Anyone Else Soured on Dining Out?

[Henry Lili]

We have. For us it used to be about the experience and cost was second, but now waitstaffs are poorly trained, management at some of the places we used to go could give a rip and now cost does enter the picture when even a simple meal is $75-$100 by us.
Nope, we stay home. We made cedar planked salmon last night, fresh green beans and a nice dry Riesling all for about a third of what we pay in a restaurant.

Two sandwiches, a few beers plus tip was $70 last Saturday. Staffed well. Service was friendly but just ok on attentiveness. Oh, and, they gave us the wrong check. We go out much less now.

 

[audreyh1]

What I find kind of odd is that while the US seems to have a lot of Fintech innovations that we struggle to get in Canada, credit card tech seems to lag a few years behind like chip and PIN, mobile credit card machines, tap to pay, etc.

Yeah, it’s unbelievably annoying. Although tap to pay, ApplePay etc. do work in a lot of retail places including hotels, dining at a table is a real holdout.

 

[audreyh1]

Having worked in the hospitality industry most restaurants will be phasing out those portable CC readers as they are clunky and do not have chip technology. One of the mega chains I know has been working on allowing customers to pay via their app, this saves them money from purchasing those devices too, but not sure when they will roll this out though.

The European portable CC readers do have chip technology, plus tap to pay, plus ApplePay etc. Phone app would be great too.

 

[Midpack]

Another thread that's hard to judge. What some people consider fine dining, would exceed the expectations of some, and fall well short of world class expectations of others. Same with ability to recreate at home - I seriously doubt there is no restaurant that can match what any of us can do at home. You can't all be Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz or Eric Ripart...flame away.

And to say all restaurants have gone downhill with subpar food and thoughtless service is also an unfair generalization. Sure there are some, more than in the past, but there are certainly great restaurants in every metro area.

 

[braumeister]

The European portable CC readers do have chip technology, plus tap to pay, plus AppPay etc. Phone app would be great too.

According to Apple's announcements yesterday, tap to pay from one iPhone to another will start rolling out this year, so it should be quite possible for anyone to implement at low cost.

 

[Chuckanut]

Since most U.S. restaurants do not have the portable credit card readers or a payment app how do most people on this Forum pay their restaurant bills? Carry cash? Let the server take your credit card and hope for the best? (I will not do this any more). Quit going to restaurants that do not have a way to pay other than the server taking your card? (This is pretty much what I have done.)

These are three most popular ways to pay in my area in no particular order:

1) Let the server take the card.
2) Pay cash
3) Use your phone camera to photograph the QR code on the bottom of the bill, then pay through your phone's wallet app.

 

[harllee]

These are three most popular ways to pay in my area in no particular order:

1) Let the server take the card.
2) Pay cash
3) Use your phone camera to photograph the QR code on the bottom of the bill, then pay through your phone's wallet app.

Chuckanut I am not seeing the QR code option at any of the local restaurants, wish that was an option. I use to let the server take my card all the time but twice in the last few years that lead to my credit card number being stolen, what a hassle.

 

[athena53]

I just realized I made a similar decision on vacation last month- Hilton Malta, absolutely gorgeous, room with a balcony on the Mediterranean. If housekeeping was any indication service in the restaurant would have been superb. I checked the on-line menu of the hotel restaurant I was considering for my last night and totalled up an entree, a side and a couple of glasses of wine...likely $75-$80.

While wandering in the Old City I found a food market with an Indian-Nepalese restaurant and picked up a Nepalese takeout dish for about $10. I already had a bottle of wine in the room. Good dinner.

 

[disneysteve]

My wife and I love to dine out but inflation has really ruined it for me. We just ordered out for dinner. 3 entrees. No appetizers. No extra sides. No desserts. Just a main course for each of us. Bill after a $5 coupon came to $70.10. For takeout. That I picked up.

A year ago that same meal was closer to $50.

