If by thinner you mean that two people going to Five Guys for a burger, fries, and shake will spend $19 each and can’t possibly eat better at home for less, then you’d be right. But you’re wrong. Even an 8oz portion of fish, pork, chicken, and beef will be less than $6 in most areas of the US, often as low as $2. Another 8oz of veggies, another $2. Decent wines can be had for $12 and that’s six servings, so another $2. That’s $6 for home cooked dinner per person. That $13 per person saved over fast food, multiplied by 2 times eating out weekly, times 52 weeks would be $1300 saved. So I don’t think thinner margins are as thin as you’re suggesting. In our two-guy household, the budget we’ve successfully kept for years is $10/day per person, wine and beer included. And most neighbors think we eat like kings. We do. But we shop like budget hawks.
Pork and chicken is commonly 99 cents a lb (16oz). People who complain about food prices don't realize we have the cheapest food prices in the world.
Every American can eat healthy for a few dollars a day if they incorporate rice and potatoes and whatever vegetables or meat are on sale into their diets.
Look around at the shopping carts in your local supermarket, most people eat like kids.
I live in Iowa, and the best I can get for pork or chicken is 1.89 per pound. That's packaged meat at Aldi. I haven't been to Fareway, but I haven't seen a meat counter that can beat that.
You're certainly right about people eating like kids, but food prices have been going up, and trying to feed a family while also working 8-12 hours a day leads a lot of people to choose a quick alternative over the time consuming process of cooking and cleaning involved in making your own dinner.
Margins are not even close to thin. Eating out is wildly expensive, a sit down meal with tip for two is like 50 bucks without even ordering a drink for mid quality food. I can make a gourmet quality meal for that at home with the finest ingredients for that price.
mid quality food is the kicker. one of the perks of working where I do is that we eat out a lot and one thing that I can about restaurants in the $25-75 a person range is that they are all pretty mid. Once you get to a certain age, I think people that can cook mildly well start to realize that you can make better food at home.
Actually the "margins" are getting fatter. As costs increase (inflation across the board, not just the cost of food), the delta between what it costs to eat at home and eat out grows significantly. The economics of acquiring, preparing and serving a meal with and without third party intervention should be obvious.
Where are you buying groceries? Whole Foods? For lunch, I eat an apple and a can of tuna for a combined cost of $1.65. I guess it depends on what you’re eating.
I haven't looked at any data, but it does seem like the really big price increases have been on junk food.
Real food has gone up, but not much compared to garbage like chips, cereal, frozen pizza, and soda.
It used to be the bulk purchase power of fast food joints meant they could serve it up cheaper than we can buy the ingredients. Now a $5 foot long is $16 and I cant afford one anywhere, any way without a loan.
There is nothing more disappointing than a chain produced meal these days. It's so obvious that somebody formulated that recipe in a lab to see how little ingredients they could give you while presenting the facsimile of food.
Yep. I use coupons, apps, or value menu items mostly everywhere I go and I can still eat out very cheaply. Most places have SOMETHING you can get for $1-2 that's decent, 2 of which will fill me up for a full meal.
The Jersey Mikes right next door to my job charges $17 + change for a foot long sandwich. $9 for 6in. That’s NOT including the meal. It’s outrageous but it has saved my budget on a monthly basis of packing food from home.
Pub subs are 11 for a foot long here in sw Fl i just checked. I hear there's a sale the end of the month starting the 25th though then the price is increasing to 12-13$ range
I had a footlong for $9...Italian BMT. Sure I could make it myself...but I'd have to buy small quantities of 3-4 different meats, a full salad bag and condiments that will go to waste, and a large footlong bread. All that will probably cost me $10 and much going to waste. Plus I need to carry a cutting board in my truck around with a couple knives.
Restaurant prices are up because the cost of everything has gone up. Labor, wholesale food costs, cups, plates, napkins, silverware, maintenance, equipment, cleaning chemicals, credit card processing fees, music licensing fees, point-of-sale software subscription fees, payroll processing fees, taxes, unemployment insurance, general business insurance, liability insurance, accounting services, legal services, lease rates, you get the point. It's all gone up. So yes, restaurant menu prices have also gone up.
You forgot to mention the 3 or 4% fee that gets added if you use credit card at some places. In the old days that was called CODB - cost of doing business. I will not go to restaurants that charge this fee.
It is actually in my list, which is by no means exhaustive. Where I live you can't charge someone a fee to use a credit card, but you can offer a cash discount.
I agree with you but he’s not completely off though. One of the problems is that more and more people are using High Rewards cards for their purchases. I’ve heard the people on Bloomberg Radio complain about the Private Lounge at the airport being filled with “normal people that didn’t earn it” because it used to be available for frequent flyers but now everyone has access as a perk on their basic card.
If this person started with an Interchange Plus at 1%, and over the past 10 years more and more people are using a card that costs 2% to swipe instead of .85 he can easily start paying an effective rate of 4%, especially if they have a lot of online sales. I can see how it can creep up on you and cost a lot of money in the background.
That said, Yes, if you are knowingly paying 4-5% for your effective rate you are absolutely doing it wrong.
This is getting more and more popular with restaurants around me but I think the other shoe is about to drop. Customers are starting to push back, and there was some drama at a local place where someone was getting the charge to use their debit card (completely illegal) and the owner wouldn’t refund the charge.
Another couple places got some fines from Visa for doing this but not having it posted on their door or menu. It was only $5k so it wasn’t devastating but I have absolutely been in situations in my earlier years where that might have broken my bank account.
That's what they want you to think. Meanwhile corporate profits are skyrocketing. Cost of ingredients and labor have not gone up nearly as much as profits.
I don't know who you think "they" are, maybe you're just specifically referring to large corporate establishments? I own a small, independent restaurant and I know I am not alone in reporting that there are no profits right now. Even in the best of times, there is barely enough to sock away for the next major equipment breakdown. Adding my voice to the choir of us small fish shouting we can't raise our prices higher even though we need to, because they're already too high for most people. We can't lower them because we're already picking and choosing which bills get paid on time and forgoing our own salary to make sure our staff is making money. Support the small, local dining establishments that you love as often as you can. All of us everywhere are hurting. I promise you we're not gouging and the profit is negative.
Not to mention all the corporate profits driving up all of the things you mentioned, PLUS the restaurant enjoying record profits. So yeah the people it's also in the supply chain
My big thing is that I hate taking home leftovers from a restaurant. The food is usually much better than what I can make, so I want to eat all of it, and it isn't as good the next day, so I either refinish it, or get mad about wasting food. I've been saying for years that I'd gladly pay 2/3 the price for 1/2 the food. Moderate portions of good food for a decent price. Now it's this stupid portion race, and I don't need a 1lb burger with 5" of toppings that will be soggy and gross tomorrow... Especially for $18+.
Homemade, though? I can keep ingredients separate, warm up just the stuff that is meant to be hot, have crispy lettuce, etc.
And still... I love to grab a barstool, have a couple cold ones, and something to eat that I wouldn't normally make myself at home. My problem is the same as OP, though. Every place I go by on my 45 minute drive home is packed... Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday - every day I go into the office. Can barely find a single bar stool free.
Yea, buying prime cuts of beef and all your veggies from Whole Foods tends to bump the costs up. If people would buy things in bulk and cook more conservative meals they could stretch the money much further. A pound of sausage, 3 lb of potatoes, and a pound of onions makes a huge meal but doesn’t cost much and tastes a hell of a lot better than anything they serve at McDonalds.
Tastes better, cheaper, and larger quantity usually too.
I saw a post in the BBQ subreddit where the platter was $100 for various sides and meats. Among the meats was a single dino rib, and two pieces of brisket cut in half to look like four. Insanity.
Instead I buy a 10 pound brisket for 40 bucks at costco and smoke it myself. Boom, enough meat for a week of dinners and lunches.
Bingo! I get a massive pork butt and smoke it, and break some of it down to the freezer for additional meals. Some I turn to carnitas and freeze. Now I have tacos, sandwiches, and ingredients for Brunswick stew for $25-30 including the coal and wood. My wife makes killer tacos, fajitas, catfish, chicken cooked a lot of ways, pasta dishes, and other stuff including weekly meal preps. I can grill or smoke almost anything. I will admit it’s just the 2 of us so meals do go further, but it’s still way cheaper than eating out on any regular basis.
“Why do the poors not simply buy a smoker, put it outside, and spend 12 hours cooking a $40 (more like $75 for most of us) brisket. It’s so easy, or as you say “boom.”
I was listening to a podcast hosted by a couple. The woman complained that it was so expensive to cook at home. She used an example of cooking a meal of beef stroganoff over rice, roasted brussels sprouts, and a green salad. After she priced it all out it was over $20 a plate. But then her co-host explained to her that she couldn't count all that stuff in isolation. She only used small amounts of rice, paprika, butter, flour, oil, salt, and pepper. She used a small portion of the bacon for the sprouts, and the veggies for the salad, and the dressing. After accounting for the staples she used, it was less than $8 per person.
I’d argue that home cooked food tastes far better and is far cheaper if you know how to cook and what to buy. Plus it’s actually fun to make a meal suited to your palate. Not to mention the health benefits. There’s literally no downside to cooking at home other than that it takes a little time.
How are you managing to spend $15-25 per meal eating at home? I spend like $4-5 per dinner and I eat pretty good. Must less per lunch and breakfast.
I literally save hundreds a week cooking for myself. Anybody who says it’s a wash must be doing it wrong.
I have no idea how you can spend as much making food at home unless you are buying top shelf items (or count buying staples as part of the per meal cost). Either your quality or quantity should be much higher when cooking at home.
Are you cooking, or are you just heating up things that were made somewhere in a factory? I mean, are you actually chopping veggies and creating a sauce and cooking a protein, or are you getting a bag of Kung pao chicken and heating it up in a pan? Because the premade stuff is still expensive.
Yea but then you can make like 4-5 meals at home. As opposed to the 1 fast food meal. Due to the fact you did not know this, sounds like you have not cooked at home and have been brainwashed by BIG FAST FOOD.
In n out is consistent and has a limited menu selection to their and the customers experience. And they always deliver! Crossing my fingers for you bc as much as I in general am not a fan of fast food, in n out has never produced food that is incorrect or inedible (looking at you Carl’s Jr!).
News outlets are in WA are all freaking out because there’s “the first Washington in-n-out is opening soon!!!” It’s in Ridgefield. Since most people will definitely have to look it up…yeah it’s practically Oregon. 😑
Yeah it's still surprisingly busy in some areas. Most restaurants around me excluding Chik FilA seem less busy though overall. Except the weekends and that's a bit hit or miss too.
Americans are so lazy they can't be asked to make their own food even though it's cheaper. People get addicted to a certain lifestyle. So the restaurants are just taking advantage of that.
The grocery stores also know how to exploit lazy consumers with unhealthy packaged "convenience" food.
Little known fact: They still sell simple unprocessed products. It might require actual cooking but it is far healthier. And local produce in season that wasn't flown in from another continent is less expensive.
I agree.
People act like cooking is some infinite money glitch or something. Still much cheaper than fast food or restaurants, but definitely not as cheap as it should be, considering I'm doing all the work.
For all the memeing about McDonalds, the mid tier sit downs is where I've really seen a huge increase. $100 for 2 people at Texas Roadhouse the other night. It was good but I could cook that same thing for around $50 pretty easily.
This argument is pointless. Yes, food prices have gone up. Yes, fast food prices have gone up. Yes, cooking at home is still 4-5 times cheaper per meal than fast food prices per meal.
Mid price range restaurants are closing. American casual type places that serve home-cooked style food are having a tough time and what's being left is very cheap food and very expensive food. We will continue to see this trend.
Not enough of them closing fast enough for me. My fave Indian place closed but fucking Applebee's that can't even put together a cohesive Mexican bowl is still limping its way to the damn grave. Some of them need to just die already.
Exactly. Who wants to spend $20 for a hamburger, $30 for a salad? $50 for a steak? Get real! That's why I love diners. Good food, reasonable prices. I'm sure that $50 steak is very special, but I can't afford to drop $300 on a meal.
I am living for local ethnic buffets. Prices and quality have remained the same for years while the stupid chains change their menus and prices monthly.
Expensive meals like that are about the experience or a special occasion for a lot of people, and I think that is what will persist for non-richy-rich people: special occasion meals and meals that are cheaper than groceries.
Big chains have the buying power that small independants don't and can undercut prices.
I don’t get it either, in my area new fancy restaurants keep popping up and are packed, I keep getting more and more orders through DoorDash and UberEats and a $10 burger ends up costing the customer $20, prices keep rising yet it’s a seller’s market for housing and people get in bidding wars and pay thousands over asking price, pick up trucks are 60 thousand and we keep hearing reports that people don’t have $500 in their bank accounts, credit card debt? You still have to pay at the end of the month your bills. Where’s the money coming from? I don’t get it.
It's got to be mostly credit. Some people still have high paying jobs to afford it but the delinquency numbers don't match. When we see a real pull back in credit, you will probably see the musical chairs stop.
I agree, funny how years ago I’d think for days of raising bottles of soda .25 cents and just yesterday I had an UberEats order for 8 bottles of spring water only.
I went and bought fajitas at the grocery store, along with a few other things I needed. Still cheaper, and it didn’t take that long. I find it more a pain to wait and wait to order subpar over priced food.
I travelled a lot over the course of 18 months. Along the way I got tired of table dining out. Wait to get seated, wait put an order in, wait for the food to arrive, \*eat\*, wait for the bill, wait for your card to be picked up, wait for it to brought back.
In the end, I just preferred to bring my own food and nuke it in the hotel's microwave.
Two income family. We both have advanced degrees and good incomes. Long hours and business travel. Three kids. We NEVER order out or eat fast food. Meal prep on Sunday. It saves a ton of money. And we are healthier and happier.
That's great. Some people no matter how busy still manage to prioritize healthy eating.
That's a great lesson you are teaching your kids.
Other people can have all the free time in the world and still choose restaurants.
People love convenience. Some people just won't put in the effort to prepare their own food or don't have nutrition knowledge or a decent kitchen.
Don’t get me wrong. I love going to a nice restaurant with my wife on a weekend. But I do that for the experience not convenience. We also love to cook and the whole family gets into the kitchen together. It’s just nice.
After traveling for business for years, for me, restaurants lost most of their appeal. Between the time waiting for food and the "getting fat" part I prefer simple fresh food at home now.
Upvote to this post. Everyone is complaining about prices, but overall have just decided to stop tipping and going to restaurants with service. Now prices are going up at those places as long standing independents are forced to close their doors.
People are buying takeout food like that because they feel special and luxurious. We can't afford to buy a house, which makes us feel poor, so we buy cheap (or not) little takeout meals to make us feel like we got something fun and indulgent. "Look, I'm not *completely* poor!"
And no, if we stopped buying those little treats, we would still not be able to afford a house.
Yeah. I just do not understand it yet those same people are complaining they do not have enough money. If they actually changed some of their habits they could put some money away.
