Restaurants have gotten so expensive……also recycling and phone apps (2 Viewers)

[General Malaise]

My dad and I had lunch yesterday at local brewery that has a fabulous back patio with 5 different food carts lined against the back wall. Big picnic tables, hard to beat on a sunny day. Beers are fantastic, order them inside, come back out and figure out what food cart you want to order from.

We both knew going in what we wanted - Beast of the Sea. Big thick albacore tuna sourced from the nearby Pacific waters on a brioche bun with slaw and a delicious dressing. $15 which kind of seems like a lot for a fish sandwich, but man, worth every penny to us. I'm unlikely to make that at home and not many food carts/local joints have anything like this on their menu, so the cost doesn't register...the sandwich does though. That thing is glorious.

 

[fruity pebbles]

My dad and I had lunch yesterday at local brewery that has a fabulous back patio with 5 different food carts lined against the back wall. Big picnic tables, hard to beat on a sunny day. Beers are fantastic, order them inside, come back out and figure out what food cart you want to order from.

We both knew going in what we wanted - Beast of the Sea. Big thick albacore tuna sourced from the nearby Pacific waters on a brioche bun with slaw and a delicious dressing. $15 which kind of seems like a lot for a fish sandwich, but man, worth every penny to us. I'm unlikely to make that at home and not many food carts/local joints have anything like this on their menu, so the cost doesn't register...the sandwich does though. That thing is glorious.

$15 doesn’t sound bad at all. Some foot longs at Subway will run you that now.

 

[Drunken knight]

Went out with another couple last night: https://starkrestaurants.com/stark-restaurant/willis-wine-bar/

Fantastic meal:

Ahi tartare,
grilled octopus,
scallop dumplings,
crab tacos,
skillet shrimp,
carrots,
mushrooms,
roasted beets,
bone marrow,
duck,
lamb…
Roederer brut and my friend brought a rare Californian chard.. we shared a large pour of cab

$360 for the 4 of us, with them waiving corkage (before tip)

So, ultimately about $100 pp with 2 btls (plus a glass) of wine.

@Scoresman
there were four of us. 3 tacos/order, only 2 lamb chops/order (so we ordered two)... everything else was sharable

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Went out with another couple last night: https://starkrestaurants.com/stark-restaurant/willis-wine-bar/

Fantastic meal:

Ahi tartare,
grilled octopus,
scallop dumplings,
crab tacos,
skillet shrimp,
carrots,
mushrooms,
roasted beets,
bone marrow,
duck,
lamb…
Roederer brut and my friend brought a rare Californian chard.. we shared a large pour of cab

$360 for the 4 of us, with them waiving corkage (before tip)

So, ultimately about $100 pp with 2 btls (plus a glass) of wine.

@Scoresman
there were four of us. 3 tacos/order, only 2 lamb chops/order (so we ordered two)... everything else was sharable

at the @Scoresman note.

What was the chard?

 

[Drunken knight]

Went out with another couple last night: https://starkrestaurants.com/stark-restaurant/willis-wine-bar/

Fantastic meal:

Ahi tartare,
grilled octopus,
scallop dumplings,
crab tacos,
skillet shrimp,
carrots,
mushrooms,
roasted beets,
bone marrow,
duck,
lamb…
Roederer brut and my friend brought a rare Californian chard.. we shared a large pour of cab

$360 for the 4 of us, with them waiving corkage (before tip)

So, ultimately about $100 pp with 2 btls (plus a glass) of wine.

@Scoresman
there were four of us. 3 tacos/order, only 2 lamb chops/order (so we ordered two)... everything else was sharable

at the @Scoresman note.

What was the chard?

only a friendly poke at scoresman.

2018 Alma Fria Plural from western sonoma. A blend from vineyards: Campbell ranch, Holterman and Doc's ranch....about 6 miles off the coast

 

[the moops]

My dad and I had lunch yesterday at local brewery that has a fabulous back patio with 5 different food carts lined against the back wall. Big picnic tables, hard to beat on a sunny day. Beers are fantastic, order them inside, come back out and figure out what food cart you want to order from.

