£100 for a casual lunch out for 4 is too much

Get a taste card - at least then your food is 2 for 1 on all days but a Saturday. We eat out regularly and use ours frequently - it saves us a lot of money

Ha! You’ve done it now. All the competitive under eaters will rock up claiming 2 main and tap water is adequate in fact they couldn’t possibly finish it

Another one totally missing the point and being faux virtuous about how abstemiously they eat with heavy inference that everyone else is an oinking great big fat hog if they eat a WHOLE PIZZA.

HTH.

Same here, I'm early 50s. We would occasionally get a fish supper or Chinese takeaway.
In fact the takeaway places we used are still going!

Totally agree.

All these comments from people spectacularly missing the point:

4 people don’t need a pizza each
It would be cheaper if you didn’t order wine
Thats not lunch it’s dinner

There Korean chicken bowls are good, and the pizzas are....pizzas. But a hell of a lot cheaper than Pizza Express.

Another one....what?

Be specific please.

Ate there once and never again. Bland, massive portions with no taste.
I do agree though Op. it’s ridiculous. We went out last night, me, dh, 3yo and 9yo. They had the kids meals and it came to £90.

I live in a cheaper part of the country, but a tourist destination. We would always avoid the tourist season eating out, but availed ourselves of the great winter lunchtime deals of Lunch - 2 course and a glass of wine / small beer - £20

Then add to that half price cinema on Tuesday - a day our for £50 for the two of us

Now those meal deals are the cheapest items - a burger/pasta, sides are extra and no drink

Nowadays as an older couple we eat out a lot less, it really has to be worth the money - not just a cheap lunch deal. Best lunch date this year was one hotel restaurant carvery ( it was soooo good ) then we moved on to a very select 5* place , sucked up the price, and enjoyed a glass of wine and a pint of Guinness , combined price for the drinks more then the lunch and drinks, but OMG, the experience , the service and ambience was worth every penny

I would not be spending that sort of money in a chain restaurant where its all frozen food

Breakfast out is now a treat that we enjoy - he can have his fry, I can have my choice , we can watch the sea, I get a decent coffee. we get change from £30 - and that's a huge deal nowadays

This is exactly the problem now. The price difference between mainstream chain restaurants like Pizza Express, Nando’s and high end ones eg The Ivy is negligible. A main and two regular sides is £17 at Nando’s but a main course at The Ivy is around the £20/£22 mark. I know which one I’d prefer and where I don’t have to order the food myself, get my own drink and pay my bill on an app.

Agreed. It is ridiculous now. Back in the 90s as teenagers we would go the cinema and then follow it up with food at the Pizza Hut next door. Was a regular thing and you didn’t think twice. Prices now are such that you would think it must be a special once a year treat except the food quality has gotten worse as the prices go up.

I work in a chain restaurant for 25k a year (as management) and can't afford to eat out monthly the way I see people do daily. Always absolutely amazes me couples dropping £70, £80, £90 on dinner.

The biggest ways to keep costs down IMO - drink only tap water. All drinks cost a lot of money there is no big price drop for a soft drink any more.

Stick to mains each plus a starter/side to share. This means you can try 2 things on the menu, but not end up spending an absolute fortune. Most desserts seem badly not worth it IMO - there was a time dessert was the cheapest course, but no more.

Remember also that service charge is always optional - legally, it has to be. If you are in a position where you need to watch your money just ask to take it off. The people you are asking are all people living on low wages like me, we get it!!!!

Obviously, if you can afford more, crack on, enjoy!

But if you are struggling to justify huge dining bills, but still want to eat out, sticking to water only and no more than three menu items for two will go a long way. The bills for those who do this are never OTT.

eating out has become very expensive.

we usually expect around £100 for just me and DP, although we don't really do chain restaurants or pub food.

me and DP went to hickorys smokehouse last month for date night.

1 starter which we shared,
2 mains
2 drinks each, one before food, one after
2 small puddings
£117!

however if anyone wants incredible indian food in the midlands i recommend tipu sultan! its real traditional indian/pakistani cuisine

2 starters each
2 main curry
1 rice
1 naan to share (they're huge)
and 2 drinks each

£78!

edit:spelling

I thought you went out for a pizza (or got one delivered) because you fancied pizza, if you can do your own why not? It's really not that difficult and you really don't need a pizza oven unless you are a purist.

Typical half decent 1 course pub lunch meal (in Cheshire) is £13-18 ish , large glass of wine is £7.50 , beer 4.50 a pint so £25 per head is easy to hit. There are lots of cheaper options but then quality suffers, value for money drops, cheap deals attempted, pub changes hands and the cycle continues, not many pubs are making money.

Just been to a place in yorkshire for lunch and what was basically steak and chips was £42...and not really impressed

Another one 🙄

but you go out so someone else does the thinking, shopping and cooking; not because you want pizza. A pizza oven is way more work so doesn’t solve those problems at all!

Agree - eating out is insane once you’re out of the kids meal deal options. We cashed in a Top Cash Back recently and had £190 for a meal for 5 of us - it felt like absolute luxury to be able to order whatever we wanted without scrimping!!

I honestly don’t understand your logic. The price of your meal does not change with the time of day.

people eat at restaurants for lunches and dinner.

you wouldn’t eat a pizza for lunch.

…….ok?

Not to mention shrinkflation. It’s why we very rarely eat out anymore.

Yes not hard to make reasonable pizza dough yourself and the toppings cost hardly anything.

And I just do them in the ordinary oven.

But it’s still a pizza and the situation is the same it’s expensive for four pizzas!

At midday or 9pm.

The quality or ingredients haven’t changed based on the time you chose to eat it.

I didnt say that it did. I merely said that to me, what the OP ordered wasnt a lunch as I understand it, but a full dinner and that for a dinner, the price was about right.

Yes, the last time I was there, (last year), I was surprised at the prices. I didn't begrudge paying, but I did think they were a little bit pricey.

10 times a year?! Wow you were posh! I remember eating out twice in my childhood! One was my tenth birthday, the other was my sisters tenth.

My parents really only started eating out in my mid to late teens when my father got a much better job and they could afford it, especially as it was just the two of them and not me and my sister too.

This hits the nail on the head. It’s not just the cost, it’s the death of the casual vibe. That shift from relaxed to 'calculated' just sucks the joy out of it.
We completely recalibrated our approach because of this exact feeling. Found a way to still enjoy those days out but on our terms, without the mediocre math at the end.
I've put a simple blueprint for how we did it on my profile. It's all about reclaiming that casual joy.
Might help you get it back.