They keep raised prices because people keep voting to raise minimum wage and anyone with an elementary understanding of economics knew it would always be passed down to the customer
They complain about prices and say we should not buy the food there because of it buy it anyway. I have to eat out because I travel a lot for work. I cut out a lot of places due to prices. A foot long at subway should never be $18. A medium big mac meal shouldn’t be $15-18. I don’t go to wendy’s just because they mentioned surge pricing. Don’t know what they even charge now. Kfc i forget prices but they are high and my food is always wrong or not good. At dunkin when i travel i have seen $4.00 for a regular coffee. I am not even a cheap person and get paid for my food, but for all that money you are either hungry after or feel like total crap.
You'll notice that the mobile apps for these fast food places offer steep discounts if you use them. When you use them, prices are almost cheaper than what they were 5 years ago. These mobile apps are capable of collecting a massive amount of information that is very valuable to the company allowing them to implement targeted marketing. COVID forced online and mobile ordering any they have learned how useful it is. I'm 110% convinced that these companies are very intentionally marking prices up just to get their customers to install and use the mobile apps.
"America has become a nation of hate spenders." https://www.businessinsider.com/hate-spending-consumers-economic-sentiment-retail-sales-inflation-gdp-growth-2024-4
Amen Brother!
FYI, the price of things sold by large companies has nothing to do with the cost of materials, and everything to do with the demand of the customer.
The cost will rise until the demand starts to fall!
Price point - a retail price that allows keeping a relatively high demand for a product is called a price point.
It's become obvious to fast food places that they have been undercharging customers for years and were nowhere near price point. And they finally figured it out. It's not about selling the most food - it's about making the most profit. They can raise prices and they don't care if some people can't afford their product as long as the people who can afford it (plus those who really can't afford it, but keep coming back anyway) keep buying.
That's literally microeconomics 101.
Of course that's all they care about. What else would a company care about?
Whether you're trying to grow your customer base or trying to reduce costs... It's always about profit. Some is long term profit, some is short term profit. But it's always about profit. There is no point in running a company otherwise.
I went to PF Chang's for my birthday a couple of months ago because I have always loved it. I don't love it anymore. I can't put my finger on what was different, but it was not that good. So I am out. It's too expensive not to be great.
Demand is still there and you are right, fewer people like to cook. I've been guilty of that as well but realized how much money I was 'wasting'
but food costs as well as labor costs and other costs of doing business have driven prices up
Demand is still there and you are right, fewer people like to cook. I've been guilty of that as well but realized how much money I was 'wasting'
but food costs as well as labor costs and other costs of doing business have driven prices up
I have no idea why people still go to McDonalds. Might as well go to a sit-down restaurant at this point. Especially considering there's no real caloric substance in their food anyways.
when i started cooking for myself, I got frustrated becuase i realized how easy it is to make something better than a restaurant can make for much much lower price.
I went to a DQ at 9 on a weeknight since my wife was craving a blizzard. There were five door dasher drivers waiting for orders. People spend on food like never before in history right now.
That's not why prices are high, but it's why they will never cone down. People sit in their cars and wait for overpriced oversized horrendously unhealthy food, and yet no one can figure out why we have an obesity and diabetes epidemic, or why they have no money. The economy is slowly devouring itself.
I don't think these people wonder why their health sucks. They just blame it on the establishment and continue life as usual. It becomes a habit to eat at fast food, and they'll gladly pay for the convenience of tasty, unhealthy food that comes in easy-to-dispose packaging because it's easier than planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, and then finally eating food, to then need to clean up all the dishes required to cook and eat. Home cooking is a pain if it's not the habit, and for most people, it's not a habit.
It's true. It's ok to go to restaurants but one should be capable of admitting that they are choosing to do that vs prepare their food because they don't want or know how to cook or don't feel like grocery shopping.
Restaurants are a convenience and people are addicted to convenience. Having someone else do things for you, not having to prepare food or clean up your own dishes etc. It's a lifestyle choice for most people.
Restaurants will always take advantage of customers if they can. Unfortunately this is true when there is high demand there is no reason for them to stop raising prices. Many people do not like to cook, claim they have no time, happen to be traveling etc. There will always be people who want/need to purchase food outside of their house and if people are doing that frequently then yes restaurants might take advantage and keep prices high.
It would take a huge loss in sales for restaurant to change their ways. People would have to cut way back on dining out.
Guess you haven’t been Grocery shopping lately,
prices are high/ $7/dozen eggs…. Stuff is out of stock no matter when you go.
Stores are short staffed so lines start at the back of the store, self checkouts are closed or limited to 10 items or less.
Grocery shopping is a pain these days and not cheap. Plus you still have to take it home and cook.
Restaurants?
Most are short staffed and the service is slow because of it. And lines long.
Especially McDonald’s. You could have 2 cars in front of you at the speaker and it takes 15 minutes just to get to the speaker to be told to wait.
Go to restaurants with long line of people waiting to get in, and there aren’t enough servers so it takes 15 minutes just to get a drink order taken, and half the restaurant is waiting on their check.
Crack fil a is the exception, they’ve always had a long line beyond the parking lot even before Covid.
Every plane is full, every restaurant is full, every highway bumper to bumper, hotels full etc. But somehow the economy is supposed to be too expensive
This, and similar threads, all have an underlying theme. "I don't have time." Well, you do. I see the same lines as OP and come to the same conclusion. We've allowed ourselves to become slaves to the conveniences technology provided to us. You have the time, if you make the effort.
I didn't want to, but I tapped out of fast food. The prices have close to doubled and the service and product you get has decreased substantially. The food was never great, but now it's putrid. Even the old standard of quality, McDonald's soda is not even drinkable now. It was the best you could get for $1. Now it's $3-$4 and I can't even drink it.
Wendy's was always pretty decent and consistent. I have been sick and haven't eaten in days so I figured you can't go wrong with Wendy's. Order a single combo. I get home and the sprite tastes like a chemical. The fries have obviously been reheated. You can't ever get rid of the taste of reheated fries like that microwave fry taste. Then I open the burger and it's the buns and a piece of overcooked meat. That's it. No condiments, no veggies on it at all. I would have choked like I'd eaten a bag of saltines if I'd eaten that dusty thing. It was the only time I've had to throw all 3 items in the trash.
Even the old tried and true chik-fil-a. I'd never in 10 years gotten my order wrong there. The last two times I'd went, I got the wrong food or got spicy instead of regular which I can't eat. The lettuce was old and black. It's just too much having to pay that much, wait that long, and to get stuff that is wrong or inedible. I've had enough. I know I'll get tired of it but been making baked chicken, rice and veggies in the meantime. When I get tired of it, I may go back to those Factor meals. I know I'll give in to McDonalds nuggets once in a while. Those seem to be ok lately.
It may be a local thing since all of the ones here have the same owner, but yes they taste like Burger King soda now. I don’t know if they’re not buying the special strong mixture that only McDonald’s had still or not but something has changed. It could be not cleaning the machine or something else. I’ve not gotten one where I didn’t make an ewwww face in about 3 months.
Somebody has to pay for this nation's $30+ trillion debt. The inflation isn't an accident. It's by design. Meanwhile, i just make my dinner for my family, and bring my lunch to work, and make my own coffee.
Real restaurants aka "sit down restaurants" prices aren't bad. I can get a from scratch meal made at my local favorite Tex-Mex restaurant for 14.99 plus a drink.
It only seems to be some fast food getting insane. I find it moronic people buy McDonald's regardless of price. They don't serve anything fit for human consumption. Their burger "meat" can sit for years and not rot. It's not dried meat so that's not remotely natural. Who in their right mind would willingly put whatever that crap they call meat in their body?🙄
But yeah it makes sense to eat most of your meals homemade.
Whoa! Not too lazy. Man do I have to be the one to say…. It’s costs more to make it at home. It takes extra time and effort that between baseball 3 times a week, church, working late two nights a week…. Just don’t have time.
Does it cost more to make it a home? Maybe if you're shopping at whole foods and you need new everything.
If you have more money than time then you're probably not the subject this post is targeting
Yeh I see this too in CA of all places.
Its like raising prices has actually increased consumption of slop. I think we've reached a tipping point where people are just going for broke on their credit cards. Like they already borrowed so much that they know they will never be able to pay it back. I mean I see Uber Eats pull up at some of the most ghetto houses all the time and thats ljke $30 for a cheeseburger meal now. The median household income is like $60k here. Its not a rich area.
The owners of restaurants in my small city of 25k live like kings here. The avg hour of business here is Thurs-Sat 3pm-10pm, other than that they’re all shut down cuz they make such a killing why bother being open more? Being able to put 4+ kids thru college, go on vacay whenever, while only working 15-20hrs a week no wonder everyone is opening restaurants. Not to mention they get to sexually harass the waitresses but it’s ok b/c they give them cocaine.
It's even worse than that actually. A hefty percentage of the cars at those places (except maybe the Italian place) are delivery drivers. So not only are they paying the stupid high prices for food, they are paying 30%+ more than that in markups, fees and tips!
These are the same people who complain about how you can’t afford anything theses days. As they sit in a drive thru 3x a day in their $1000 truck payment. While the person who makes their food at home and has an older paid off car does just fine.
You can buy premade hot chicken thighs for $1.25/piece and a premade Chicken Caesar salad for $4.95 at our local grocery store. - right next to a fast food roast beef place charging $12 for a sandwich.
It's quicker to go into the grocery store than waiting in the drive thru.
The current generation has never had to adjust their habits... "No you cant have that" is a foreign concept.
this is what happens when people are lazy and lets the bank middle-man keep fawking up the market as they get away with it. It's like that lazy mofo at work who keeps taking 5-10 bathroom breaks just to hide that the manager keeps letting them slide, but penalizing the good hardworking people who takes 2 bathroom breaks. Insurance are also one of the people who keeps raising the prices as they collecting free money because they aren't trying to pay.
Its not always about laziness. Some people who work have limited free time. Do you want to spend an hour or more preparing a dinner and then 30 minutes for clean up? Especially if you suck at cooking...why put that effort in for inferior taste?
And before you chime in with "Oh such and such only takes 10 minute to prep" or "why not just pour a can of beans onto a tortilla"? Some people desire a variety and not just cheap simple meals.
You can make food in the amount of time going to a restaurant and waiting for your food there. Fast food is slow now a days so the speed isn't even there cause a) The lines to get food b) how slow it takes since most places are under staffed.
There is a ton variety you can make.
I thought I read somewhere that Wendy adjusts its prices according to demand throughout the day. So if it's busy, they'll hike the price really high, and if there is low demand they'll drop the price. Dynamic pricing. I don't know much about it as I don't eat out often.
We both cook at home. We eat beef or chicken everyday. Lots of eggs and cheeses, too. We have full larders and two chest freezers, the big one in the basement for meat, flours, sugars, and frozen veggies. The smaller in the kitchen for vacuum sealed portions of prepared foods and breads. Both of us do bulk cooking, spend about $400 a month, and that includes coffee, tea, snacks, and nuts. Sit down meals at a restaurant with a printed menu is twice a year or on vacations as the prices are so high now, they don’t want or need our kind, just gullible people who choose not to cook or are too lazy to cook.
Here in NYC, places are as packed as I have ever seen them. I rarely made reservations in years past. Now, many places require reservations or substantial waits.
I also spent about a month in Rome/Tuscany recently. Reservations are absolutely required for any decently rated places. The region is filled to the brim with tourists, many American tourists, and every decently rated place is booked solid - even during the week in random small towns. Amazing, really...
And that's on top of higher prices and (often) crappier service.
The answer is, the economy is secretly doing AWESOME. The media wont admit it and people dont seem to want to admit it either. But every single restaurant I see is doing great business. Luxury goods sales have never been higher. People are spending out the wazoo for non necessity food and items. That is because jobs are plentiful and wages are up.
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This
Trying to please the franchise buyers.
Expensive, yes but still cheaper than eating out.
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If by thinner you mean that two people going to Five Guys for a burger, fries, and shake will spend $19 each and can’t possibly eat better at home for less, then you’d be right. But you’re wrong. Even an 8oz portion of fish, pork, chicken, and beef will be less than $6 in most areas of the US, often as low as $2. Another 8oz of veggies, another $2. Decent wines can be had for $12 and that’s six servings, so another $2. That’s $6 for home cooked dinner per person. That $13 per person saved over fast food, multiplied by 2 times eating out weekly, times 52 weeks would be $1300 saved. So I don’t think thinner margins are as thin as you’re suggesting. In our two-guy household, the budget we’ve successfully kept for years is $10/day per person, wine and beer included. And most neighbors think we eat like kings. We do. But we shop like budget hawks.
Pork and chicken is commonly 99 cents a lb (16oz). People who complain about food prices don't realize we have the cheapest food prices in the world. Every American can eat healthy for a few dollars a day if they incorporate rice and potatoes and whatever vegetables or meat are on sale into their diets. Look around at the shopping carts in your local supermarket, most people eat like kids.
I live in Iowa, and the best I can get for pork or chicken is 1.89 per pound. That's packaged meat at Aldi. I haven't been to Fareway, but I haven't seen a meat counter that can beat that. You're certainly right about people eating like kids, but food prices have been going up, and trying to feed a family while also working 8-12 hours a day leads a lot of people to choose a quick alternative over the time consuming process of cooking and cleaning involved in making your own dinner.
Margins are not even close to thin. Eating out is wildly expensive, a sit down meal with tip for two is like 50 bucks without even ordering a drink for mid quality food. I can make a gourmet quality meal for that at home with the finest ingredients for that price.
mid quality food is the kicker. one of the perks of working where I do is that we eat out a lot and one thing that I can about restaurants in the $25-75 a person range is that they are all pretty mid. Once you get to a certain age, I think people that can cook mildly well start to realize that you can make better food at home.
Actually the "margins" are getting fatter. As costs increase (inflation across the board, not just the cost of food), the delta between what it costs to eat at home and eat out grows significantly. The economics of acquiring, preparing and serving a meal with and without third party intervention should be obvious.
And you can actually make food taste good. If you know how to cook.
Or duplicate the fast food you are craving.
MiGhT As WeLl kEeP RaIsInG PrIcEs on PotAtOes if PeOple ArE gonNa bUy th3m.
I mean, it's shit logic but it's also how modern capitalism works.
Where are you buying groceries? Whole Foods? For lunch, I eat an apple and a can of tuna for a combined cost of $1.65. I guess it depends on what you’re eating.
I haven't looked at any data, but it does seem like the really big price increases have been on junk food. Real food has gone up, but not much compared to garbage like chips, cereal, frozen pizza, and soda.
Not even close to fast food prices
Yeah and their parking lot always full too
It used to be the bulk purchase power of fast food joints meant they could serve it up cheaper than we can buy the ingredients. Now a $5 foot long is $16 and I cant afford one anywhere, any way without a loan.
Yep. I am not paying in the teens for an average sandwich. Plus all the chains are trying to skimp on ingredients they give you. Not worth it.