We both knew going in what we wanted - Beast of the Sea. Big thick albacore tuna sourced from the nearby Pacific waters on a brioche bun with slaw and a delicious dressing. $15 which kind of seems like a lot for a fish sandwich, but man, worth every penny to us. I'm unlikely to make that at home and not many food carts/local joints have anything like this on their menu, so the cost doesn't register...the sandwich does though. That thing is glorious.

$15 doesn’t sound bad at all. Some foot longs at Subway will run you that now.

Yea 15 bucks for a big thick tuna sandwich sounds like a bargain actually

 

[Drunken knight]

@DA RAIDERS

i am often drawn towards wines from higher altitudes and cooler climates (ie: piedmont, more coastal CA, etc)

 

[Ridgeback]

My dad and I had lunch yesterday at local brewery that has a fabulous back patio with 5 different food carts lined against the back wall. Big picnic tables, hard to beat on a sunny day. Beers are fantastic, order them inside, come back out and figure out what food cart you want to order from.

We both knew going in what we wanted - Beast of the Sea. Big thick albacore tuna sourced from the nearby Pacific waters on a brioche bun with slaw and a delicious dressing. $15 which kind of seems like a lot for a fish sandwich, but man, worth every penny to us. I'm unlikely to make that at home and not many food carts/local joints have anything like this on their menu, so the cost doesn't register...the sandwich does though. That thing is glorious.

Um, do share the name of the brewery?

 

[General Malaise]

My dad and I had lunch yesterday at local brewery that has a fabulous back patio with 5 different food carts lined against the back wall. Big picnic tables, hard to beat on a sunny day. Beers are fantastic, order them inside, come back out and figure out what food cart you want to order from.

We both knew going in what we wanted - Beast of the Sea. Big thick albacore tuna sourced from the nearby Pacific waters on a brioche bun with slaw and a delicious dressing. $15 which kind of seems like a lot for a fish sandwich, but man, worth every penny to us. I'm unlikely to make that at home and not many food carts/local joints have anything like this on their menu, so the cost doesn't register...the sandwich does though. That thing is glorious.

Um, do share the name of the brewery?

Breakside Beaverton - they have 5 food carts on their back patio and the vibe is terrific. Huge picnic tables, some covered, plenty of room inside too. The food cart in question is Farmer and the Beast and I think they have a location on 23rd too. They have smash burgers and a gigantic chicken sandwich too but the star of the show is the Oregon Albacore Tuna.

 

[Scoresman]

Went out with another couple last night: https://starkrestaurants.com/stark-restaurant/willis-wine-bar/

Fantastic meal:

Ahi tartare,
grilled octopus,
scallop dumplings,
crab tacos,
skillet shrimp,
carrots,
mushrooms,
roasted beets,
bone marrow,
duck,
lamb…
Roederer brut and my friend brought a rare Californian chard.. we shared a large pour of cab

$360 for the 4 of us, with them waiving corkage (before tip)

So, ultimately about $100 pp with 2 btls (plus a glass) of wine.

@Scoresman
there were four of us. 3 tacos/order, only 2 lamb chops/order (so we ordered two)... everything else was sharable

So did somebody get screwed out of a taco or did you somehow cut 3 tacos for 4 people.

 

[MAC_32]

3 old fashioneds
1 beer
1 gin cocktail
2 seltzers
3 kids drinks
2 apps
5 entrees
Free games for the kids (pool, cornhole, jumbo jenga)

$150 plus a few bucks in the jukebox

We need to go to this joint more often...

 

[Drunken knight]

Went out with another couple last night: https://starkrestaurants.com/stark-restaurant/willis-wine-bar/

Fantastic meal:

Ahi tartare,
grilled octopus,
scallop dumplings,
crab tacos,
skillet shrimp,
carrots,
mushrooms,
roasted beets,
bone marrow,
duck,
lamb…
Roederer brut and my friend brought a rare Californian chard.. we shared a large pour of cab

$360 for the 4 of us, with them waiving corkage (before tip)

So, ultimately about $100 pp with 2 btls (plus a glass) of wine.

@Scoresman
there were four of us. 3 tacos/order, only 2 lamb chops/order (so we ordered two)... everything else was sharable

So did somebody get screwed out of a taco or did you somehow cut 3 tacos for 4 people.

