Chik-Fil-A is still staffed with almost all kids, and one or two adult managers. Looks a lot like 1980s fast-food staffing that I was familiar with growing up.

I've noticed that too. I don't know about other places, but here in TN they pay well for part time. LIke $17 an hour plus food plus help with college costs and such.

Starbucks also has an employee tuition-aid program. I don't see high-school age kids working there very much (probably in part because weekday mornings are the money shifts), but plenty of college-age "putting themselves through" types.

 

[Joe Bryant]

BBQ is also a terrible thing to sell by the pound as most people don't understand the process of what happens from grocery store to restaurant plate.

You lose about 50% of the weight from what you start with from the store.

In other words it takes 2 pounds of raw brisket to create 1 pound of ready to eat brisket BBQ.

But most people won't do that. All they see is, "$32 a pound? What! It's $6 a pound in the store!"

They'll never get to the actual math that the BBQ guy has 37% food costs in his brisket before he fires up the BBQ pit and then spends 15 hours cooking it.

Compared to the Pizza guy who has 20% food costs.

BBQ is the worlds best food. But it's a terrible business.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Tell you what though: I don't know for a fact, as I don't have a behind-the-scenes view into any one place any more. But I see evidence that at least one of our local fast-food places (major national chain) ... the franchisee has basically thrown in the towel and does not, in fact, have any full-time staff currently.

Place is still usually open during normal hours. I say 'usually' because sometimes you go through the drive-through during their advertised 'open' hours and there isn't a soul visible in the back. I don't mean they closed up and left a half-hour early -- I mean during the dinner rush. Still daylight outside.

Other times you go, and it looks at first like it's open and operating normally. Then when you pull up and look in through the window, you see two people just grinding out the shift. Place is supposed to have five or six working dinner rush and normally did a few years ago. They wave almost every car forward to keep their drive-through metrics looking right. But with two during the work of five, it's not running like normal. These employees, naturally, burn out quickly.

This happened to the Burger King in my town. It closed down a couple of months ago.

When I go through McDonalds (about between once a week and once every other week), I'd say it's 50-50 whether I get my order at the window or whether I have to pull up and wait 5 minutes for my food because they're consistently understaffed. I grabbed breakfast from them on my way into the office this morning, and as far as I can tell there were only two people working at 6:30 am. It took me 7 minutes from the time I placed my order until the time I got my food, and it was just a normal breakfast combo right off the menu.

I don't really care that much because (a) I don't go there that often and (b) I don't have any ownership stake in this particular MCD franchise. But the degradation in service is really noticeable.

 

[Hawks64]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Avian flu is still reeking havoc on our poultry industry.

Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues

In the midst of the worst outbreak in US history, here’s what you should know about avian flu.

www.sciencefriday.com

I just checked and I can get commodity wings for $1.35 per pound. Average 4.5 wings per pound or 30 cents each. I am sure a busy wing place/franchise could get a much better price. Anyone overcharging for wings right now is doing just that, over charging.

Costco still is 24.99 for 10lbs, before the pandemic it was like 15 bucks for 10lbs, still more than yours. Guess they don't have commodity wings.

 

[Doug B]

When I go through McDonalds (about between once a week and once every other week), I'd say it's 50-50 whether I get my order at the window or whether I have to pull up and wait 5 minutes for my food because they're consistently understaffed. I grabbed breakfast from them on my way into the office this morning, and as far as I can tell there were only two people working at 6:30 am. It took me 7 minutes from the time I placed my order until the time I got my food, and it was just a normal breakfast combo right off the menu.

I don't really care that much because (a) I don't go there that often and (b) I don't have any ownership stake in this particular MCD franchise. But the degradation in service is really noticeable.

And the McDonalds closest to our house is rocking and rolling. Plenty of staff, efficient drive-through service, the whole nine.

It's interesting how Franchisee A can make it work, while Franchisee B sees their operation just fall apart.

 

[Joe Bryant]

A handle of mid level whiskey is $40.

I'm sure a bar can buy it much better.

But even at retail prices, that's $1.26 for a 2 ounce pour.

