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Restaurant Prices

GOHOX69

HR Legend
Sep 26, 2009
20,709
28,297
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First, please let me preface. I am the poorest of the poors on HROT. That being said, took a couple of people for St. Patrick's lunch yesterday. Red's Alehouse, North Liberty. This place used to be packed at all times and I noticed maybe 20 percent full.

Three half Ruebens, three cup of soups, two beers, one pepsi and grenadine, and one onion rings order.

$60 without tip. $78 with tips.

Now, even a poor like me cringes but I enjoy my company so I did not hesitate. But I can see why people are dining less and why restaurants have to jack prices up to survive. This death battle is not looking good moving forward. Anyhoo, the rich of HROT, tell me why we aren't going to have an restaurant collapse very soon.
 
First, please let me preface. I am the poorest of the poors on HROT. That being said, took a couple of people for St. Patrick's lunch yesterday. Red's Alehouse, North Liberty. This place used to be packed at all times and I noticed maybe 20 percent full.

Three half Ruebens, three cup of soups, two beers, one pepsi and grenadine, and one onion rings order.

$60 without tip. $78 with tips.

Now, even a poor like me cringes but I enjoy my company so I did not hesitate. But I can see why people are dining less and why restaurants have to jack prices up to survive. This death battle is not looking good moving forward. Anyhoo, the rich of HROT, tell me why we aren't going to have an restaurant collapse very soon.
Red's was better when it was Rookie's.
 
First, please let me preface. I am the poorest of the poors on HROT. That being said, took a couple of people for St. Patrick's lunch yesterday. Red's Alehouse, North Liberty. This place used to be packed at all times and I noticed maybe 20 percent full.

Three half Ruebens, three cup of soups, two beers, one pepsi and grenadine, and one onion rings order.

$60 without tip. $78 with tips.

Now, even a poor like me cringes but I enjoy my company so I did not hesitate. But I can see why people are dining less and why restaurants have to jack prices up to survive. This death battle is not looking good moving forward. Anyhoo, the rich of HROT, tell me why we aren't going to have an restaurant collapse very soon.
Who the frick orders a pepsi on St. Patricks day?
 
Basically, per person this breaks down to $20 plus tip for a half Reuben sandwich, a cup of soup, and a drink. That sounds about right. 10 bucks for the sandwich, 5 bucks for the soup, and 5 bucks for the drink.
 
I gave up on eating out when places opened back up during the pandemic and food prices went up about 30%, i got hit with a state tax, a county tax, a city tax, a city entertainment tax, and a covid tax. In all it was ~40% on top of the actual (already inflated) tab. That was the day i stopped feeling bad for all of the restaurants crying poor after they either took the PPP money without the need to repay or they chose not to take the PPP money because opening their books would require an acknowledgment that they're not reporting income as they should.
 
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I’m poorer than OP, and have a second job as a server. I’ve definitely noticed over the last 1-2 months a slowdown in business and a general reduction in my tip percentages. A 23-25% shift was my standard, and it’s down to about 20% lately (which is still pretty good). None of this is a complaint, just an observation that people generally have less money to spend on something that is becoming more expensive. And I don’t blame them for staying home to cook for themselves.
 
I’m poorer than OP, and have a second job as a server. I’ve definitely noticed over the last 1-2 months a slowdown in business and a general reduction in my tip percentages. A 23-25% shift was my standard, and it’s down to about 20% lately (which is still pretty good). None of this is a complaint, just an observation that people generally have less money to spend on something that is becoming more expensive. And I don’t blame them for staying home to cook for themselves.
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I also do some “serving” in my free time
 
60ish dollars isn’t outrageous for 3 people, but outside of going from 1 drink to 0 per person, I’m not sure how you make a more sensible order and still consider it a legitimate meal worth leaving the house for. You had to make a pretty humble order to keep it at that price.

Food has been a ripoff for years, the pandemic has apparently emboldened much of the food industry to abandon all pretense of reason or shame.
 
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We eat most of our meals at home mainly because we can control the quality of the food and how it’s prepared. The places that we do eat at are worth the money.

What sucks is when you eat at a place, it’s more expensive than normal, and the food sucks.
 
I gave up on eating out when places opened back up during the pandemic and food prices went up about 30%, i got hit with a state tax, a county tax, a city tax, a city entertainment tax, and a covid tax. In all it was ~40% on top of the actual (already inflated) tab. That was the day i stopped feeling bad for all of the restaurants crying poor after they either took the PPP money without the need to repay or they chose not to take the PPP money because opening their books would require an acknowledgment that they're not reporting income as they should.

We've decided to NOT participate any further in this mess. Packing lunches, including coolers for long trips. The industry is on life support. Shutdown politics are to blame.
This sounds miserable.

I've never seen a bill that included all the taxes referenced above, and I couldn't imagine packing a cooler full of food to go on a trip.

Do you all also bring backpacks full of sandwiches and juice boxes into theme parks to keep from buying overpriced concessions? Or get shit-faced outside the stadium before the game to avoid having to pay stadium pricing for drinks one you get inside?

To each their own, and all, but it seems like you're creating more work/grief for yourself in the name of "sticking it to the man". I recommend easing up and just enjoying life.
 
This sounds miserable.

I've never seen a bill that included all the taxes referenced above, and I couldn't imagine packing a cooler full of food to go on a trip.

Do you all also bring backpacks full of sandwiches and juice boxes into theme parks to keep from buying overpriced concessions? Or get shit-faced outside the stadium before the game to avoid having to pay stadium pricing for drinks one you get inside?

To each their own, and all, but it seems like you're creating more work/grief for yourself in the name of "sticking it to the man". I recommend easing up and just enjoying life.
Your points are well taken but what I was saying tongue in cheek is that soon restaurant food will become inaccessible to the common average joe. Fast food, perhaps not yet, but sit down places, yes.
 
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This sounds miserable.

I've never seen a bill that included all the taxes referenced above, and I couldn't imagine packing a cooler full of food to go on a trip.

Do you all also bring backpacks full of sandwiches and juice boxes into theme parks to keep from buying overpriced concessions? Or get shit-faced outside the stadium before the game to avoid having to pay stadium pricing for drinks one you get inside?

To each their own, and all, but it seems like you're creating more work/grief for yourself in the name of "sticking it to the man". I recommend easing up and just enjoying life.

When I was a kid we went on 1 vacation a year and it was a day trip to Adventureland. My parents would pack a cooler full of bread, cheese, slick meat, and butter. Ate that for all 3 meals.
 
I’m poorer than OP, and have a second job as a server. I’ve definitely noticed over the last 1-2 months a slowdown in business and a general reduction in my tip percentages. A 23-25% shift was my standard, and it’s down to about 20% lately (which is still pretty good). None of this is a complaint, just an observation that people generally have less money to spend on something that is becoming more expensive. And I don’t blame them for staying home to cook for themselves.
Maybe you should show a little more cleavage?
 
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