Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Shock at Pub Lunch Prices!

56 replies

SunshineLollipopsAndRainbows · 31/08/2022 18:13

Before I rant, I know prices have gone up everywhere & it’s to be expected but this was crazy. We went to one of our locals for lunch today ( it’s always been slightly more expensive than other similar places but always top quality food & plenty of it so we didn’t mind). However, I nearly fell over at the cost of the jacket spuds. The prawn one was £14!! £14 for a jacket spud! And a cheese one was £12! Think how many spuds & how much cheese you could buy for that!

OP posts:
Soproudoflionesses · 31/08/2022 21:22

Jacket potato is my go to when out for lunch but like fuck would l pay £14 for one!

shinynewapple22 · 31/08/2022 21:24

Wow that's expensive! Probably I've never seen jacket potatoes any where near that expensive because the only places near me that do jackets nowadays are the cheaper pubs - and they are normally about £6. There are a few places I go where a 'gourmet' type sandwich /baguette is around £10. Normally includes a few chips .

IncessantNameChanger · 31/08/2022 21:31

My local at the end of the road is £14 for the cheapest meal and it really wasn't anything special. I won't be eating there again sadly. For similar prices I can get far nicer food at a pub on the river. But eating out now is getting less regular and its cheaper to go to chains snd use a voucher or club card deal sadly.

I'd rather go and have a bowl of chips with my drink.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Cost of living General food
Crunchymum · 31/08/2022 21:56

We go to a local nature reserve with a little cafe. £7.50 for a bagel... substantially more if you want salmon!!

Crunchymum · 31/08/2022 21:57
  • I realise I'm not talking about a pub!!
Original poster
SunshineLollipopsAndRainbows · 31/08/2022 23:08

knittingaddict it’s not weird - of course food you could make at home will cost more when you eat out. But as several other people have agreed, £14 is exceptionally expensive for a jacket potato!

OP posts:
Original poster
SunshineLollipopsAndRainbows · 31/08/2022 23:12

Skinnermarink a pub in Cornwall but not an especially touristy place. It’s always been a bit pricey but the jacket spuds made my jaw drop!

OP posts:
Musicalmaestro · 01/09/2022 10:06

Rapidtango

I am horrified not so much at the cost of your Shiraz, but at the very tiny glasses it is served in.

notacooldad · 01/09/2022 10:11

Think how many spuds & how much cheese you could buy for that!
Don't be daft.
You haven't just paid for a potato and cheese though.
You've paid towards their rent, business tax, wages, electric and gas, insurance and everything else that has a cost attached to running a business.

SunflowerDuck · 01/09/2022 10:14

We were in Devon recently and googled pub menus thinking we'd have a meal out. All of them seemed to start at 14!! We didnt go out.

Arbesque · 01/09/2022 10:22

I'm in Dublin and was shocked at how much we paid for dinner in the local pub recently. 2 main courses and 2 glasses of wine each came in at not much under a hundred euro including a tip. Won't be wandering up there for an easy dinner anymore.

Yellowblanketofdoom · 01/09/2022 10:26

Leftbutcameback · 31/08/2022 19:08

Maybe they don't want people to eat there if they're having cheaper food? Priced to make you think for a few quid more you can have something much nicer!

I'm thinking the same.

You're also not just paying for a spud and cheese. You're paying for the building you're sitting in to eat it, the cos of lighting said building, the cost of the energy used to chill and then cook the food, the cost of the staff it takes to order, cook and bring to your table and then a tiny wee bit of profit as well.

womaninatightspot · 01/09/2022 10:33

NellesVilla · 31/08/2022 18:15

Where’ve you been, OP?! In a naice place, they’ve always been of a similar price.

But yes, I agree with you. My big one is tea: how the heck a teabag and bit of hot water cost up to £3, I’ll never know (even with the running costs/overheads of a place)…

I watched a ted talk where they explained that it was the rise of expensive coffee machines that caused tea to be charged extortionately for. On YouTube somewhere.

OP I’ve never seen a baked potato for more than £10 tbh. I did go somewhere that charged £10 for an open sandwich one slice of bread with toppings. The promised side salad was a spoonful of cheap coleslaw and some basic tortilla chips. Never again.

JasmineIndigo · 01/09/2022 10:36

I understand that pubs need to recoup the money lost to covid/energy price rises etc, but they are going to price themselves out of business. I'm not sure what the solution is though, the government need to cap energy prices for businesses/schools as a start..

MrsSkylerWhite · 01/09/2022 10:37

“Think how many spuds & how much cheese you could buy for that“

maybe do that instead? You’re paying for the heating/lighting, gas or electricity for cooking and for service staff.
prawns are expensive now.

fromdownwest · 01/09/2022 10:55

I am more offended at someone having prawns with a Jacket?!

listsandbudgets · 01/09/2022 10:59

And still have enough mumsnet chicken left for soup!!

prescribingmum · 01/09/2022 11:02

MrsSplendiferous · 31/08/2022 19:42

I absolutely get the reason why they are increased but i can’t afford or want to pay 4 times the amount for normal food I can cook at home
the only people who can get away with that is service stations - captured audience

Completely agree. We were never huge on eating out to start with and with recent price increases there is absolutely zero chance we are going out to spend so much more on a meal I can make easily at home. When we eat out, it will be food that is a faff to make but those occasions are few and far between

girlmom21 · 01/09/2022 11:04

I went to a local pub for lunch the other day and paid £13.95 for a burger and chips. That's fairly standard I think. Portions were massive, food was very, very good.

The jacket spud price seems high but sandwich and chips for a tenner seems reasonable.

GCAcademic · 01/09/2022 11:05

Post-pandemic, we no longer eat at pubs, the prices are what we paid for high-end eateries previously, and I refuse to pay that for that quality of food. We now only go out to eat rarely, and spend it where we feel the money is worth it.

antelopevalley · 01/09/2022 11:15

We go out places like Indian restaurants. £60 for 4 adult meals (2 teenagers) seems fair enough to me.

SmackAttack · 01/09/2022 11:41

Cost me £15ish the other day for two mains, lasagne and hunters chicken, a side of onion rings and two drinks.

antelopevalley · 01/09/2022 11:46

We also go to weatherspoons. Their curries are really nice.

RedWingBoots · 01/09/2022 11:56

JasmineIndigo · 01/09/2022 10:36

I understand that pubs need to recoup the money lost to covid/energy price rises etc, but they are going to price themselves out of business. I'm not sure what the solution is though, the government need to cap energy prices for businesses/schools as a start..

If they kept the prices the same they would go out of business anyway.

Some of the pubs I randomly use to go to in London are now Tesco Metros, Sainsburys Locals or flats.

And this was before Covid and the current crisis.

BaronessBomburst · 01/09/2022 11:58

The prices in France have shot up too. We've been driving through on the way to/ from Spain. A glass of wine is €6 for a thimble full of the cheapest house wine, going up to €18 for the one you actually wanted but didn't order.
Burger and chips twice, two drinks, and a salad last night came to €58.
Food in Spain has gone up too but you can still get a glass of wine for €3 and they fill it up to the brim. Grin