That's a LOT of room to play with on a $15 cocktail.

 

[dkp993]

Most people for some reason believe that restaurants print money (profit wise) and that owners are price gouging. The reality is (like @MAC_32 mentioned) is it has always been a very low profit margin business where success is driven by volume. With the huge spike in wages, COG’s, healthcare and vendor costs restaurants have no other lever to pull to stay open but raise prices. This unfortunately often runs the risk of hurting overall volume (the lifeblood of a restaurant). It’s a vicious cycle that is driving many owners under.

 

[dkp993]

Yeah started cooking more at home for sure.
Wild its 15 bucks for burgers and fries almost everywhere

Decent hamburger at Kroger is $9 / lb.

Somehow Costco still at $3.99!

Costco is very smart about their pricing. They've decided to avoid raising their pizza and hot dog prices at the fast food kiosk up front - and they're pretty good, too.

That’s easy to do when everone is paying a membership fee. Raising the membership fee (which they’ve done) is effectively the same (though better as everyone pays) as raising the hot dog price.

 

[Brownsfan]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Avian flu is still reeking havoc on our poultry industry.

Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues

In the midst of the worst outbreak in US history, here’s what you should know about avian flu.

www.sciencefriday.com

I just checked and I can get commodity wings for $1.35 per pound. Average 4.5 wings per pound or 30 cents each. I am sure a busy wing place/franchise could get a much better price. Anyone overcharging for wings right now is doing just that, over charging.

Costco still is 24.99 for 10lbs, before the pandemic it was like 15 bucks for 10lbs, still more than yours. Guess they don't have commodity wings.

I didn't make it clear, I can get them wholesale since I am in the business. Costco has to add profit. If they are untrimmed raw wings, they are commodity. Value added would be cleaned, or cooked, or breaded in some fashion.

 

[nirad3]

Like the rest of y'all I've noticed higher prices too. Maybe not at my neighborhood dive bar per se', but more so at the mid-level restaurants. What used to be a $17-20 bill is now $25 easily.... maybe more.

With the BBQ talk here I'm interested to see what my lunch costs today as I'm headed to a local BBQ joint with an old co-worker buddy. Last time we were there I know it was $22ish with tip; I'd bet it's closer to $26 today.

 

[General Malaise]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Avian flu is still reeking havoc on our poultry industry.

Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues

In the midst of the worst outbreak in US history, here’s what you should know about avian flu.

www.sciencefriday.com

I just checked and I can get commodity wings for $1.35 per pound. Average 4.5 wings per pound or 30 cents each. I am sure a busy wing place/franchise could get a much better price. Anyone overcharging for wings right now is doing just that, over charging.

Costco still is 24.99 for 10lbs, before the pandemic it was like 15 bucks for 10lbs, still more than yours. Guess they don't have commodity wings.

I didn't make it clear, I can get them wholesale since I am in the business. Costco has to add profit. If they are untrimmed raw wings, they are commodity. Value added would be cleaned, or cooked, or breaded in some fashion.

I like it when I learn something new in here.

 

[dkp993]

L

$15-20 drinks used to reserved for NYC and London but now that's everywhere.

a decent pint of beer is now $8 minimum at most places around me - even low quality macro beers like Miller Lite or Blue Moon are $5-$7 a pint.

I remember when $8 beers were a joke you used to make about going to a ballgame or NYC. Now if I see $8 draft pints on a menu even in a normal town I'm like "hey that's not too bad these days".

That’s not too dissimilar to a conversation I had with the wife the other day about gas prices. I filled up and it was 4.50 a gallon and I was happy it was “so cheap”. Yet not long ago I would be pissed at 3.80. It’s funny how quickly we get trained.

 

[stbugs]

I know not a shocking statement given the price of everything but restaurants in particular have hit a breaking point for me. I’m not taking the kids out nearly s much as I used to and I don’t enjoy going out as much as I used to either because of the feeling I’m being ripped off. I'm not in NYC or SF. I live in a foodie type town of around 100,000 people.