That one was easy. One person could not have dairy, so it worked out for the other 3 of us.

Edit: otherwise, we would have ordered 2 and each have 1.5

 

[FairWarning]

3 old fashioneds
1 beer
1 gin cocktail
2 seltzers
3 kids drinks
2 apps
5 entrees
Free games for the kids (pool, cornhole, jumbo jenga)

$150 plus a few bucks in the jukebox

We need to go to this joint more often...

Pretty good price these days.

 

[Drunken knight]

3 old fashioneds
1 beer
1 gin cocktail
2 seltzers
3 kids drinks
2 apps
5 entrees
Free games for the kids (pool, cornhole, jumbo jenga)

$150 plus a few bucks in the jukebox

We need to go to this joint more often...

Pretty good value

 

[DA RAIDERS]

@DA RAIDERS

i am often drawn towards wines from higher altitudes and cooler climates (ie: piedmont, more coastal CA, etc)

Same. Love me some mountain fruit. Throw some fog in the mix. :chefs kiss:

 

[Ridgeback]

My dad and I had lunch yesterday at local brewery that has a fabulous back patio with 5 different food carts lined against the back wall. Big picnic tables, hard to beat on a sunny day. Beers are fantastic, order them inside, come back out and figure out what food cart you want to order from.

We both knew going in what we wanted - Beast of the Sea. Big thick albacore tuna sourced from the nearby Pacific waters on a brioche bun with slaw and a delicious dressing. $15 which kind of seems like a lot for a fish sandwich, but man, worth every penny to us. I'm unlikely to make that at home and not many food carts/local joints have anything like this on their menu, so the cost doesn't register...the sandwich does though. That thing is glorious.

Um, do share the name of the brewery?

Breakside Beaverton - they have 5 food carts on their back patio and the vibe is terrific. Huge picnic tables, some covered, plenty of room inside too. The food cart in question is Farmer and the Beast and I think they have a location on 23rd too. They have smash burgers and a gigantic chicken sandwich too but the star of the show is the Oregon Albacore Tuna.

Thanks, I'll check it out. There is a Breakside in LO as well, and the only brewery in LO worth stepping into. Not too surprised though as it goes with the **** show for restaurants in LO as well.

 

[parasaurolophus]

Went to a sit down restaurant in flagstaff last night. Never been asked to pay immediately after ordering. Of course this really bit me in the rear as they brought all of our food out before the appetizer. Had we not already paid, i would have just said forget the app.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Went to a sit down restaurant in flagstaff last night. Never been asked to pay immediately after ordering. Of course this really bit me in the rear as they brought all of our food out before the appetizer. Had we not already paid, i would have just said forget the app.

What the?

 

[Oracle]

Went to a sit down restaurant in flagstaff last night. Never been asked to pay immediately after ordering. Of course this really bit me in the rear as they brought all of our food out before the appetizer. Had we not already paid, i would have just said forget the app.

Never heard of this practice. Maybe the purpose behind this is that you leave directly after you’re finished eating.

 

[fruity pebbles]

A lot of dine and dashers maybe

 

[Desert_Power]

I’ve been a bit sanguine on this topic, but my current trip is having me rethink it. Restaurants are drastically cheaper for food and drink here in Berlin than I see back home. Even with being charged for water and a 19% tax on the meals.

It’s both the food and beverage although the drinks are the larger differential. Maybe we are getting ripped off.

 

[stbugs]

A lot of dine and dashers maybe

I think this is 100% the case. There’s no other reason than people not paying at all.

 

[Chemical X]

forced to go to lawn guyland for a communion or some hokus pokus this past weekend. SIL took attendees to an italian restaurant….home of the $18 aperol spritz. glad i wasn’t paying $30 for amatriciana.

 

[beer 30]

Dairy Queen this weekend because I'm stupid:
2 - medium swirls in a cup, one with rainbow sprinkles
1 - medium Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard
$14.86

Seems a bit much for less than a mediocre ice cream experience. I thought swirl was universal for a combination chocolate-vanilla mix, apparently not. The blizzard was soupy by the time we got to the window.

