Have you ever went out for a meal and counted the portions and were shocked at the price you paid for them?

Question

I went out last week and worked out that my starter which had only 5 mushrooms cost me a £1 a mushroom.

Answer 1

erm no i don't do that, ..if i go out for a meal its because i want to enjoy myself .. i would be depressed if i started adding up things like that!! (sorry!)  

Answer 2

If you are a good home economist then going out for food at cheap or low-end restaurants and it is stuff that you can prepare at home it is always going to be distressing.  My partner is a very good at analyzing this but never ever when we are out for dinner as she is such an amazing chef and knows exactly what goes in to each of her dishes.  I think a good example would be poorly produced lasagne, where just cheap mince tomato sauce and pasta have been laid down with cheese and baked for a while, rather than made properly is an issue.  Lasagne made properly is probably well worth £15 ($30) per portion but the normality in restaurants is that is made as cheaply as possible and is probably only worth £7 or £8 ($14 or $16).  The flip side of this is that if you are going out for dinner then money should not be something that you are thinking about.  I always go by the thought of if you look at the menu and it seems (dread. word) pricey, then don't go in.  If you want to eat out but cannot afford it then try and make it at home.

Answer 3

Oh I know, it just doesn't do to do that or you'd never go out for a meal.

You just have to grin and bear it sometimes and enjoy the atmosphere and companion's conversation.

The profit margin must be enormous, especially in fish. mind you, we've stopped going to a particular Italian restaurant for that very reason, they were taking us for a ride.

A mediocre bottle of wine, £4.99  from a supermarket was charged at £15.99, now, that's not on.

Answer 4

I rarely eat out for just that reason and I read yesterday some companies are sneakily making there portions smaller and still charging the same price. What a rip off.

Answer 5

and didnt complain  ?!?!?!?

i`d have sent it back !

Answer 6

I can't say that I've sat there and tallied everything up and I do know how to complain believe me.

Answer 7

Eat,enjoy and be damned!

Answer 8

I haven't, but my dad has had the exact same experience.

6 tiny mushroom, small button ones breaded, £5.

His friends had a small fish and salad, £12-£15, and a medium sized steak and small salad, £25.

And this was at a not-exactly-posh pub.

Answer 9

no one cares. get of your **** and get a job hooters.  

Answer 10

That's how it goes "D", I went our a couple of weeks ago with some friends and we paid over £35 per head for one of the worst meals I have ever had, it wasn't my party, so I had to "shut up".

I was in the catering trade for most of my working life, I KNOW how much goes into a meal, costs and effort, if you have a splendid meal, you don't really care how much it costs, up to a point, but some restaurants seem to have lost the plot!

Answer 11

My Husband took me out for our anniversary few years back. We went to this fancy restaurant that charged per item. Main course was one item/price , salad / another price, veggie or the like / another price. Even their homemade brick fired loaf of bread was another. I was so busy just looking AND ADDING UP PRICES that I couldn't enjoy. No food is worth that.   I don't know how the rich and famous can do this on a daily basis. They must feel that they are REALLY worth it. There is just so many ways to make a salad or a pizza. And 10Min's. later does it really matter that you spent 20.00 on a pizza or whatever flown in from another city?

By the way I did count my strawberries in the grocery store once( in the little containers) I refused to pay 30cents each for a berry!! I was making freezer jam and I was just too much!!!

Answer 12

Yep but we're to lazy to cook so can't moan

Answer 13

Gordon Bennett how can they justify that.  Must be magic!