1. A good friend of mine and I used to go out every other week to a variety of nice restaurants. We would get a couple appetizers to split, a main course and each a cocktail. No dessert. Bill would be about $100 plus tip. This was two years ago. Now……..it’s impossible to get out of the same type of restaurants without dropping $150 plus tip. Bill is larger so the tip is larger as well so $120 to $180 in the course of two years.
2. Also every new restaurant is small plate tapas. Each tapa is the price of what entrees used to be but three or four bites each plate. We are typically informed that each of us will need to order a minimum of three tapas apiece to make a meal.
3. when did the minimum price of a cocktail become $15. I’m not talking about anything fancy here.
4. took my two kids to Elevation burger for lunch the other day. i got an elevation burger with no fries just the burger, the two kids each got a two piece chicken tender meal with fries. I got a fountain soda and they split a milkshake. Price……..$70. I mean WTF

I’m with you 100% on this. I know we go out to eat more than we should already but we’re making a more concerted effort to make dinner at home. When prices were normal it wasn’t that bad but it’s way more than it was. Ordering a pizza, 12 wings and garlic knots is $50 if you aren’t getting Dominos.

Actually that's about what you're paying for all that at Dominos after all the delivery fees and tip.

I pick up food. Getting delivery is not my style. I like the food to be hot and not spend crazy $$$s for fast food. Dominos, with coupons on app, pick up for all that is $20 something. Half of the local pizza place, which is still better. Dominos wings are awful so we only get a pizza and the Parmesan bits so around $15 to feed 3 (wife isn’t eating that lol).

 

[Major]

I pick up food. Getting delivery is not my style. I like the food to be hot and not spend crazy $$$s for fast food. Dominos, with coupons on app, pick up for all that is $20 something. Half of the local pizza place, which is still better. Dominos wings are awful so we only get a pizza and the Parmesan bits so around $15 to feed 3 (wife isn’t eating that lol).

That makes sense. I have no idea on the coupons but was curious on the pricing since I'm not a Dominoes guy. Loaded up a Large Speciality, 16 wings and bread and it was $43 before tip/delivery.

 

[wlwiles]

A handle of mid level whiskey is $40.

I'm sure a bar can buy it much better.

But even at retail prices, that's $1.26 for a 2 ounce pour.

That's a LOT of room to play with on a $15 cocktail.

Drinks/beverages in general are crazy high margin items. For liquor, it'll range from 200-300% markup at your local watering hole/dive bar, to 500-600% at a nightclub/upscale bar type place. Fountain drinks/sodas are often 500% or more. My F-I-L managed a chain of gas stations, and he said when he retired in 2019 his store's cost for a 32 oz fountain drink was $0.14, thats for the drink (syrup plus seltzer/soda), cup, lid, and straw. They sold them for $0.99. Compare that to a restaurant that gives free refills on Coke, but they charge $3 for it...

That's why it always grates me when I order a drink at a drive-thru and get handed a drink that's absolutely filled to the brim with ice. They're already making 400% or more on this $2.79 Coke, and I'm leaving with it so I'm not hitting them up for a refill either...

 

[urbanhack]

I know not a shocking statement given the price of everything but restaurants in particular have hit a breaking point for me. I’m not taking the kids out nearly s much as I used to and I don’t enjoy going out as much as I used to either because of the feeling I’m being ripped off. I'm not in NYC or SF. I live in a foodie type town of around 100,000 people.

1. A good friend of mine and I used to go out every other week to a variety of nice restaurants. We would get a couple appetizers to split, a main course and each a cocktail. No dessert. Bill would be about $100 plus tip. This was two years ago. Now……..it’s impossible to get out of the same type of restaurants without dropping $150 plus tip. Bill is larger so the tip is larger as well so $120 to $180 in the course of two years.
2. Also every new restaurant is small plate tapas. Each tapa is the price of what entrees used to be but three or four bites each plate. We are typically informed that each of us will need to order a minimum of three tapas apiece to make a meal.
3. when did the minimum price of a cocktail become $15. I’m not talking about anything fancy here.
4. took my two kids to Elevation burger for lunch the other day. i got an elevation burger with no fries just the burger, the two kids each got a two piece chicken tender meal with fries. I got a fountain soda and they split a milkshake. Price……..$70. I mean WTF

I’m with you 100% on this. I know we go out to eat more than we should already but we’re making a more concerted effort to make dinner at home. When prices were normal it wasn’t that bad but it’s way more than it was. Ordering a pizza, 12 wings and garlic knots is $50 if you aren’t getting Dominos.