 

[Rambler]

We rarely eat out much anymore except if we want to visit with friends, or if we are traveling without the RV. I am a pretty good cook myself, and we have invited our friends a few times, but find it more comfortable to eat out with them because they don’t cook and one of them has problems with gluten. So we let them choose a place where they know they can eat the food.

In the past few years (even before the pandemic) I’ve learned to dry age beef myself, and I’ve bought a variety of outdoor cooking equipment and learned to use it. If we want something nice, just for us, I am usually able to make it. We used to take our daughter and SIL out about once a week, but now that they have kids who are more than a couple of handfuls, we don’t enjoy that anymore, so we’ve just stopped (pandemic made that easy). And we just don’t get that much joy out of it just ourselves. Whenever we do go out, my wife always reminds me that she is happiest when it is just her and me and the pups, with an easy meal and a quiet evening.

 

[Koolau]

Another thread that's hard to judge. What some people consider fine dining, would exceed the expectations of some, and fall well short of world class expectations of others. Same with ability to recreate at home - I seriously doubt there is no restaurant that can match what any of us can do at home. You can't all be Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz or Eric Ripart...flame away.

And to say all restaurants have gone downhill with subpar food and thoughtless service is also an unfair generalization. Sure there are some, more than in the past, but there are certainly great restaurants in every metro area.

I agree with all this but my issue is you can't PREDICT which are the great restaurants with good staff based on what you used to experience. Went to Olive Garden here in the heartland last week. We always found it to serve good food in a timely fashion with great service.

This time, the food was just like I remembered, but wait staff was inefficient. Our waitperson overcharged us for drinks - which I didn't catch. I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose but was just in a hurry. She disappeared for 15 minutes at one time. I realize they were understaffed, but that's just the point. NOW, I know and I may not go back this year. But there's no way (short of social media) to find out which restaurants are the "way they used to be" though YMMV.

 

[Music Lover]

I don't get the US hesitation for table card readers. We've had them in Canada for years, virtually every single restaurant has them. Even the cheap breakfast special places use them. Yet when we go to the US we're expected to let the server walk away and disappear with our credit card for 5 or 10 minutes.

FYI, all the beverage carts on the golf courses use them too.

 

[disneysteve]

I don't get the US hesitation for table card readers. We've had them in Canada for years, virtually every single restaurant has them. Even the cheap breakfast special places use them. Yet when we go to the US we're expected to let the server walk away and disappear with our credit card for 5 or 10 minutes.

FYI, all the beverage carts on the golf courses use them too.

More and more places are moving away from having to give the server your card. Some chains like Red Robin and others have a device on the table where you swipe and pay. Other places have a QR code on the bill that you can use to pay. We did that just last week at a local restaurant. Server brought the bill. I scanned the code and paid with my phone and we were on our way.

 

[ncbill]

Stopped going to our favorite Greek place after it both raised prices and added a 3% fee to all checks whether you pay by cash or by card.

Left a Google review recently for one restaurant where after ordering one of their specials I called such "$15 worth of food for $30."

They were not pleased judging by their reply.

I replied they should either cut the price, add more food (veggies would be cheap) or drop it from their menu.

 

[W2R]

These are three most popular ways to pay in my area in no particular order:

1) Let the server take the card.
2) Pay cash
3) Use your phone camera to photograph the QR code on the bottom of the bill, then pay through your phone's wallet app.

My experiences are the same as harllee's; the restaurants we go to don't do the QR code thing.

So, we just pay cash. The "mom'n'pop" type restaurants that we go to, are not too expensive so a $20 bill will easily cover lunch.

 

[jollystomper]

Since most U.S. restaurants do not have the portable credit card readers or a payment app how do most people on this Forum pay their restaurant bills? Carry cash? Let the server take your credit card and hope for the best? (I will not do this any more). Quit going to restaurants that do not have a way to pay other than the server taking your card? (This is pretty much what I have done.)