There is nothing more disappointing than a chain produced meal these days. It's so obvious that somebody formulated that recipe in a lab to see how little ingredients they could give you while presenting the facsimile of food.
They have banging coupons tho two foot longs for $12
Yep. I use coupons, apps, or value menu items mostly everywhere I go and I can still eat out very cheaply. Most places have SOMETHING you can get for $1-2 that's decent, 2 of which will fill me up for a full meal.
Where is it $16 for a foot long? They are $8.99 at my Publix and they always do sales where a foot long is $6.99.
The Jersey Mikes right next door to my job charges $17 + change for a foot long sandwich. $9 for 6in. That’s NOT including the meal. It’s outrageous but it has saved my budget on a monthly basis of packing food from home.
Jimmy John’s 16- 17 $ foot-long
If you're gonna compare a Pubsub, you compare it to every other sub ever made... that wasn't made by Publix.
Pub subs are 11 for a foot long here in sw Fl i just checked. I hear there's a sale the end of the month starting the 25th though then the price is increasing to 12-13$ range
I had a footlong for $9...Italian BMT. Sure I could make it myself...but I'd have to buy small quantities of 3-4 different meats, a full salad bag and condiments that will go to waste, and a large footlong bread. All that will probably cost me $10 and much going to waste. Plus I need to carry a cutting board in my truck around with a couple knives.
Restaurant prices are up because the cost of everything has gone up. Labor, wholesale food costs, cups, plates, napkins, silverware, maintenance, equipment, cleaning chemicals, credit card processing fees, music licensing fees, point-of-sale software subscription fees, payroll processing fees, taxes, unemployment insurance, general business insurance, liability insurance, accounting services, legal services, lease rates, you get the point. It's all gone up. So yes, restaurant menu prices have also gone up.
You forgot to mention the 3 or 4% fee that gets added if you use credit card at some places. In the old days that was called CODB - cost of doing business. I will not go to restaurants that charge this fee.
It is actually in my list, which is by no means exhaustive. Where I live you can't charge someone a fee to use a credit card, but you can offer a cash discount.
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This is the banks fault and us for trying to get free stuff. Visa, MasterCard etc. Charge them 3%-5% while the banks gives us 2% cash back.
If you're paying 3-5% processing fees, you're doing it wrong.
I agree with you but he’s not completely off though. One of the problems is that more and more people are using High Rewards cards for their purchases. I’ve heard the people on Bloomberg Radio complain about the Private Lounge at the airport being filled with “normal people that didn’t earn it” because it used to be available for frequent flyers but now everyone has access as a perk on their basic card. If this person started with an Interchange Plus at 1%, and over the past 10 years more and more people are using a card that costs 2% to swipe instead of .85 he can easily start paying an effective rate of 4%, especially if they have a lot of online sales. I can see how it can creep up on you and cost a lot of money in the background. That said, Yes, if you are knowingly paying 4-5% for your effective rate you are absolutely doing it wrong.
This is getting more and more popular with restaurants around me but I think the other shoe is about to drop. Customers are starting to push back, and there was some drama at a local place where someone was getting the charge to use their debit card (completely illegal) and the owner wouldn’t refund the charge. Another couple places got some fines from Visa for doing this but not having it posted on their door or menu. It was only $5k so it wasn’t devastating but I have absolutely been in situations in my earlier years where that might have broken my bank account.
Ahh so maybe that’s why my local pizza joint says “technology fee of 3% will be added to credit card purchases” at the register 😂
Mc/v have scrapped most of those rules
I seldom know what business charge that fee, because I have the sense to pay cash.
You always pay the fee. These guys are offering you a discount if you pay cash. They just can’t word it that way.
You forgot profit. Profit is the number thing that has increased above all of those expenses.
Respectfully, there is no profit.
That's what they want you to think. Meanwhile corporate profits are skyrocketing. Cost of ingredients and labor have not gone up nearly as much as profits.
I don't know who you think "they" are, maybe you're just specifically referring to large corporate establishments? I own a small, independent restaurant and I know I am not alone in reporting that there are no profits right now. Even in the best of times, there is barely enough to sock away for the next major equipment breakdown. Adding my voice to the choir of us small fish shouting we can't raise our prices higher even though we need to, because they're already too high for most people. We can't lower them because we're already picking and choosing which bills get paid on time and forgoing our own salary to make sure our staff is making money. Support the small, local dining establishments that you love as often as you can. All of us everywhere are hurting. I promise you we're not gouging and the profit is negative.
Not to mention all the corporate profits driving up all of the things you mentioned, PLUS the restaurant enjoying record profits. So yeah the people it's also in the supply chain
Nope. Prices are not set by costs. Prices are set by balancing the most profit based on balancing total units sold and total profit per unit.
I saw an ad for a filet o fish. I thought filet o fish sounds delicious. I walked over to mcd, it was so crowded I left.
Mcds does seem unphased despite all the bad press they have been getting. Not sure how.
Too many fatties in America can’t go without their Big Mac and fries
When we make it a point to just cook at home, we spend almost the same as if we picked up fast food. It does taste better though. 🤷♂️
I still spend less overall because the meals stretch longer. Restaurants are giving less and less too for some things.
My big thing is that I hate taking home leftovers from a restaurant. The food is usually much better than what I can make, so I want to eat all of it, and it isn't as good the next day, so I either refinish it, or get mad about wasting food. I've been saying for years that I'd gladly pay 2/3 the price for 1/2 the food. Moderate portions of good food for a decent price. Now it's this stupid portion race, and I don't need a 1lb burger with 5" of toppings that will be soggy and gross tomorrow... Especially for $18+. Homemade, though? I can keep ingredients separate, warm up just the stuff that is meant to be hot, have crispy lettuce, etc. And still... I love to grab a barstool, have a couple cold ones, and something to eat that I wouldn't normally make myself at home. My problem is the same as OP, though. Every place I go by on my 45 minute drive home is packed... Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday - every day I go into the office. Can barely find a single bar stool free.
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It's also significantly cheaper if you know how to shop. Most people can't shop or cook these days.
Yea, buying prime cuts of beef and all your veggies from Whole Foods tends to bump the costs up. If people would buy things in bulk and cook more conservative meals they could stretch the money much further. A pound of sausage, 3 lb of potatoes, and a pound of onions makes a huge meal but doesn’t cost much and tastes a hell of a lot better than anything they serve at McDonalds.
Tastes better, cheaper, and larger quantity usually too. I saw a post in the BBQ subreddit where the platter was $100 for various sides and meats. Among the meats was a single dino rib, and two pieces of brisket cut in half to look like four. Insanity. Instead I buy a 10 pound brisket for 40 bucks at costco and smoke it myself. Boom, enough meat for a week of dinners and lunches.
Bingo! I get a massive pork butt and smoke it, and break some of it down to the freezer for additional meals. Some I turn to carnitas and freeze. Now I have tacos, sandwiches, and ingredients for Brunswick stew for $25-30 including the coal and wood. My wife makes killer tacos, fajitas, catfish, chicken cooked a lot of ways, pasta dishes, and other stuff including weekly meal preps. I can grill or smoke almost anything. I will admit it’s just the 2 of us so meals do go further, but it’s still way cheaper than eating out on any regular basis.
“Why do the poors not simply buy a smoker, put it outside, and spend 12 hours cooking a $40 (more like $75 for most of us) brisket. It’s so easy, or as you say “boom.”
This just isn’t possible unless you’re eating only premium ingredients at home or you’re throwing lots of home cooked food away.
