Poll:Restaurant Meal Upper Guideline (NOT special occasion)

[Bamaman]

We usually only eat out once per week, and that's taking the grandkids with us after church on Sunday. They just love Captain D's and their $4.99 menu. They also love Applebee's where we get the 2 for $20 meal and the kids eat off the $5.98 kids menu. We too have quit drinking alcohol, and usually drink water when eating out.

After 36 years of eating on the company expense account and travel, I no longer care to eat out very often. It's nice to be married to a supreme Southern cook who considers her meals to be her artistry. And I can also hold my own in the kitchen. We seldom are in the kitchen longer than 30 minutes, and we grill outside year round.

We often think of a friend that made food too much of his life. While I retired at 58, Fred's going to be doing good to retire at 70 because of eating out too often in too expensive of restaurants.

[Chuckanut]

I generally go out to eat for one of three reasons.

1. Traveling away from home and hungry - much less than $20 a person.
2. Social interaction with friends - $20 - $30
3. Eat something I enjoy but would never make at home - $40 -$50 per person. This does not happen often.

[RobbieB]

Yesterday we delivered DD to UCLA. On the way home we stopped at Harris Ranch and had a couple steaks, soup and salad a baked potato, 2 martinis and 2 glasses of wine.

$180. Worth every penny -

[Scuba]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 We can’t drink a bottle of wine between us at a meal. It takes at least two meals, and more typically three at home. I saw couples routinely ordering and drinking a bottle of wine at a meal in France. Tourists and locals alike. I was amazed. At most I might have a light aperitif and a glass of wine with my meal. That’s the main reason we don’t order bottles of wine at restaurants besides the huge markup. I also have a very nice wine collection at home, so I’m rarely turned on by the wine list.

We have no problem drinking a bottle of wine between us, although we have cut back and don’t do it as often as we used to since we’re trying to manage our weight. The 500 ml house wines have been working well for us in Greece.

[Badger]

Lots of restaurants in our 1million+ population city but 95+% are Mom&Pop or chain restaurants. I have not been impressed with the value of most of them even at their lower prices. We go just a few times a month for convenience more than for a dining experience.



A good selection of "fresh off the boat" local seafood (fish, crabs, and shrimp) to add to the readily available fresh salmon that is shipped in makes for excellent meals at home for less than half the cost of eating out. If we want beef then the 1.5 inch steaks at Costco cooked on the grill along with fresh veggies from the garden is about half that of a restaurant and as good or better than what we get eating out. After that we enjoy preparing a variety of Italian (I had a Sicilian MIL teach me) and Cajun recipes that we prefer to restaurants.



Baking I leave to bakers. I know when I'm out of my element.


Cheers!

[Teacher Terry]

For us going out to eat twice a week is totally worth it. I enjoy the food and the experience. So nice not to have to cook and we usually bring half home so another day with no cooking.

[48Fire]

Just cast my vote at $75 based on tonight's meal. Next week is our anniversary, so "special occasion". We may top that

[nash031]

$50-60 for a regular weeknight meal for us, usually includes wine. We go a lot higher for special occasions. We like to eat out and go big when we rarely do these days.