I am still fine with paying by CC. We have one card that we use almost exclusively for dining. We have not had an issue with it. But I do know it can happen, as one of my more interesting CC theft incidents occurred about 10 or so years ago when attending a conference in Las Vegas. I ate dinner one evening eating with 2 co-workers and our manager, we split the bill among our AMEX corporate cards. About 2-3 months later all 4 of us were contacted about sudden suspicious activities on our cards. The cards were all cancelled and reissued. It was easy to figure out where the card info was stolen from .

Some of the restaurants in our area have gone table top built-in card readers or the QR code, but it is still very rare in our area.

 

[Midpack]

I agree with all this but my issue is you can't PREDICT which are the great restaurants with good staff based on what you used to experience. Went to Olive Garden here in the heartland last week. We always found it to serve good food in a timely fashion with great service.

This time, the food was just like I remembered, but wait staff was inefficient. Our waitperson overcharged us for drinks - which I didn't catch. I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose but was just in a hurry. She disappeared for 15 minutes at one time. I realize they were understaffed, but that's just the point. NOW, I know and I may not go back this year. But there's no way (short of social media) to find out which restaurants are the "way they used to be" though YMMV.

We stopped going to chain restaurants years ago. Olive Garden has always been too formulaic to me, decent food in large quantities with personnel who go through the motions with a smile, not what I go to a restaurant for. While they’re not all bad, they’re staffed by people who don’t have a vested interest in restaurants. It’s just a job for most up and down the org chart.

The independent restaurants we go to regularly, from inexpensive to expensive, are run by owners sometimes chefs - who are passionate enough to go into the business - that’s a huge financial commitment. They’re facing challenges too, but they go to great lengths to keep their food, service and atmosphere on track.

 

[Koolau]

We stopped going to chain restaurants years ago. Olive Garden has always been too formulaic to me, decent food in large quantities with personnel who go through the motions with a smile, not what I go to a restaurant for. While they’re not all bad, they’re staffed by people who don’t have a vested interest in restaurants. It’s just a job for most up and down the org chart.

The independent restaurants we go to regularly, from inexpensive to expensive, are run by owners sometimes chefs - who are passionate enough to go into the business - that’s a huge financial commitment. They’re facing challenges too, but they go to great lengths to keep their food, service and atmosphere on track.

I have no problem with "chain" restaurants as long as they are universally consistent in quality of food and service. I attended a conference one time and one of the guest speakers was (forget the title - maybe president or CEO) from McDonalds. As an ice breaker, he asked "Why do you go to McDonalds when you travel? He then answered his own question very honestly. "It's not because the food is fantastic. It's because you know exactly what you'll get no mater where you go." That's all I expect from a chain. If I like it in Honolulu, I'd better like it in Kenosha.

I'm not a foodie and your left-handed complement (no offense) of (in this case Olive Garden) is exactly WHY I like Olive Garden. I'm not proud of it but neither am I ashamed that my tastes are simple and easily satisfied. YMMV

 

[aja8888]

I'm not a foodie and your left-handed complement (no offense) of (in this case Olive Garden) is exactly WHY I like Olive Garden. I'm not proud of it but neither am I ashamed that my tastes are simple and easily satisfied. YMMV

My ROMEO group sometimes goes to Olive Garden as a group (6 to 8 guys) for a lunch of all you can eat salad and soup. Great deal, great salad, great soup and always a friendly wait staff.

 

[kgtest]

It's hit or miss. Lately I've been going to restaurants with long wait times on the weekend. I was told the more food that gets sold, the more fresh it is. Service is hit or miss, food quality has been okay but like I said we are going to the popular places that are usually popular due to solid reputation on food, or atmosphere or whatever. I have become a foody of sorts and do get bummed if the food quality is sub par.

I order like a king. Multiple apps, soup of the day, and then I try to select a couple of entree's that sounds good and ask the wait staff their preference. Sometimes I have room for desert, but usually not...and sometimes I will order 2 entree's if I can't make up my mind, taking home half and half leftovers. Food bills have been over 100 for DW and I when we go out and I don't drink. If they have good kiddie cocktails sometimes I will try one of those and DW settles on house Pino G or Margarita.

