Vegetarians, how do we get value for money when we eat out?

Question

Why do I have to pay prices same as or more expensive than meat dishes?

Why aren't vegetarian dishes cheaper?

I don't really eat out because of this.

Answer 1

I usually eat at ethnic restaurants. Indian, Chinese, Thai, even Mexican restaurants have vegan or vegetarian options. I enjoy PF Chang's (It's a high-end Chinese food restaurant, idk if you have one nearby) because they offer tofu and vegetable entrees.

If you're looking for something more affordable, Burger King offers a veggie burger. However, it is not vegan. If you live in NY or CA, your local McDonalds carries a vegan veggie burger. It's not available anywhere else though.

Another thing I usually have to do is create my own meal. I totally understand you're struggle with keeping your meat-eating friends happy. I'm the only vegetarian I know! It's important not to be a burden, so if your friends want to go to Friendly's, find something on the menu, and give it a vegetarian twist. Unfortunately, the price is usually still the same as the meat item.

I agree with what you're saying- why are vegetarian items as expensive, if not more expensive than meat items? One thing I've found is that the organic items, which often go hand in hand with vegetarian items (have you ever seen tofu without the organic label on it?) are WAY more expensive. This is because, although these foods are better for you, they can not be mass produced, thus driving the cost up.

Oh, and the rising price of gas drives the prices of everything up. Sorry.

Anyway, good luck with your budget. Try to avoid eating out.

Answer 2

I generally go to the coffee club, they have lots of vegetarian options, its cheap and you can find them in almost any major town/city in Australia.

Answer 3

Last time I was at the supermarket I bought chickens at $0.69/lb and cherries at $4.99/lb.

In restaurants, also, the demand for vegetarian dishes is low, so the proportional spoilage that comes of requiring to have a quantity of the ingredients always on hand raises the overall cost.

Answer 4

Just aim for going to a vegetarian restraunt

Answer 5

Start a political party/lobby group

Answer 6

Even though ingredients might be cheaper the labor still costs the same to make.

There's no denying that eating in is always cheaper than eating out meat eater or not.

But trying to provide a vegetarian dish in a menu is at time more time consuming due to the fact that more people are meat eaters and the amount of people coming in to eat vegetarian is at times not viable

Answer 7

It's exploitation... Because sometimes vegetarian cooks go out of their way to make extravagant dishes... which isn't really necessary. Sometimes, the simplest dishes are the most wholesome and tastiest. For me, some avocado, tomatoes and deer tongue lettuce wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with hummus is the most delicious meal I can possibly think of... oh but a simple wrap isn't delicate enough is it to serve to pompous pucktards... >:|

I once ate a vegetarian dish that consisted of some rare mushrooms and this really complex sauce.. it was good.. but was it worth 40 bucks??? uh.. no.. 30 minutes later I was still hungry!!

Answer 8

I can't really help you there. Where are you going to eat? Around here, most vegetarian dishes are cheaper or comparable to the meat entrees. It could be that you're choosing foods with expensive ingredients. For example, a grilled portabello sandwich is going to cost more than a burger, because they cost more than meat. Same goes for gourmet cheese... it will cost more than chicken.

Consider going to ethnic restaurants. At Thai and Indian places, they have huge selections of vegetarian and vegan dishes, most of which will cost as much as or less than the non-vegetarian counterparts. Same with Italian... it's really easy to get vegetarian there.

Answer 9

I often find that the vegetarian dishes are a bit cheaper, but i understand where you're coming from.

Other than the general increase in price of fruit and vegetables (i agree with the nuts - so expensive it's ridiculous - luckily i still live at home so Mum and Dad always buy them for me haha), fruit and vegetables need to be replaced on a regular basis - more frequently than meat so there is the potential for a lot of waste product which will cause an additional increase in prices.

Also the quality of the vegetables is often very high which also causes an increase.

If you think about it, you are paying also for the size of the meal, the time that has gone into preparing it, and the general experience.

Basically, though, restaurants try to s***w money out of everyone!

Answer 10

Most of the cost of your meal is in the preparation.  

Have you been grocery shopping much?  The cost of quality fruits, vegetables, and spices is high!  

So eat at vegetarian or ethnic restaurants.  That way, everyone is paying in the same price range and you don't feel singled out for being a vegetarian.

What's on Value Menus?  Not fruits & vegies!  Too expensive.

Answer 11

good question

Answer 12

Vege dishes are always cheaper in restaurants in Australia!

Additional info:

Why the thumbs down?  Where do you all eat that the vegetarian dishes are the same price or more expensive?!  I've lived in Brisbane, Sydney, the Sunshine Coast and a couple of regional towns in NSW and Qld AND worked in restaurants in most of those places AND have run my own catering business and never seen it!

If you're looking for cheaper nuts try wholesalers of Indian or Mediterranean foods, they'll usually sell nuts, spices, pulses, etc in bulk for much cheaper than the supermarkets and will sell to people who just walk in off the street.

If you want restaurants to suit everyone try Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Thai, Filipino, etc, etc

Answer 13

I agree, but there isn't much you can do. I just usually order a couple of side dishes and it ends up being cheaper.

Answer 14

As I always tell my daughter "sometimes life just isn't fair". But you survive.

Answer 15

they should be cheaper unfortunately not many shop owners think of this

small shops where the boss or manager is usually working, u can ask if u can get a few dollars off coz u hav no meat... but some shops hav a policies coz they use a meat processor to cut meat but with veges they hav 2 hire people to chop it.

so they hav 2 pay wages so the money isn't really saved

ask anyway