Actually that's about what you're paying for all that at Dominos after all the delivery fees and tip.

I pick up food. Getting delivery is not my style. I like the food to be hot and not spend crazy $$$s for fast food. Dominos, with coupons on app, pick up for all that is $20 something. Half of the local pizza place, which is still better. Dominos wings are awful so we only get a pizza and the Parmesan bits so around $15 to feed 3 (wife isn’t eating that lol).

I did a ton of delivery when I lived in Chicago and NYC. It was fast and easy and typically not that much more expensive (pre door dash, uber eats, etc.)

The dynamics are just different in Portland. I think I've gotten delivery just once or twice in 7 years. I pick up everything out here.

 

[Mister CIA]

My local Tex-Mex is still dirt cheap for lunch. Three tacos, huge side of beans (or rice), large bag of tortilla chips, and two containers of salsa, all for $8. I always tip $2 on my to-go orders, and it's like they remember me. I can walk in without calling in the order, and I'm out the door in three minutes.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

BBQ is also a terrible thing to sell by the pound as most people don't understand the process of what happens from grocery store to restaurant plate.

You lose about 50% of the weight from what you start with from the store.

In other words it takes 2 pounds of raw brisket to create 1 pound of ready to eat brisket BBQ.

But most people won't do that. All they see is, "$32 a pound? What! It's $6 a pound in the store!"

They'll never get to the actual math that the BBQ guy has 37% food costs in his brisket before he fires up the BBQ pit and then spends 15 hours cooking it.

Compared to the Pizza guy who has 20% food costs.

BBQ is the worlds best food. But it's a terrible business.

Was in Milan Centrale train station a couple of weeks ago and on a whim, decided to try the "American BBQ" booth that they had in the Food Hall (which is an excellent food hall to stop at if you ever pass through, the dumplings at the front were some of the best I have ever had). After I ordered, I saw that it was a Joe Bastianich place. He also had an American Smash Burger place there but I didn't try that one.

Ended up paying $37 for what amounted to three slices of brisket and 3 pork ribs. Was good, not great. Using my own brisket and ribs as a comparison, which are both AWESOME by the way, I give them a 6.5-7 for taste and a 4 for value. Definitely over-priced but hey, I could have chosen something else if I really wanted to, plus I had relatively low expectations.

 

[Joe Bryant]

My local Tex-Mex is still dirt cheap for lunch. Three tacos, huge side of beans (or rice), large bag of tortilla chips, and two containers of salsa, all for $8. I always tip $2 on my to-go orders, and it's like they remember me. I can walk in without calling in the order, and I'm out the door in three minutes.

What town?

 

[Joe Bryant]

My local deli makes a great Reuben. It's $12 plus $4.50 for onion rings plus $2 for water. That's $25 with a tip.

It's just more expensive.

It's also a great sandwich. And half of it will be good for me for lunch and can take the other half home.

 

[Mister CIA]

My local Tex-Mex is still dirt cheap for lunch. Three tacos, huge side of beans (or rice), large bag of tortilla chips, and two containers of salsa, all for $8. I always tip $2 on my to-go orders, and it's like they remember me. I can walk in without calling in the order, and I'm out the door in three minutes.

What town?

Ridgeland, MS.

 

[zamboni]

Yeah started cooking more at home for sure.
Wild its 15 bucks for burgers and fries almost everywhere

Decent hamburger at Kroger is $9 / lb.

Somehow Costco still at $3.99!

Costco is very smart about their pricing. They've decided to avoid raising their pizza and hot dog prices at the fast food kiosk up front - and they're pretty good, too.

I mean...it's gotta help charging everybody that shops there $120 a year just to, well, be able to shop there.