 

[Grahamburn]

Dairy Queen this weekend because I'm stupid:
2 - medium swirls in a cup, one with rainbow sprinkles
1 - medium Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard
$14.86

Seems a bit much for less than a mediocre ice cream experience. I thought swirl was universal for a combination chocolate-vanilla mix, apparently not. The blizzard was soupy by the time we got to the window.

$7 for a waffle cone and one scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on Saturday for my 4 year old. Half the damn thing ended up in his lap. $7?!

People are nuts right now. They must just be drowning in debt to afford this stuff.

I'm pretty much at a point where I don't eat out unless I have cash on hand to cover it.

 

[the moops]

Went to a sit down restaurant in flagstaff last night. Never been asked to pay immediately after ordering

Was it called Burger King?

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Dairy Queen this weekend because I'm stupid:
2 - medium swirls in a cup, one with rainbow sprinkles
1 - medium Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard
$14.86

Seems a bit much for less than a mediocre ice cream experience. I thought swirl was universal for a combination chocolate-vanilla mix, apparently not. The blizzard was soupy by the time we got to the window.

$7 for a waffle cone and one scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on Saturday for my 4 year old. Half the damn thing ended up in his lap. $7?!

People are nuts right now. They must just be drowning in debt to afford this stuff.

I'm pretty much at a point where I don't eat out unless I have cash on hand to cover it.

Baskin Robbins is owned by Dunkin, which is not publicly traded so not as straightforward as some of the others. But its estimated value on the private market is up about 40% over the last 2 years.

So continuing the trend of "we have to raise prices because of inflation" while in reality it's net profits and stock value that are up tremendously. And the reality continues that prices will continue to go up so long as people are willing and doing well enough to continue to pay them.

 

[Grahamburn]

Dairy Queen this weekend because I'm stupid:
2 - medium swirls in a cup, one with rainbow sprinkles
1 - medium Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard
$14.86

Seems a bit much for less than a mediocre ice cream experience. I thought swirl was universal for a combination chocolate-vanilla mix, apparently not. The blizzard was soupy by the time we got to the window.

$7 for a waffle cone and one scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on Saturday for my 4 year old. Half the damn thing ended up in his lap. $7?!

People are nuts right now. They must just be drowning in debt to afford this stuff.

I'm pretty much at a point where I don't eat out unless I have cash on hand to cover it.

Baskin Robbins is owned by Dunkin, which is not publicly traded so not as straightforward as some of the others. But its estimated value on the private market is up about 40% over the last 2 years.

So continuing the trend of "we have to raise prices because of inflation" while in reality it's net profits and stock value that are up tremendously. And the reality continues that prices will continue to go up so long as people are willing and doing well enough to continue to pay them.

This was an independent putt putt place in Cocoa Beach that also sells craft beers and "gourmet" ice cream, but it's still some serious sticker shock. After we got our ice cream a group of ~10 late teen early 20's kids came in and loaded up on $8-$10 treats each.

Your point remains. As long as we keep buying the prices will not stop going up.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Went to a sit down restaurant in flagstaff last night. Never been asked to pay immediately after ordering

Was it called Burger King?

"Have it your way as long as you prepay"

 

[parasaurolophus]

Went to a sit down restaurant in flagstaff last night. Never been asked to pay immediately after ordering

Was it called Burger King?

No. Taco bell won the flagstaff restaurant wars. All restaurants there are now named taco bell.

Why do you ask?

 

[-fish-]

Dairy Queen this weekend because I'm stupid:
2 - medium swirls in a cup, one with rainbow sprinkles
1 - medium Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard
$14.86

Seems a bit much for less than a mediocre ice cream experience. I thought swirl was universal for a combination chocolate-vanilla mix, apparently not. The blizzard was soupy by the time we got to the window.

Did they turn it upside down?

 

[beer 30]

Dairy Queen this weekend because I'm stupid:
2 - medium swirls in a cup, one with rainbow sprinkles
1 - medium Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard
$14.86

Seems a bit much for less than a mediocre ice cream experience. I thought swirl was universal for a combination chocolate-vanilla mix, apparently not. The blizzard was soupy by the time we got to the window.

Did they turn it upside down?