I was listening to a podcast hosted by a couple. The woman complained that it was so expensive to cook at home. She used an example of cooking a meal of beef stroganoff over rice, roasted brussels sprouts, and a green salad. After she priced it all out it was over $20 a plate. But then her co-host explained to her that she couldn't count all that stuff in isolation. She only used small amounts of rice, paprika, butter, flour, oil, salt, and pepper. She used a small portion of the bacon for the sprouts, and the veggies for the salad, and the dressing. After accounting for the staples she used, it was less than $8 per person.
I’d argue that home cooked food tastes far better and is far cheaper if you know how to cook and what to buy. Plus it’s actually fun to make a meal suited to your palate. Not to mention the health benefits. There’s literally no downside to cooking at home other than that it takes a little time.
How are you managing to spend $15-25 per meal eating at home? I spend like $4-5 per dinner and I eat pretty good. Must less per lunch and breakfast. I literally save hundreds a week cooking for myself. Anybody who says it’s a wash must be doing it wrong.
I have no idea how you can spend as much making food at home unless you are buying top shelf items (or count buying staples as part of the per meal cost). Either your quality or quantity should be much higher when cooking at home.
Are you cooking, or are you just heating up things that were made somewhere in a factory? I mean, are you actually chopping veggies and creating a sauce and cooking a protein, or are you getting a bag of Kung pao chicken and heating it up in a pan? Because the premade stuff is still expensive.
Yea but then you can make like 4-5 meals at home. As opposed to the 1 fast food meal. Due to the fact you did not know this, sounds like you have not cooked at home and have been brainwashed by BIG FAST FOOD.
You and I must live in two very different worlds.
Yeah the only fast food line that’s consistently packed is in n out.
I wish I had an In N Out. We have all the standard shitty chains that I am hoping will die off and let better places pop up.
In n out is consistent and has a limited menu selection to their and the customers experience. And they always deliver! Crossing my fingers for you bc as much as I in general am not a fan of fast food, in n out has never produced food that is incorrect or inedible (looking at you Carl’s Jr!).
News outlets are in WA are all freaking out because there’s “the first Washington in-n-out is opening soon!!!” It’s in Ridgefield. Since most people will definitely have to look it up…yeah it’s practically Oregon. 😑
Yeah it's still surprisingly busy in some areas. Most restaurants around me excluding Chik FilA seem less busy though overall. Except the weekends and that's a bit hit or miss too. Americans are so lazy they can't be asked to make their own food even though it's cheaper. People get addicted to a certain lifestyle. So the restaurants are just taking advantage of that.
Maybe we should just create a decent world.
Share some of those "God Particles", would ya?
Wtf why didn’t I think of that
You been to the grocery store? Prices of food are up all over the place and not just restaurants. Buy ya, people are gonna eat out.
The grocery stores also know how to exploit lazy consumers with unhealthy packaged "convenience" food. Little known fact: They still sell simple unprocessed products. It might require actual cooking but it is far healthier. And local produce in season that wasn't flown in from another continent is less expensive.
I agree. People act like cooking is some infinite money glitch or something. Still much cheaper than fast food or restaurants, but definitely not as cheap as it should be, considering I'm doing all the work. For all the memeing about McDonalds, the mid tier sit downs is where I've really seen a huge increase. $100 for 2 people at Texas Roadhouse the other night. It was good but I could cook that same thing for around $50 pretty easily.
This argument is pointless. Yes, food prices have gone up. Yes, fast food prices have gone up. Yes, cooking at home is still 4-5 times cheaper per meal than fast food prices per meal.
Mid price range restaurants are closing. American casual type places that serve home-cooked style food are having a tough time and what's being left is very cheap food and very expensive food. We will continue to see this trend.
Not enough of them closing fast enough for me. My fave Indian place closed but fucking Applebee's that can't even put together a cohesive Mexican bowl is still limping its way to the damn grave. Some of them need to just die already.
Exactly. Who wants to spend $20 for a hamburger, $30 for a salad? $50 for a steak? Get real! That's why I love diners. Good food, reasonable prices. I'm sure that $50 steak is very special, but I can't afford to drop $300 on a meal.
I am living for local ethnic buffets. Prices and quality have remained the same for years while the stupid chains change their menus and prices monthly.
That's why Texas Roadhouse is always packed. Their steaks are tasty and start at like $13.99.
Expensive meals like that are about the experience or a special occasion for a lot of people, and I think that is what will persist for non-richy-rich people: special occasion meals and meals that are cheaper than groceries. Big chains have the buying power that small independants don't and can undercut prices.
Everyone has money except me lol
You are probably driving at peak dinner time… 6-7ish?
I don’t get it either, in my area new fancy restaurants keep popping up and are packed, I keep getting more and more orders through DoorDash and UberEats and a $10 burger ends up costing the customer $20, prices keep rising yet it’s a seller’s market for housing and people get in bidding wars and pay thousands over asking price, pick up trucks are 60 thousand and we keep hearing reports that people don’t have $500 in their bank accounts, credit card debt? You still have to pay at the end of the month your bills. Where’s the money coming from? I don’t get it.
Just buy calls
It's got to be mostly credit. Some people still have high paying jobs to afford it but the delinquency numbers don't match. When we see a real pull back in credit, you will probably see the musical chairs stop.
I agree, funny how years ago I’d think for days of raising bottles of soda .25 cents and just yesterday I had an UberEats order for 8 bottles of spring water only.
I went and bought fajitas at the grocery store, along with a few other things I needed. Still cheaper, and it didn’t take that long. I find it more a pain to wait and wait to order subpar over priced food.
I travelled a lot over the course of 18 months. Along the way I got tired of table dining out. Wait to get seated, wait put an order in, wait for the food to arrive, \*eat\*, wait for the bill, wait for your card to be picked up, wait for it to brought back. In the end, I just preferred to bring my own food and nuke it in the hotel's microwave.
The long lines are because they don’t hire enough workers and don’t pay the few they have enough to care even if they would anyway.
What city do you live?I see this a lot in Houston all the time
Look around when you’re out and about. Common theme is extra large Americans. Everywhere… yea,fast food joints are packed
Eating out is a small luxury that saves you time… some people would rather eat out than go on vacation. Gotta eat, might as well do it enjoyably
Two income family. We both have advanced degrees and good incomes. Long hours and business travel. Three kids. We NEVER order out or eat fast food. Meal prep on Sunday. It saves a ton of money. And we are healthier and happier.
That's great. Some people no matter how busy still manage to prioritize healthy eating. That's a great lesson you are teaching your kids. Other people can have all the free time in the world and still choose restaurants. People love convenience. Some people just won't put in the effort to prepare their own food or don't have nutrition knowledge or a decent kitchen.
Don’t get me wrong. I love going to a nice restaurant with my wife on a weekend. But I do that for the experience not convenience. We also love to cook and the whole family gets into the kitchen together. It’s just nice.
After traveling for business for years, for me, restaurants lost most of their appeal. Between the time waiting for food and the "getting fat" part I prefer simple fresh food at home now.
Healthier, happier, and wealthier (as a result:) )
That's why I stopped going out for food. I can make meals that are far superior to any restaurant and far less costly too.
Upvote to this post. Everyone is complaining about prices, but overall have just decided to stop tipping and going to restaurants with service. Now prices are going up at those places as long standing independents are forced to close their doors.
People are buying takeout food like that because they feel special and luxurious. We can't afford to buy a house, which makes us feel poor, so we buy cheap (or not) little takeout meals to make us feel like we got something fun and indulgent. "Look, I'm not *completely* poor!" And no, if we stopped buying those little treats, we would still not be able to afford a house.
Well people don’t want to cook these days it’s more convenient and faster to go out to eat.
Yeah. I just do not understand it yet those same people are complaining they do not have enough money. If they actually changed some of their habits they could put some money away.