True - part of their strategy, no doubt. They can help people spending $200 on 10-gallon containers of mayonnaise and ketchup feel like they got a bargain with a $1.50 hot dog or pizza combo.

 

[Joe Bryant]

It's especially tough as a lot of the smaller local places have loyal clientele. And if it's a more working class place, prices are important.

I've found there's a ton of pushback not so much on the price but on just a change.

There's a cheap Mexican food place nearby and my friend was recently complaining they raised the prices. Still they're super cheap. But it was just the act of raising the price.

We get the same thing with our Footballguys subscriptions.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Even then, it's unlikley to regress and those companies will simply price the same and make more profits.

I believe there is a lot of this going on already. It's not lost on me that I can't drive past a farm anymore that doesn't have a new $2M+ mansion being constructed, as lettuce prices that were already way up due to "supply chain constraints" continue to rise even higher despite those supply chain issues mellowing.

 

[Grahamburn]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Hooters is doing 83 cent wings on the 4th of each month all year to celebrate their 40 year anniversary.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Avian flu is still reeking havoc on our poultry industry.

Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues

In the midst of the worst outbreak in US history, here’s what you should know about avian flu.

www.sciencefriday.com

And yet legs and bone in thighs are still dirt cheap in the grocery stores

 

[stbugs]

I pick up food. Getting delivery is not my style. I like the food to be hot and not spend crazy $$$s for fast food. Dominos, with coupons on app, pick up for all that is $20 something. Half of the local pizza place, which is still better. Dominos wings are awful so we only get a pizza and the Parmesan bits so around $15 to feed 3 (wife isn’t eating that lol).

That makes sense. I have no idea on the coupons but was curious on the pricing since I'm not a Dominoes guy. Loaded up a Large Speciality, 16 wings and bread and it was $43 before tip/delivery.

That’s crazy but you can save a ton on coupons that they always have. I ordered pizza at the beach with a bunch of families on Memorial Day. It was something like $150 and I asked about coupons and got it down to almost $100. Dominos pick up pizza is usually $8 or $9 for 2-3 toppings (32 Parmesan bites is also on coupon, you can do both in app). Delivery with no coupons and it’s probably double that and wings aren’t cheap anymore.

 

[SoBeDad]

Consider Cheescake Factory for a quality meal, good portion, at a decent price. Here's the menu from one that just opened on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach: Menu.

Multiple burgers and fries from $17-18 dollars. Many other dishes from $19 to $30. In a larger group, you can share. Most of the food, minus the cheesecakes, are made fresh daily. There's a reason they are so successful

 

[stbugs]

I know not a shocking statement given the price of everything but restaurants in particular have hit a breaking point for me. I’m not taking the kids out nearly s much as I used to and I don’t enjoy going out as much as I used to either because of the feeling I’m being ripped off. I'm not in NYC or SF. I live in a foodie type town of around 100,000 people.

1. A good friend of mine and I used to go out every other week to a variety of nice restaurants. We would get a couple appetizers to split, a main course and each a cocktail. No dessert. Bill would be about $100 plus tip. This was two years ago. Now……..it’s impossible to get out of the same type of restaurants without dropping $150 plus tip. Bill is larger so the tip is larger as well so $120 to $180 in the course of two years.
2. Also every new restaurant is small plate tapas. Each tapa is the price of what entrees used to be but three or four bites each plate. We are typically informed that each of us will need to order a minimum of three tapas apiece to make a meal.
3. when did the minimum price of a cocktail become $15. I’m not talking about anything fancy here.
4. took my two kids to Elevation burger for lunch the other day. i got an elevation burger with no fries just the burger, the two kids each got a two piece chicken tender meal with fries. I got a fountain soda and they split a milkshake. Price……..$70. I mean WTF

I’m with you 100% on this. I know we go out to eat more than we should already but we’re making a more concerted effort to make dinner at home. When prices were normal it wasn’t that bad but it’s way more than it was. Ordering a pizza, 12 wings and garlic knots is $50 if you aren’t getting Dominos.

Actually that's about what you're paying for all that at Dominos after all the delivery fees and tip.

