Eating out- Is it really worth it.

[SpeedyPC]

No… if the inflation rate is too high, take away food getting to pricy when businesses are trying to stay afloat.

It’s a lot cheaper cooking your own style of food at home, instead of buying takeout food or going to a restaurant.

 

[MntnMan62]

No… if the inflation rate is too high, take away food getting to pricy when businesses are trying to stay afloat.

It’s a lot cheaper cooking your own style of food at home, instead of buying takeout food or going to a restaurant.

Definitely. Take away is cheaper. But I find quality to often be lacking. I limit my take out options to certain foods. Buffalo Wings. Burgers. Pizza. Beyond that I would rather make food at home or go out for a proper meal, which invariably is MORE expensive. I still view eating out to be a "treat" but admit I eat out more than I probably should.

 

[SpeedyPC]

Definitely. Take away is cheaper. But I find quality to often be lacking. I limit my take out options to certain foods. Buffalo Wings. Burgers. Pizza. Beyond that I would rather make food at home or go out for a proper meal, which invariably is MORE expensive. I still view eating out to be a "treat" but admit I eat out more than I probably should.

Trust me take away isn’t cheaper in Australia.

 

[MntnMan62]

Trust me take away isn’t cheaper in Australia.

I wasn't clear. I meant as opposed to eating in the restaurant. I agree take away is more expensive than cooking at home.

 

[SpeedyPC]

What makes me so angry and sad, is seeing too many elderly people living on MacDonalds happy meals every bloody day, just trying to survive and their putting on a lot of weight.

 

[Tonyschin]

This topic is fairly meaningful for me. I started bussing tables in a diner when I was 15 (I know, not legal). After 6 months I graduated to bussing tables in a nice restaurant where the trays are carried over your shoulder and had an extensive Continental menu. That then graduated to a position as waiter which lasted for 10 years through high school and college and my early years on the job when I made very little money. What probably escapes the memories of many people currently employed in that industry is that tip "rates" or percentages were not always what they are today. My time in the industry was from about 1977 to about 1987. Back then the "standard" (in the US) tip was 15%. If you got more than 15% you were happy. Now, the tip "rate" that seems to be expected is 20% and some even expecting more than that. Let's also not forget that inflation has caused the dollar amount of dinner checks to rise significantly. That inflationary rise coupled with the "arbitrary" rise in tip levels means that today's restaurant workers are actually far better off than I was when I was working in the industry. I don't regret my time doing that work because it gave me a healthy respect for work ethic. It's not an easy job at all. But I have to admit that I am sometimes offended by the expectations of some servers regarding tipping.

I've also found that the level of service provided by SOME wait staff in SOME restaurants is pitiful. As you can imagine I have some pet peeves dating back to my days as a waiter. One is that I was taught, for fine dining, to wait until everyone is finished with their meal before I start clearing their main entree plates from the table. Also, I was taught to serve each person their meal from the left and pour water on the right. I also learned that you need to check in with your tables more than once to be sure they are happy. It's been quite a while since I've been in a restaurant where they waited until everyone was finished before they clear the table. And forget about the other stuff. No one seems to care anymore, besides me...

And I may have already posted on this but last week I was traveling and was getting breakfast in Newark Airport. I ordered an omelette with green peppers, onions and cheddar cheese. First they serve me an omelette with spinach in it. I raised the issue with a server who then ran into the kitchen to ask the "chef". He comes out and says the chef told him that green stuff is green peppers. I use a fork to open it and it is quite clearly spinach. I tell him to take it back. He comes out WAY too quickly with a different omelette, puts it down and starts to walk away. I immediately see something red that is quite clearly tomato. I stop him from walking away and show him with my fork that there are tomatoes on the second omelette and I did not order tomatoes. Let's not even get into the fact that I need a low potassium diet and both spinach and tomatoes do not help towards that goal. Rather than give the chef another chance, I basically decided in my mind that two strikes and you're out. The mere fact that they even attempted to convince me the two omelettes were something that they obviously weren't makes me madder than anything.

Is the tipping system broken? Not if both servers and customers understand the rules and live by them. I've seen many customers (not while I was working but present day) who received fine service tipping 10% or even less. I have zero respect for someone like that. No tip or a low tip is justified when the service is less than acceptable. For instance I was out with a neighborhood friend and his wife at a restaurant I was a regular at, at least 2 to 3 times a week. The bill comes and he tips 10% for his meal. I was aghast. HIs service was good given they were sitting with us. I was so upset but was not going to make a stink with him about it and instead made up the difference by tipping more to accommodate for his cheapskate tip. Let's also not forget that if the "system" is modified requiring restauranteurs to pay higher salaries, that will only result in higher menu prices and will also likely result in the closure of many restaurants. The beauty of the restaurant industry, especially in densely populated areas, is that there are lots to choose from and the bad ones don't survive but us customers benefit from a wide choice of places to eat. I would have a problem, as someone who enjoys eating out, if I had trouble finding a decent place to eat.

I've ranted long enough. As with many things in life, it's easy to criticize the "system" yet it is often NOT the system that is broken but the people using the system. I think you know what I mean. I'll leave it there.

I will apologise at the beginning however, I really do not get this tipping malarkey at all. I am a Brit and will tip for good service, saying that though, I expect fantastic service and this is in the price of the meal on the menu. We pay the restaurant and they pay their workers, there are no hidden charges. Tipping should be down to the diner, period.
It is getting more prevalent over here although I would not entertain it.
If a resturaunt does not pay its workers enough that they have to go cap in hand to to some berk for a dollar I simply will not use that place.

 

[MntnMan62]

What makes me so angry and sad, is seeing too many elderly people living on MacDonalds happy meals every bloody day, just trying to survive and their putting on a lot of weight.

Agreed. But the choice to eat at McD's is not necessarily a smart one for people on a fixed income or worse. It ends up costing them MORE money to eat there than if they bought a few basic groceries and cooked something at home. When I am feeling frugal I can make myself a VERY cheap meal of pasta. I use Rao's sauce which is expensive but there is always Prego, Ragu or others. Add some onions (they are cheap) and maybe some other veggies like a green pepper (also cheap) and you can doctor up the spaghetti to taste better. And you are right, McD's causes people to put on weight and negatively impact their overall health, which then costs more money in terms of doctor co-pays or time off from work.

 

[MntnMan62]

I will apologise at the beginning however, I really do not get this tipping malarkey at all. I am a Brit and will tip for good service, saying that though, I expect fantastic service and this is in the price of the meal on the menu. We pay the restaurant and they pay their workers, there are no hidden charges. Tipping should be down to the diner, period.
It is getting more prevalent over here although I would not entertain it.
If a resturaunt does not pay its workers enough that they have to go cap in hand to to some berk for a dollar I simply will not use that place.

The "system" across the Pond may be a bit different than here. I suspect servers are less reliant upon tips than they are in the US.

 

[Twelvefret]

What makes me so angry and sad, is seeing too many elderly people living on MacDonalds happy meals every bloody day, just trying to survive and their putting on a lot of weight.

There are better less expensive and more healthy options. There has to be another part of this practice we are not hearing about.

 

[MntnMan62]

There are better less expensive and more healthy options. There has to be another part of this practice we are not hearing about.

Of course. Lack of a decent kitchen or even proper cooking utensils. Lack of time to go shopping and then cook the food when working 3 jobs and taking care of 3 kids. And also, for people who live hand to mouth, they lack the ability to even spend the money necessary to buy the food at a supermarket, which could end up costing more out of pocket but would ultimately provide them with more than the number of meals they can get at McD's. It's a very difficult position to be in. I was there when I was much younger but fortunately I'm no longer in that position. I've been trying to decide how I might give back as I've sadly not done enough in that regard. Hoping to change that. One option might be for me to go to the supermarket and see if I can find someone who is in desperate straights and just pay for their entire shopping order. I need to think this through some more but this could work.

 

[Zorro]

I think that apart from the issues of time and budget, there are now a generation who largely don't know how to do ANY home cooking.

I mean even simple stuff like baked potatoes or beans on toast - have met many who literally wouldn't know where to start making food for themselves.

It's very sad.

 

[MntnMan62]

I think that apart from the issues of time and budget, there are now a generation who largely don't know how to do ANY home cooking.

I mean even simple stuff like baked potatoes or beans on toast - have met many who literally wouldn't know where to start making food for themselves.

It's very sad.

I'd agree. Society in general is creating generations of people who are entirely reliant upon others to do EVERYTHING for them. There's the old joke about bachelors not being able to boil water. Well, it's becoming closer to reality than we think. And yes, it's very sad.

 

[Tonyschin]

I think that apart from the issues of time and budget, there are now a generation who largely don't know how to do ANY home cooking.

I mean even simple stuff like baked potatoes or beans on toast - have met many who literally wouldn't know where to start making food for themselves.

It's very sad.

You are right my friend a 1 -1.5kg bag of mixed veg about a quid - n - a - half (cheaper if bought fresh), 3 - 4 stock cubes, 800ml water, a big pan and you have enough for 4 meals.
No one should starve in the Western world. I can fish, catch rabbit, and other game if I choose. But a nice Veg soup (with barley) or veg casserole and homemade bread does me just fine.
The younguns say they cannot survive ie heating or eating is because they have no idea how to produce either cheaply - as Billy Connolley once said,
"Mam,, he's stuffing my heed In the arms of the duvet again"

 

[Twelvefret]

Of course. Lack of a decent kitchen or even proper cooking utensils. Lack of time to go shopping and then cook the food when working 3 jobs and taking care of 3 kids. And also, for people who live hand to mouth, they lack the ability to even spend the money necessary to buy the food at a supermarket, which could end up costing more out of pocket but would ultimately provide them with more than the number of meals they can get at McD's. It's a very difficult position to be in. I was there when I was much younger but fortunately I'm no longer in that position. I've been trying to decide how I might give back as I've sadly not done enough in that regard. Hoping to change that. One option might be for me to go to the supermarket and see if I can find someone who is in desperate straights and just pay for their entire shopping order. I need to think this through some more but this could work.

Homeless people need ready to eat food. Some folks with an apartment have a way to cook but lack refrigeration. If one exists, you might consider volunteering at a food bank. What I noticed from my experiences, some people will choose the cakes, breads, and pies over the fresh fruit and vegetables when both are available and free. They will load up on sugary drinks over milk and juice. Our bodies get used to what we feed it.

A member here bought one of those rotisserie chickens this week and ate on it for three days.

 

[MntnMan62]

Homeless people need ready to eat food. Some folks with an apartment have a way to cook but lack refrigeration. If one exists, you might consider volunteering at a food bank. What I noticed from my experiences, some people will choose the cakes, breads, and pies over the fresh fruit and vegetables when both are available and free. They will load up on sugary drinks over milk and juice. Our bodies get used to what we feed it.

A member here bought one of those rotisserie chickens this week and ate on it for three days.

I think I understand why this is. I have noticed that when I am really stressed out, comfort food is what I seek. So that means breads, cakes, pies and stuff with lots of sugar. It gives a temporary boost in mood. But the benefit ends there. And when someone is basically stressed out all the time due to wondering how they will pay the rent and put food on the table from day to day, they seek relief from that stress in the form of a quick fix, which can come from these types of foods. And then that can lead to health issues down the line. All of that serves to keep people down. I agree that the homeless need ready to eat food. I may check some of the local food pantries to see how I can be helpful.