topic Re: How often do you eat out? in Kitchen

How often do you eat out?

Quackeroo — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:17:19 GMT

If you don't eat out much, is it because of your budget? Your distance from eateries? Your concerns about health/germs?

We eat out (including fast food) probably 3x a week--usually lunch or dinner. Breakfast is so easy to make at home, we rarely eat out for that, except an occasional Sunday brunch after church.

We like some "chains" (a dirty word among some food snobs today) because of their predictability and consistency. (We have eaten at too many "locally owned" places in various towns with average-to-bad overpriced food--depending on which cook is off--and weird floating hours that don't match the website posting.) We like Jose Peppers, Golden Corral (during senior bargain hours), Culver's, Freddy's, and some local Chinese, Indian & Thai places.

My #1 rule for any place is HOT food should be HOT and COLD food should be COLD. If that's not happening, I don't eat there.

For reference, we live in the Midwest, so we don't have the reservation/transportation/pricing issues some in urban areas might deal with.

~Quack

Re: How often do you eat out?

Imaoldhippie — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:19:38 GMT

Once a week, sometimes twice.

Re: How often do you eat out?

kaydee50 — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:20:02 GMT

Once or twice a week in the past. One usually "fast food" e.g., Panda Express, Taco Bell, etc., and another with tablecloths and waiter service. However, recently we found we've been spending around $100 at lunch!! So we will be cutting back on some of the "fancier" restaurants.

Personally, I feel the restaurants are taking advantage but it's our choice whether we patronize them or not.

Re: How often do you eat out?

Quackeroo — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:25:14 GMT

@kaydee50 wrote:
Once or twice a week in the past. One usually "fast food" e.g., Panda Express, Taco Bell, etc., and another with tablecloths and waiter service. However, recently we found we've been spending around $100 at lunch!! So we will be cutting back on some of the "fancier" restaurants.

Personally, I feel the restaurants are taking advantage but it's our choice whether we patronize them or not.

Taking advantage how? You mean with their price increases?

~Quack

Re: How often do you eat out?

deepwaterdotter — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:27:58 GMT

We don't since the pandemic. The increase in prices is beyond our budget. And 2 of our favorite local restaurants never reopened after the lockdown.

Re: How often do you eat out?

lynnie61 — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:31:16 GMT

Maybe once a week. It may be take out, it may be our favorite place for wings. Rarely pizza anymore. A few months ago, got a large pizza, it was $33, before tip, and I thought that was high, and the toppings were much less than they used to be. A lot of restaurant food now seems to just be mediocre at best.

Re: How often do you eat out?

Quackeroo — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:31:19 GMT

@deepwaterdotter wrote:
And 2 of our favorite local restaurants never reopened after the lockdown.

That's sad. And it happened in so many places.

~Quack

Re: How often do you eat out?

Quackeroo — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:33:28 GMT

@lynnie61 wrote:
Maybe once a week. It may be take out, it may be our favorite place for wings. Rarely pizza anymore. A few months ago, got a large pizza, it was $33, before tip, and I thought that was high, and the toppings were much less than they used to be. A lot of restaurant food now seems to just be mediocre at best.

The price of pizza has gotten ridiculous plus they still want you to tip when you go to pick it up. Say what?

~Quack

Re: How often do you eat out?

kaydee50 — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:35:23 GMT

@Quackeroo wrote:
@kaydee50 wrote:
Once or twice a week in the past. One usually "fast food" e.g., Panda Express, Taco Bell, etc., and another with tablecloths and waiter service. However, recently we found we've been spending around $100 at lunch!! So we will be cutting back on some of the "fancier" restaurants.

Personally, I feel the restaurants are taking advantage but it's our choice whether we patronize them or not.

Taking advantage how? You mean with their price increases?

~Quack

Yes. I understand they lost business for an extended time but the ones we go to are sure making up for it! As I said, our decision to eat there or not.

Re: How often do you eat out?

Quackeroo — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:36:52 GMT

@kaydee50 wrote:
@Quackeroo wrote:
@kaydee50 wrote:
Once or twice a week in the past. One usually "fast food" e.g., Panda Express, Taco Bell, etc., and another with tablecloths and waiter service. However, recently we found we've been spending around $100 at lunch!! So we will be cutting back on some of the "fancier" restaurants.

Personally, I feel the restaurants are taking advantage but it's our choice whether we patronize them or not.

Taking advantage how? You mean with their price increases?

~Quack

Yes. I understand they lost business for an extended time but the ones we go to are sure making up for it! As I said, our decision to eat there or not.

Yep. Vote with your wallet.

~Quack

Re: How often do you eat out?

kaydee50 — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:37:03 GMT

@lynnie61 wrote:
Maybe once a week. It may be take out, it may be our favorite place for wings. Rarely pizza anymore. A few months ago, got a large pizza, it was $33, before tip, and I thought that was high, and the toppings were much less than they used to be. A lot of restaurant food now seems to just be mediocre at best.

We used to go to a local place and supported them by eating there during the pandemic. But now their pizza is well over $20 with a couple of toppings so we buy frozen and make it ourselves!!!

Re: How often do you eat out?

haddon9 — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:37:20 GMT

It depends....1-3xs a week. I admit that I'm a food snob and I rarely go to a chain. It's usually a good quality restaurant and I tend to go out to lunch with friends and dinner with family.

However I got together with a friend yesterday and we went to the new Wegmans that opened in March. I needed to do some grocery shopping and they have a wonderful prepared foods department with a nice seating area to eat.

Re: How often do you eat out?

RespectLife — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:37:34 GMT

Never

While we could afford to, we don't, my preference, DH would.

Too expensive these days, and I work too hard for my money.

This recession has my utilities, gas, and food bills climbing more and more every day.

Something has to give and eating out (while we never did it much before) was one of the first things to go a long time ago.

Then Sirius radio. Cutting where we can so we can save and MAYBE afford to retire some day.

My cooking is better! LOL

Re: How often do you eat out?

Group 5 minus 1 — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:37:36 GMT

Hardly never. Price and just don't like to eat out. Hubbs is leary of food handling also.

Re: How often do you eat out?

wagirl — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:40:21 GMT

Just got back from eating breakfast out----I don't go to restaurants much--maybe every 3+ months or so--but this is my b-day weekend so will get fed many times----:womanwink

Re: How often do you eat out?

AuntG — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:51:38 GMT

Three times or less. Today it was breakfast at a diner. It was tidy place and the food was excellent. My omelet was $8.95 and my husband had a two egg, meat, toast and potato special for just $6.95. Our large juices were $2 each.

Re: How often do you eat out?

fthunt — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:51:53 GMT

@lynnie61 EXACT SAME HERE.....34+ tip & 2 toppings. No more...

Re: How often do you eat out?

lynnie61 — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:52:15 GMT

@wagirl Happy birthday weekend!

Re: How often do you eat out?

TheMemphisVette — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:53:39 GMT

rarely

- btdt.......a bajillion yrs of work travel resulted in my fill of it

- expensive.......i have better things to do with my money

- quality........i cook much better

- service........lacking

- time.......waiting for subpar expensive food is ugh

i love to eat

i love to cook

i am good at it

i love left overs

i have no issues with clean up

i do not consider any of it a chore

Re: How often do you eat out?

Meowingkitty — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:57:42 GMT

A couple of times a week. We eat out with the purpose of having leftovers so we rarely do a fast food place. Many times we can get 2 or 3 meals by having leftovers.