I pick up food. Getting delivery is not my style. I like the food to be hot and not spend crazy $$$s for fast food. Dominos, with coupons on app, pick up for all that is $20 something. Half of the local pizza place, which is still better. Dominos wings are awful so we only get a pizza and the Parmesan bits so around $15 to feed 3 (wife isn’t eating that lol).

I did a ton of delivery when I lived in Chicago and NYC. It was fast and easy and typically not that much more expensive (pre door dash, uber eats, etc.)

The dynamics are just different in Portland. I think I've gotten delivery just once or twice in 7 years. I pick up everything out here.

Yep. In a city, picking food up isn’t easy. Around here, it’s simple and faster, plus I can be there so I grab the food literally out of the oven. Food tastes so much better.

 

[MTskibum]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Avian flu is still reeking havoc on our poultry industry.

Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues

In the midst of the worst outbreak in US history, here’s what you should know about avian flu.

www.sciencefriday.com

And yet legs and bone in thighs are still dirt cheap in the grocery stores

Not every country in the world eats the same cuts of chicken. The below article is old, however these bans are still in effect.

During that outbreak, chicken breast prices increased 17%, according to agriculture data company Gro Intelligence. But at the same time, prices for cuts of chicken geared toward the export market actually dropped due to bans on importing U.S. poultry in countries including China, South Korea, Cuba and Mexico.

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/26/1089006048/avian-flu-is-infecting-u-s-poultry-flocks-it-could-affect-the-price-of-chicken-t

 

[The Gator]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Avian flu is still reeking havoc on our poultry industry.

Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues

In the midst of the worst outbreak in US history, here’s what you should know about avian flu.

www.sciencefriday.com

And yet legs and bone in thighs are still dirt cheap in the grocery stores

Easily one of the best deals out there. Also, when my local store has them on sale, I get a pack of 9-12 thighs for $5.

I rarely buy everyday meat for meals that isn’t on sale.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Minimum wage in Virginia went from $7 to $12.50 in a 2-3 year span. That's almost doubled what it was simply by law. Business owners are truly struggling with that. Combine that with less immigration during the last few years meaning less low wage employees, COVID, and people retiring earlier ... it all adds up to less workforce and higher costs to employ those that do work.

They can change Fed rates all they want, but the crux of the matter is everything at the lower levels of industry has almost doubled in price due to labor shortages (think fruit pickers and plumbers and real basics of the world). Our plumber now charges $150 just to show up. Electrician is $250. That will not change until there are more workers than jobs and employers can cut labor costs. Even then, it's unlikley to regress and those companies will simply price the same and make more profits.

It comes down to using your checkbook (or whatever these days ... apple pay I guess) to purchase what is of value to you. And what is not of value will shut down. Even if we all likely have plenty of money, what value is Netflix right now with no new content? Or seeing singers for 20x what a ticket used to cost? Or eating Italian out when a box of pasta and jar of sauce costs maybe $10 and last 3 meals. Don't spend it on things that are no longer of value to you.

I think your last paragraph gets down to the crux of it. Most families no longer have enough income to do everything they used to so they have to separate what’s really valuable to them and what isn’t.
For me, going out to eat and even takeout has been reduced to a fraction of what it used to be. Another example for us is the Thai restaurant within walking distance. Food is good, it’s always been higher end Thai but it’s still Thai at the end of the day. Most Thai food is reasonably priced. Two years ago, we would get takeout once a week for my two kids and I. Entrees were $14-15 each. So $50 for the three of us. There was enough food for two meals. Now each entree is $24-25 so it’s gone up to $80 for the three of us. Kicker is they reduced the amount of food as well so there are no leftovers. We haven’t been there or gotten takeout from there in months.
On the other side of the spectrum, we’ve been to the movies a lot more lately. Prices are pretty stable from a couple years ago. Tuesdays are family day and tickets are $6 each. Even weekend matinees are only $9.50. They have kid packs of popcorn, soda and fruit snacks for $7. We can catch a movie for $40 if we play it right. To us that’s a better value to fun ratio than takeout right now.