No as it would have spilled out and yes, I know, FREE BLIZZARD!

I was in no mood with the trainee who couldn't keep his visor on (knocked it off each time he opened the window) or his inability to time when to make said soupy blizzard.

 

[-fish-]

Dairy Queen this weekend because I'm stupid:
2 - medium swirls in a cup, one with rainbow sprinkles
1 - medium Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard
$14.86

Seems a bit much for less than a mediocre ice cream experience. I thought swirl was universal for a combination chocolate-vanilla mix, apparently not. The blizzard was soupy by the time we got to the window.

Did they turn it upside down?

No as it would have spilled out and yes, I know, FREE BLIZZARD!

I was in no mood with the trainee who couldn't keep his visor on (knocked it off each time he opened the window) or his inability to time when to make said soupy blizzard.

Flipping the blizzard upside down is probably the only quality control that exists at DQ. For a while they were the only chain restaurant in my town other than Taco Time and a KFC that somehow is always out of chicken. DQ food is borderline inedible. If they can't make a blizzard, they may as well shut it down.

Also "flipping the blizzard" is entering into my lexicon.

 

[beer 30]

Dairy Queen this weekend because I'm stupid:
2 - medium swirls in a cup, one with rainbow sprinkles
1 - medium Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard
$14.86

Seems a bit much for less than a mediocre ice cream experience. I thought swirl was universal for a combination chocolate-vanilla mix, apparently not. The blizzard was soupy by the time we got to the window.

Did they turn it upside down?

No as it would have spilled out and yes, I know, FREE BLIZZARD!

I was in no mood with the trainee who couldn't keep his visor on (knocked it off each time he opened the window) or his inability to time when to make said soupy blizzard.

Flipping the blizzard upside down is probably the only quality control that exists at DQ. For a while they were the only chain restaurant in my town other than Taco Time and a KFC that somehow is always out of chicken. DQ food is borderline inedible. If they can't make a blizzard, they may as well shut it down.

Also "flipping the blizzard" is entering into my lexicon.

Flipping the Blizzard was the name of my college band

Most all of the fast food places around here are the same, every time through there are new people working there. No consistency, certainly no care for what they are doing and pretty much general indignation for presumably having to be there. We used to eat at Moe's so often they knew me by name and would always grab my order and bring it to me as I walked in from the parking lot. Not a big deal but I knew the folks there too. Now, every time you go someplace it's a completely new crew working.

I know it sounds petty bitching about fast food. The very nature of it doesn't lend itself to a 5 star experience but there was a time when you got at least something close to what was advertised for a price that was reasonable.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

they were the only chain restaurant in my town other than Taco Time and a KFC that somehow is always out of chicken.

That reminds me of the time I went to Sign Of The Beefcarver and they told me they were out of roast beef.

 

[FairWarning]

forced to go to lawn guyland for a communion or some hokus pokus this past weekend. SIL took attendees to an italian restaurant….home of the $18 aperol spritz. glad i wasn’t paying $30 for amatriciana.

$18? Wow, we are $8 I think.

 

[johnnycakes]

Interesting article in today's Boston Globe. I would link it, but unless you're a subscribah, it won't work. But here's the gyst of it:

Remember when you could buy lunch for under $10 in Downtown Boston?

It might feel like a long time ago. It really wasn’t.

Something definitely felt different as people started to return to the office post-COVID. Case in point: I met a source at a sandwich place near the Freedom Trail just over two years ago, and the grilled chicken sandwich cost $25. It may have come with a bag of chips.

 

[HomerSimpson]

My girlfriend owns a business, she does Vegan Puerto Rican food, she did a pop up Earth Day event this weekend. People were actually telling her she was charging "too little" !? for $5 Watermelon lemonades!

It was a long day, on our way home we stopped at a KFC/A&W because we needed something. We got a 4 piece Chicken Tenders, with Fries and a Biscuit and a Root Beer Float for her. $18.

 

[Capella]

Watermelon lemonade sounds good as hell right now

 

[massraider]

No. Taco bell won the flagstaff restaurant wars. All restaurants there are now named taco bell.