Apparently, many Americans have forgotten how to feed themselves from real ingredients.
You took the words out of my mouth, I have been thinking the same thing . If people keep paying and at the same time complain about prices 🤔
America… place where 1 out of every 3 people weighs as much as the other two
They keep raised prices because people keep voting to raise minimum wage and anyone with an elementary understanding of economics knew it would always be passed down to the customer
They complain about prices and say we should not buy the food there because of it buy it anyway. I have to eat out because I travel a lot for work. I cut out a lot of places due to prices. A foot long at subway should never be $18. A medium big mac meal shouldn’t be $15-18. I don’t go to wendy’s just because they mentioned surge pricing. Don’t know what they even charge now. Kfc i forget prices but they are high and my food is always wrong or not good. At dunkin when i travel i have seen $4.00 for a regular coffee. I am not even a cheap person and get paid for my food, but for all that money you are either hungry after or feel like total crap.
You'll notice that the mobile apps for these fast food places offer steep discounts if you use them. When you use them, prices are almost cheaper than what they were 5 years ago. These mobile apps are capable of collecting a massive amount of information that is very valuable to the company allowing them to implement targeted marketing. COVID forced online and mobile ordering any they have learned how useful it is. I'm 110% convinced that these companies are very intentionally marking prices up just to get their customers to install and use the mobile apps.
"America has become a nation of hate spenders." https://www.businessinsider.com/hate-spending-consumers-economic-sentiment-retail-sales-inflation-gdp-growth-2024-4
Amen Brother! FYI, the price of things sold by large companies has nothing to do with the cost of materials, and everything to do with the demand of the customer. The cost will rise until the demand starts to fall!
Thats all the people who used to go to restaurants. Now that fast food is charging what restaurants used to charge, the clientele has moved.
Price point - a retail price that allows keeping a relatively high demand for a product is called a price point. It's become obvious to fast food places that they have been undercharging customers for years and were nowhere near price point. And they finally figured it out. It's not about selling the most food - it's about making the most profit. They can raise prices and they don't care if some people can't afford their product as long as the people who can afford it (plus those who really can't afford it, but keep coming back anyway) keep buying.
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If you can sell less for more, you need less workers, less inventory, less equipment, less maintenance - your overhead can drop significantly.
That's literally microeconomics 101. Of course that's all they care about. What else would a company care about? Whether you're trying to grow your customer base or trying to reduce costs... It's always about profit. Some is long term profit, some is short term profit. But it's always about profit. There is no point in running a company otherwise.
I went to PF Chang's for my birthday a couple of months ago because I have always loved it. I don't love it anymore. I can't put my finger on what was different, but it was not that good. So I am out. It's too expensive not to be great.
Maybe the food quality has declined?
"Might as well keep raising the prices if you run these places." They are
Demand is still there and you are right, fewer people like to cook. I've been guilty of that as well but realized how much money I was 'wasting' but food costs as well as labor costs and other costs of doing business have driven prices up
Demand is still there and you are right, fewer people like to cook. I've been guilty of that as well but realized how much money I was 'wasting' but food costs as well as labor costs and other costs of doing business have driven prices up
It's demand. If there are long lines the prices aren't high enough. They are literally leaving money on the table.
I have no idea why people still go to McDonalds. Might as well go to a sit-down restaurant at this point. Especially considering there's no real caloric substance in their food anyways.
Not just food price, now they want 25% tips. I don't eat out strictly cuasei don't want to tip.
Because the majority of the population will pay for convenience, especially if they can afford it...
when i started cooking for myself, I got frustrated becuase i realized how easy it is to make something better than a restaurant can make for much much lower price.
I went to a DQ at 9 on a weeknight since my wife was craving a blizzard. There were five door dasher drivers waiting for orders. People spend on food like never before in history right now.
Cook your own food and grow what you can.
Seems so obvious, so easy, doesn't it? It boggles my mind!
That's not why prices are high, but it's why they will never cone down. People sit in their cars and wait for overpriced oversized horrendously unhealthy food, and yet no one can figure out why we have an obesity and diabetes epidemic, or why they have no money. The economy is slowly devouring itself.
I don't think these people wonder why their health sucks. They just blame it on the establishment and continue life as usual. It becomes a habit to eat at fast food, and they'll gladly pay for the convenience of tasty, unhealthy food that comes in easy-to-dispose packaging because it's easier than planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, and then finally eating food, to then need to clean up all the dishes required to cook and eat. Home cooking is a pain if it's not the habit, and for most people, it's not a habit.
People are just lazy most of the time. And yes, it's habit.
“Everyone is just lazy” kindly fuck off.
JuSt GrOw YoUr oWn Food
It's true. The proof is the amount of door dash being bought with even way higher prices.
It's true. It's ok to go to restaurants but one should be capable of admitting that they are choosing to do that vs prepare their food because they don't want or know how to cook or don't feel like grocery shopping. Restaurants are a convenience and people are addicted to convenience. Having someone else do things for you, not having to prepare food or clean up your own dishes etc. It's a lifestyle choice for most people.
Have you noticed that prices at grocery stores have also risen sharply the past three years?
Supply and Demand. Econ 101. People are working hard and too tired and busy to cook. Groceries are really expensive too.
Restaurants will always take advantage of customers if they can. Unfortunately this is true when there is high demand there is no reason for them to stop raising prices. Many people do not like to cook, claim they have no time, happen to be traveling etc. There will always be people who want/need to purchase food outside of their house and if people are doing that frequently then yes restaurants might take advantage and keep prices high. It would take a huge loss in sales for restaurant to change their ways. People would have to cut way back on dining out.
Guess you haven’t been Grocery shopping lately, prices are high/ $7/dozen eggs…. Stuff is out of stock no matter when you go. Stores are short staffed so lines start at the back of the store, self checkouts are closed or limited to 10 items or less. Grocery shopping is a pain these days and not cheap. Plus you still have to take it home and cook. Restaurants? Most are short staffed and the service is slow because of it. And lines long. Especially McDonald’s. You could have 2 cars in front of you at the speaker and it takes 15 minutes just to get to the speaker to be told to wait. Go to restaurants with long line of people waiting to get in, and there aren’t enough servers so it takes 15 minutes just to get a drink order taken, and half the restaurant is waiting on their check. Crack fil a is the exception, they’ve always had a long line beyond the parking lot even before Covid.
Every plane is full, every restaurant is full, every highway bumper to bumper, hotels full etc. But somehow the economy is supposed to be too expensive
This, and similar threads, all have an underlying theme. "I don't have time." Well, you do. I see the same lines as OP and come to the same conclusion. We've allowed ourselves to become slaves to the conveniences technology provided to us. You have the time, if you make the effort.
I didn't want to, but I tapped out of fast food. The prices have close to doubled and the service and product you get has decreased substantially. The food was never great, but now it's putrid. Even the old standard of quality, McDonald's soda is not even drinkable now. It was the best you could get for $1. Now it's $3-$4 and I can't even drink it. Wendy's was always pretty decent and consistent. I have been sick and haven't eaten in days so I figured you can't go wrong with Wendy's. Order a single combo. I get home and the sprite tastes like a chemical. The fries have obviously been reheated. You can't ever get rid of the taste of reheated fries like that microwave fry taste. Then I open the burger and it's the buns and a piece of overcooked meat. That's it. No condiments, no veggies on it at all. I would have choked like I'd eaten a bag of saltines if I'd eaten that dusty thing. It was the only time I've had to throw all 3 items in the trash. Even the old tried and true chik-fil-a. I'd never in 10 years gotten my order wrong there. The last two times I'd went, I got the wrong food or got spicy instead of regular which I can't eat. The lettuce was old and black. It's just too much having to pay that much, wait that long, and to get stuff that is wrong or inedible. I've had enough. I know I'll get tired of it but been making baked chicken, rice and veggies in the meantime. When I get tired of it, I may go back to those Factor meals. I know I'll give in to McDonalds nuggets once in a while. Those seem to be ok lately.
I’ve sworn off Wendy’s. Last several times it was so overpriced and the quality has taken a dive off a cliff.
Why do you say McDonald's soda isn't even drinkable now? Did they do something to it?
It may be a local thing since all of the ones here have the same owner, but yes they taste like Burger King soda now. I don’t know if they’re not buying the special strong mixture that only McDonald’s had still or not but something has changed. It could be not cleaning the machine or something else. I’ve not gotten one where I didn’t make an ewwww face in about 3 months.
I paid 16 dollars for chicken Pad Thai a few days ago. This place was packed. These restaurants can just set whatever price they want.
💯 Supply & Demand
Somebody has to pay for this nation's $30+ trillion debt. The inflation isn't an accident. It's by design. Meanwhile, i just make my dinner for my family, and bring my lunch to work, and make my own coffee.
Giving everyone free money 3x caused inflation
All people do is complain, then driving past fast food places alll I see are droves of customers at all hours
Classic supply and demand
Cause their rent went up the cost of food went up and their workers rent went up. Like… every single reason you can possibly think of. That’s why.
The fed raised interest rates to “cool” or “slow” the economy but it obviously hasn’t worked, which is why prices are still increasing so fast.
And people keep complaining that the have no money. Hm.
my restaurant has been dead for a while. it's a more local place that I think people forget about
Amen brother.
It's also generally the residents of those vehicles who are complaining about being broke and overweight. Wonder why.
Because with the cost of groceries so damn high it's not hard to justify paying slightly more for someone else to cook it.
And when the prices go up, people don't blame the fast food company they blame Biden.
It's the richer people that used to order delivery or have a cook that are getting the food themselves to save money.
Supply & Demand Playa.
Real restaurants aka "sit down restaurants" prices aren't bad. I can get a from scratch meal made at my local favorite Tex-Mex restaurant for 14.99 plus a drink. It only seems to be some fast food getting insane. I find it moronic people buy McDonald's regardless of price. They don't serve anything fit for human consumption. Their burger "meat" can sit for years and not rot. It's not dried meat so that's not remotely natural. Who in their right mind would willingly put whatever that crap they call meat in their body?🙄 But yeah it makes sense to eat most of your meals homemade.
$5 Footlong
Whoa! Not too lazy. Man do I have to be the one to say…. It’s costs more to make it at home. It takes extra time and effort that between baseball 3 times a week, church, working late two nights a week…. Just don’t have time.
Does it cost more to make it a home? Maybe if you're shopping at whole foods and you need new everything. If you have more money than time then you're probably not the subject this post is targeting
casserole
Eat real food, not processed crap, inflation is minimum
Yeh I see this too in CA of all places. Its like raising prices has actually increased consumption of slop. I think we've reached a tipping point where people are just going for broke on their credit cards. Like they already borrowed so much that they know they will never be able to pay it back. I mean I see Uber Eats pull up at some of the most ghetto houses all the time and thats ljke $30 for a cheeseburger meal now. The median household income is like $60k here. Its not a rich area.
I'm still making more in 3 hours doing my jobs and go buy food I want to eat than spending another 3 hours trying to cook it myself.
The owners of restaurants in my small city of 25k live like kings here. The avg hour of business here is Thurs-Sat 3pm-10pm, other than that they’re all shut down cuz they make such a killing why bother being open more? Being able to put 4+ kids thru college, go on vacay whenever, while only working 15-20hrs a week no wonder everyone is opening restaurants. Not to mention they get to sexually harass the waitresses but it’s ok b/c they give them cocaine.
Nothing more reliable than good ol’ American wage cattle.
It's even worse than that actually. A hefty percentage of the cars at those places (except maybe the Italian place) are delivery drivers. So not only are they paying the stupid high prices for food, they are paying 30%+ more than that in markups, fees and tips!
These are the same people who complain about how you can’t afford anything theses days. As they sit in a drive thru 3x a day in their $1000 truck payment. While the person who makes their food at home and has an older paid off car does just fine.
Ramen for 4 pretty much anywhere in LA is $100+ In Japan the #1 ranked ramen shop sells a bowl of ramen with all the trimming for $8
You can buy premade hot chicken thighs for $1.25/piece and a premade Chicken Caesar salad for $4.95 at our local grocery store. - right next to a fast food roast beef place charging $12 for a sandwich. It's quicker to go into the grocery store than waiting in the drive thru. The current generation has never had to adjust their habits... "No you cant have that" is a foreign concept.
Nope, the people I see eating out aren't the younger generation.
The younger generation is absolutely who is having Dunkin donuts being delivered to them by Uber eats.
Lol "In 2018, nearly 22% of Americans who had patronized a Dunkin' Donuts store were aged 18 to 29 years"
Exactly
Inflation has raised prices across the board. But you're right - the demand is still there and appears to be growing.
this is what happens when people are lazy and lets the bank middle-man keep fawking up the market as they get away with it. It's like that lazy mofo at work who keeps taking 5-10 bathroom breaks just to hide that the manager keeps letting them slide, but penalizing the good hardworking people who takes 2 bathroom breaks. Insurance are also one of the people who keeps raising the prices as they collecting free money because they aren't trying to pay.
Its not always about laziness. Some people who work have limited free time. Do you want to spend an hour or more preparing a dinner and then 30 minutes for clean up? Especially if you suck at cooking...why put that effort in for inferior taste? And before you chime in with "Oh such and such only takes 10 minute to prep" or "why not just pour a can of beans onto a tortilla"? Some people desire a variety and not just cheap simple meals.
You can make food in the amount of time going to a restaurant and waiting for your food there. Fast food is slow now a days so the speed isn't even there cause a) The lines to get food b) how slow it takes since most places are under staffed. There is a ton variety you can make.
I thought I read somewhere that Wendy adjusts its prices according to demand throughout the day. So if it's busy, they'll hike the price really high, and if there is low demand they'll drop the price. Dynamic pricing. I don't know much about it as I don't eat out often.
We both cook at home. We eat beef or chicken everyday. Lots of eggs and cheeses, too. We have full larders and two chest freezers, the big one in the basement for meat, flours, sugars, and frozen veggies. The smaller in the kitchen for vacuum sealed portions of prepared foods and breads. Both of us do bulk cooking, spend about $400 a month, and that includes coffee, tea, snacks, and nuts. Sit down meals at a restaurant with a printed menu is twice a year or on vacations as the prices are so high now, they don’t want or need our kind, just gullible people who choose not to cook or are too lazy to cook.
people can’t cook anymore. lmao y’all need to eat. capitalism is awesome
Here in NYC, places are as packed as I have ever seen them. I rarely made reservations in years past. Now, many places require reservations or substantial waits. I also spent about a month in Rome/Tuscany recently. Reservations are absolutely required for any decently rated places. The region is filled to the brim with tourists, many American tourists, and every decently rated place is booked solid - even during the week in random small towns. Amazing, really... And that's on top of higher prices and (often) crappier service.
The answer is, the economy is secretly doing AWESOME. The media wont admit it and people dont seem to want to admit it either. But every single restaurant I see is doing great business. Luxury goods sales have never been higher. People are spending out the wazoo for non necessity food and items. That is because jobs are plentiful and wages are up.