 

[MAC_32]

Consider Cheescake Factory for a quality meal, good portion, at a decent price. Here's the menu from one that just opened on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach: Menu.

Multiple burgers and fries from $17-18 dollars. Many other dishes from $19 to $30. In a larger group, you can share. Most of the food, minus the cheesecakes, are made fresh daily. There's a reason they are so successful

Right- the big boys have the means in the short term to price out the locals. That could develop a major problem for future us.

 

[SoBeDad]

Consider Cheescake Factory for a quality meal, good portion, at a decent price. Here's the menu from one that just opened on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach: Menu.

Multiple burgers and fries from $17-18 dollars. Many other dishes from $19 to $30. In a larger group, you can share. Most of the food, minus the cheesecakes, are made fresh daily. There's a reason they are so successful

Right- the big boys have the means in the short term to price out the locals. That could develop a major problem for future us.

The Cheesecake Factory formula for success: https://youtu.be/ndqsvTIveR0

 

[zamboni]

I'm not sure if this is commonplace everywhere, but post-COVID many restaurants near me have adopted a "service charge" for paying via credit card. Essentially a way to pass through the credit card fees restaurants pay to banks. I understand that restaurants have lost a lot of business since COVID and their own costs have gone up, but it's pretty off-putting to me as a consumer. I'd rather they embed the service charge in their prices, although I understand that restaurants are hesitant to raise prices even more than they have already.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

My son and I got some Chili's for lunch and it came to like $75 with tip. Kinda crazy imo. Especially surprising because I only got wings and a side salad.

Wings have become crazy expensive. Last summer in the Madera Beach area of Florida,about half the restaurants listed "market price" for their wings. My local hangout prices went from $8 for 12 to $12 for 8. Used to go to several places a month just to try their wings but now I'm priced out. I'll still try wings at a smoke house but at least those are whole wings and not frozen and then nuked or deep fried.

Avian flu is still reeking havoc on our poultry industry.

Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues

In the midst of the worst outbreak in US history, here’s what you should know about avian flu.

www.sciencefriday.com

And yet legs and bone in thighs are still dirt cheap in the grocery stores

Not every country in the world eats the same cuts of chicken. The below article is old, however these bans are still in effect.

During that outbreak, chicken breast prices increased 17%, according to agriculture data company Gro Intelligence. But at the same time, prices for cuts of chicken geared toward the export market actually dropped due to bans on importing U.S. poultry in countries including China, South Korea, Cuba and Mexico.

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/26/1089006048/avian-flu-is-infecting-u-s-poultry-flocks-it-could-affect-the-price-of-chicken-t

Eh, I’ve seen the articles. I think we are getting gouged. Jmo

 

[3C's]

When did restaurant jobs and fast food jobs become a career or a way to raise a family?

Locally? For fast food? Well over 25 years ago. You don't see local high school kids work much fast food any more, and it's been that way a long time.

As for non-fast-food: Depends on the specific "restaurant jobs" you mean ... but in a tourism/dining city like New Orleans, there is a substantial class of career restaurant employees. Not just chefs, but high-end service staff, bartenders, kitchen managers and more. I'm sure the situation is the same in cities like NYC, LA, Miami, etc.

Well, over 25 years ago, people considered fast food, or being a dishwasher as a career? I don’t think so.

High end restaurants pay well, well above a living wage. That’s the tip of that career path and what all servers/bartenders and so forth should strive to get.

NOBODY ever should consider working the window at McDonald’s or selling shoes at footlocker as a career.

Al Bundy sold shoes for a living!

 

[fruity pebbles]

I'm not sure if this is commonplace everywhere, but since COVID many restaurants near me have adopted a "service charge" for paying via credit card. Essentially a way to pass through the credit card fees restaurants pay to banks. I understand that restaurants have lost a lot of business since COVID and their own costs have gone up, but it's pretty off-putting to me as a consumer. I'd rather they embed the service charge in their prices, although I understand that restaurants are hesitant to raise prices even more than they have already.

Haven’t seen that around me but I have seen several places with an added 3-5% “fair wage” fee that they are very clear should not take the place of a tip.