Demolition Man reference has been the highlight of the thread

 

[SayChowda]

Did a road trip from MA to IL and back last week for the kid's school vacation. Ate dinner in Cleveland. Did takeout since one kid was melting down. $46 or so for a strip steak w/ 2 sides, a entrée salad with chicken on it, a quesadilla, and kid's chicken fingers/fries. I feel like a paid way to little for that meal! Didn't expect it to be so cheap.

 

[General Malaise]

Did a road trip from MA to IL and back last week for the kid's school vacation. Ate dinner in Cleveland. Did takeout since one kid was melting down. $46 or so for a strip steak w/ 2 sides, a entrée salad with chicken on it, a quesadilla, and kid's chicken fingers/fries. I feel like a paid way to little for that meal! Didn't expect it to be so cheap.

My in-laws went to Cleveland not long ago to visit the RnR HOF and were blown away by how inexpensive the city was to dine out and enjoy drinks. Sounds terrific!

ETA: for perspective, they live outside of Detroit.

 

[SayChowda]

Did a road trip from MA to IL and back last week for the kid's school vacation. Ate dinner in Cleveland. Did takeout since one kid was melting down. $46 or so for a strip steak w/ 2 sides, a entrée salad with chicken on it, a quesadilla, and kid's chicken fingers/fries. I feel like a paid way to little for that meal! Didn't expect it to be so cheap.

My in-laws went to Cleveland not long ago to visit the RnR HOF and were blown away by how inexpensive the city was to dine out and enjoy drinks. Sounds terrific!

ETA: for perspective, they live outside of Detroit.

Right. I'm used to prices in the Boston suburbs.

 

[parasaurolophus]

My girlfriend owns a business, she does Vegan Puerto Rican food, she did a pop up Earth Day event this weekend.

That is pretty impressive....












For someone so young.

 

[Capella]

It was my dad’s birthday tonight and despite 3 really good seafood places within 10 minutes of his house he chose god awful red lobster because, of course, “I like the biscuits”. All these chains stay alive because of the bread.

Anyways, it was dark, smelled, I mean the carpet had to be 30 years old, the lobster tank was cloudy, there were multiple dead bugs in the bathroom and the food came out cold.

But hey, the biscuits WERE good. Everything else was terrible. Price fortunately was not bad at all but what a dump. Can’t believe people on coastlines eat there.

 

[The Z Machine]

home of the $18 aperol spritz

That is bananas

 

[massraider]

home of the $18 aperol spritz

That is bananas

Seen these cocktail prices for over 15 years in multiple cities.

 

[beer 30]

Did a road trip from MA to IL and back last week for the kid's school vacation. Ate dinner in Cleveland. Did takeout since one kid was melting down. $46 or so for a strip steak w/ 2 sides, a entrée salad with chicken on it, a quesadilla, and kid's chicken fingers/fries. I feel like a paid way to little for that meal! Didn't expect it to be so cheap.

My in-laws went to Cleveland not long ago to visit the RnR HOF and were blown away by how inexpensive the city was to dine out and enjoy drinks. Sounds terrific!

ETA: for perspective, they live outside of Detroit.

Cleveland is the pearl of the Midwest and always will be the center of the universe...for anyone born & raised in OH that has never left the state.

Can’t believe people on coastlines eat there.

They just declared bankruptcy last because of the all-you-can-eat shrimp deal ostensibly. I'm guessing it's more to your point, the chain needs a face lift. Haven't been in one in years but the one I drive by frequently looks a bit rundown and the exact same as it 17 years ago when we moved here.

 

[culdeus]

home of the $18 aperol spritz

That is bananas

Seen these cocktail prices for over 15 years in multiple cities.

Thing is beer still hasnt budged much. Not nearly to the extent cocktails have.

 

[McBokonon]

home of the $18 aperol spritz

That is bananas

Seen these cocktail prices for over 15 years in multiple cities.

Thing is beer still hasnt budged much. Not nearly to the extent cocktails have.

Just one article but it kind of reinforces the idea that if we stop buying “it,” “it” will stop skyrocketing in price:

Beer drinking in America falls to the lowest level in a generation

The boycott of Bud Light was just one factor in a year of industrywide declines.

www.nbcnews.com