 

[milford]

The European portable CC readers do have chip technology, plus tap to pay, plus ApplePay etc. Phone app would be great too.

Correct... sorry for the confusion I was referring to the portable CC at Applebee's mentioned by the previous post. Sadly I'm expecting the European portable CC readers will probably never be mainstream in the US as restaurants will probably just adopt the pay via app route because there is no hardware cost/maintenance for the restaurants.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

In my 35 years of eating out while out of town. I observed and thought that just maybe most, (not all) but MOST dining establishments in the USA are out to make the most profit, as opposed to provide the best experience (I.E. Above Par Food). This seems to be the opposite in most other countries. During my w@rking years I travelled all over the world and have eaten out in many other countries. I am generalizing here, I also think that little mom and pop places in the USA have more pride.

And remember those remote card machine systems can cost a lot of money. Maybe that is why the USA is slow to get fully on board with them.

I would be curious what other world travelers think.

 

[aja8888]

In my 35 years of eating out while out of town. I observed and thought that just maybe most, (not all) but MOST dining establishments in the USA are out to make the most profit, as opposed to provide the best experience (I.E. Above Par Food). This seems to be the opposite in most other countries. During my w@rking years I travelled all over the world and have eaten out in many other countries. I am generalizing here, I also think that little mom and pop places in the USA have more pride.

And remember those remote card machine systems can cost a lot of money. Maybe that is why the USA is slow to get on the boat.

I would be curious what other world travelers think.

Same feeling here after almost 40 years of business travel all over the free world.

 

[Koolau]

In my 35 years of eating out while out of town. I observed and thought that just maybe most, (not all) but MOST dining establishments in the USA are out to make the most profit, as opposed to provide the best experience (I.E. Above Par Food). This seems to be the opposite in most other countries. During my w@rking years I travelled all over the world and have eaten out in many other countries. I am generalizing here, I also think that little mom and pop places in the USA have more pride.

And remember those remote card machine systems can cost a lot of money. Maybe that is why the USA is slow to get on the boat.

I would be curious what other world travelers think.

My sample size for OUS is relatively small. I've eaten in Canada several times and places. Then on a 3-week trip through England, Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy and France, I ate in those countries. I think of myself as being willing to try most food items (possible exception of bugs/worms, etc.) So "normal" fare throughout the countries I mentioned never particularly impressed me with the exception of Italy. It's clear they understand pasta! English food was not to my liking. Surprisingly, I was not impressed with French food - or maybe it was with the French wait staff. Once they knew I was American, service was abysmal. This was 1964 so none of the recent political unpleasantness was involved - I suppose VN could have been at issue but we replaced them there, so there's that. The disapproval was palpable so I don't know if that affected the food or not.

Regarding maximizing profits, I suppose there is some of that, but it's not "obvious" in most of the places that I've become a fan of. Prices have certainly gone up and (during Covid) some favorite items have been eliminated, but on the whole, I just have not felt "exploited" as a profit center. It's too bad you have come to feel that as I'm sure it takes away from the dining experience. Of course, as I've said before, I'm no foodie, so my palate is simple and unrefined.

If I could have one more serving of my mom's American Fries (we just called them fried potatoes) I would die a happy man. YMMV

 

[Koolau]

And remember those remote card machine systems can cost a lot of money. Maybe that is why the USA is slow to get fully on board with them.

Forgot to mention that where I've seen the remote card machines at the table, they often offer games - for a price. GD played while our food was being prepared at Applebies recently. Kept her happy and occupied so worth the $2. I think these boxes at the table are actually good for the restaurant's bottom line because they free up the wait staff from constantly "circling back" and especially for running back and forth to the cash register (once to give you the bill and then the 2nd time to grab and return your CC.) It has to save money though the capital outlay is significant. YMMV