Cost of a restaurant meal

[HFWR]

Any $600 meal I pay for had better come with a happy ending...


Sent from my iCouch using Early Retirement Forum

[GrayHare]

Every so often, $200 to $300 per person (spouse is a foodie). Yes, I have thought how many dollar-menu items that will buy.

[FUEGO]

I can't recall spending more than $50 or so for the two of us. One of those "$39.95 for two to dine" at a pretty nice restaurant in Raleigh in the nice part of town. It included 2 martinis or a bottle of wine, appetizer, shared dessert, and pretty good entree choice (scallops, crab cakes, some type of steak, etc). So probably $100 retail, we just got a good deal.

Otherwise, we rarely spend a lot on a single meal out. I've eaten at the $100 per plate places when the former employer picked up the tab. Food and drink weren't anything special beyond the $50 (for two) place we visited.

[NanoSour]

Thanks to Quicken I can tell you our most expensive was $231.07. It was a celebration meal with a bottle of Chateau Montelena Cabernet. A night to remember and the food was delicious.

Since ER I've only passed $100 three times. Typically in the 70-80 range for DW and I.

[40Love]

We paid about $100 for 4 of us in a decent Chinese restaurant to celebrate our anniversary last year, without drinks, and we thought THAT was expensive. Our typical bills for our family is about $45 including tips. Sometimes ago I figure no one should ever pay for a meal that is more than $10pp - there is no way one can eat that much food anyways.

[splitwdw]

Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia, PA about $300 a couple in 1999. We had to stop at McDonald's to get the guys more food because they were still hungry.

[rodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by splitwdw Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia, PA about $300 a couple in 1999. We had to stop at McDonald's to get the guys more food because they were still hungry.

In the same time frame (late 90's) we wanted to try Le Bec-Fin. Fortunately, a friend tipped us off to the fixed menu lunch option - I think it was about $60/person (exclusive of wine). Fabulous food. No way I could have spent the dinner prices. If I had to do it again - I wouldn't do it.

[harley]

There was a thread here a little while ago about the Inn at Little Washington. DW and I ate there for our 10th anniversary back in '89. As I remember, the bill was about $250 including wine. It was a fabulous meal, and possibly even worth the cost. A special day and evening. But that was our record. Tomorrow is DW's 30th 29th birthday, and we're going to Carrabbas. Got a $50 gift card ($45 worth of Discover points), and that will probably cover the entire bill since she doesn't drink and I don't drink in restaurants.

[scrabbler1]

I live alone so I don't go out to eat other than a pizza lunch. When I do go out to eat with my ladyfriend or my dad, the bill comes to $35-$55 including tip. We don't buy any alcoholic drinks nor do we get any desserts so that keeps the tab low.

[MRG]

My most expensive was our honeymoon, 99 cent 6 pack of Gennesse Cream Ale and a $1.99 frozen pizza on a dock. All the rest stems from that one.

My wife's favorite restaurant is on a lake and not cheap. We probably dropped $250.00 there. It's pretty much for aniverseries only. Fun to think where we came from.

Corporate spending was fun. The best game was in airports, musical tabs. Many of the road people traveled to the same area though the same airlines and gates. The first group there would start a tab and start eating and drinking. If you were lucky someone else you knew would show up and you'd invite them for a drink. Then the fun began, oh I have to leave will you give the bar your corporate card so I can make my flight? The game goes on for many groups till finally someone is stuck paying for $600.00 food and bar tab. The accounting people didn't see our humor.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

[RetireAge50]

Not at all interested in expensive restaurants. My idea of the perfect restaurant is fish and chips take out and eat it on the sea wall by beach.

[growerVon]

SkyCity is revolving restaurant at the top of the Space Needle, in Seattle, WA. DW and I took the 2 kids, my Mom, sister and a visiting sister-in-law out for a splurge in May last year. We didn't go crazy, but did have several drinks, desserts, etc. Just under $600. Yeah, I had to breathe deep but knew what I was getting into. Not *that* bad for 5 adults and two kids...

[audreyh1]

I forgot to take into account the meals we've paid for in Euros. Somehow that seems like a different dimension.

[daylatedollarshort]

The most expensive check I ever saw was for a business dinner at a French restaurant in London and, in inflation adjusted dollars, before tip the bill was $2K for a group of maybe 8. An IT consulting firm doing business with the company I worked for at the time picked up the tab.

[robnplunder]

Geesh. $200 - $400/person a meal can go a long way to feed a family of 6 in a 3rd world country.

[daylatedollarshort]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robnplunder Geesh. $200 - $400/person a meal can go a long way to feed a family of 6 in a 3rd world country.

On the trip I was on with the huge bill a couple of us actually started skipping dinners with the sales staff and going to a Pizza Hut salad bar. We just couldn't sit all day in meetings and then have 3+ course meals late at night like that multiple nights in a row (though none of the other bills were nearly that large).

[gcgang]

$700 at Joel Rubuchon MGM Vegas for the 16 course (sixteen?!?) degustation (disgusting?) menu and wine/drinks and tip. The food only was about $450. Probably could feed all of Zaire for that.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

[Sunset]

I cannot think of when the 2 of us have broken $100 for supper. Course we don't order booze so that helps a lot.

Partially I cannot understand why someone would want to pay the extravagant rates charged by fancy places. Just watching the chef shows you see how they constantly handle and place the tiny bits of food on the plates, and then wipe them with their handly (dirty?) cloth.

Just the other night I cooked up 1lb of large shrimp (were 17 in the 1lb), cost was $10 for the shrimp, same thing in a restaurant is about $40.

Being RE, we are free to eat when we want, so if we go to a fancy place, we go at lunch, the prices are much cheaper sometimes 1/2, the crowds are less and the decor is the same

[robnplunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcgang $700 at Joel Rubuchon MGM Vegas for the 16 course (sixteen?!?) degustation (disgusting?) menu and wine/drinks and tip. The food only was about $450. Probably could feed all of Zaire for that. Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

That's obscene. Did you have to throw up time to time to taste more food?

[gcgang]

http://youtu.be/HJZPzQESq_0

Yes, even got film of it.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum