When you have a day out, do you eat out or take a pack-up?

[TwoMagnificentLabradors]

Until a couple of years ago, we used to think nothing of dropping into a low- key restaurant ( Pizza Express, Giraffe etc.) on a day out. Then three things happened:

All hospitality shut for months and we got used to taking a packed lunch on our barely-legal day-long hikes.

The kids got enormous and started ordering from adult menus. No more humous, carrots, breadsticks and a teeny pizza for £4.99.

Restaurants and cafes put their prices up to cover rising costs.

I have become the proud queen of the pack-up. We were the family shamelessly scoffing our cheese and ham rolls on the forecourt of Liverpool Street Station today. Our new ways mean healthier food, saving 80-100 pounds on a day out and everyone getting what they like to eat.

We still eat out. But save those outings for special occasions and decent (not food pinged from a microwave) venues (or street food markets, I love those!)

Anyone else changed their ways of late?

I cook it at home! Sorry that's the only picture I had of the food before I popped the tray in the oven.
We often travel an hour's drive to the beach and the foil trays keep the pasta warm and it's filling food, less mess too!

@nc1013
@Sparklingbrook
Sorry that was in reply

We do a mixture and always have really. Factors influencing our decisions include: where we are going, how 'high-value' the trip is - e.g. are we on holiday or is it a place we go semi-regularly anyway?, how much we've already spent that month on leisure spends/our general financial situation that month, the weather, whether where we are going will have decent facilities/place to actually enjoyably eat a packed lunch or not, what the food facilities are like at the place we are going and how expensive they are, whether we are meeting up with anyone else and what their preferences are, etc.

DD and I got a Macdonalds today, but only because we were also out meeting one of her friend's (and their mum, as the girls are only 4) to go bowling right around her normal lunchtime. Last weekend, DH and I took our kids for a day out in town to go to a museum and art gallery. The museum has a 'picnic area' so we took a basic packed lunch for us all. We ate it in the picnic area, then we went downstairs to the lovely cafe and all had scones and DH and I got coffees too. So we still spent on food and drink, but much less than if we'd all had lunch there.

Packed lunch or supermarket meal deals. usually buy a hot drink or ice cream but I also take a travel cup.

I even take meal deals and our own treats to the cinema 😂 especially for a lunchtime showing.
just much more in control of the allergies, quality and choice of food, and of course cost!

We have always done this too.

Eat out unless I’m on a long hike that’s not going to be close to anywhere with food.

Packed lunch but I’ll often buy ice cream or something too. I just can’t afford to spend £60+ on mediocre food. Sometimes we will stop at Co-op for a meal deal en route to the loch, everyone gets what they want and a box of ice creams for £2.

Depends.

Theme Park? Always packed lunch. The queues are horrendous, the food is over priced and is shit.

National Trust type place? If finances allow, eat out, otherwise sarnies.

Beach? Always sarnies unless it is one specific place in Wales that has a fantastic chippy right next to the beach and is reasonably priced!

It depends on where we are going and how the money is. On a trip down that London last year we did half and half.

Always a pack up but if it's a day out we may have tea out later (McDonald's, pizza or similar) or ill buy a treat like an ice cream which always costs a fortune!

If it’s summer and we going to a beach or walk a packed lunch. In the winter months or in a city probably wouldn’t. Something about eating a picnic in the winter crouched somewhere is quite depressing somehow! Fine in the warm .

I spend the money I've saved by having a packed lunch on a another day out.
Love day trips.

Almost always pack a lunch for my child with a food allergy. Then for me it'll depend where I'm going and who with. We rarely go to a

Posted too quick 😆
We rarely go to a proper restaurant, usually just a cheap and cheerful pub chain with a relaxed atmosphere.

Nearly always take a picnic, it's only DH and I at home now so we are real 'old pensioners' (DH is retired) with our packed lunch. Very happy to take food from home, so many meals out are disappointing and expensive. Love a picnic.

Completely depends on the weather. I definitely prefer my own food, but don't want to eat on a park bench/ cold train station or anywhere outside in this weather.

Well, we would always eat the best, tastiest food we could on any occasion.

That, most often, is meal out in a nice restaurant, but if all that was on offer was burger and fries type stuff, then we'd probably take a picnic of cheeses, pate, sliced meats, olives, vine tomatoes, french bread, grapes, strawberries etc.

Would never eat sweaty clingfilm wrapped pre-made sandwiches / rolls / baguettes, crisps, chocolate and pop. Bleurgh. Wouldn't buy "meal deals" from the supermarket either.

I’ve pretty much always made packed lunches.
DC tend to want a cheese sandwich, which if we bought would probably have mild cheddar and it’s unlikely to just be cheese. I can make a sandwich exactly how they want it and bring it along. I’m veggie and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to eat out as cafes have made all the veggie food vegan which I don’t want.
I sometimes buy coffee and ice cream or cake.

I love your response, especially “what a magnificently condescending reply”

I read it how you did too. “We would
only ever ENTERTAIN eating food we have actually had to make for ourselves when totally necessary”

I'm still wondering how a law firm can be 'cute'

Then maybe you and rhe op can join forces to support the weight of the chips on your shoulders.

the reason I realise I’m lucky to have the choice is I grew up in absolute poverty. Want me to tell you all about that?

so you and the op can share your issues. As said, they aren’t mine and you got it toe curlingly wrong.

Everyone has pixie cuts and tip-tilted noses?

Or the décor is cottage-core with floral filing cabinets and baskets of beribboned kittens?

As about 50% of days out consist of hill and countryside walking I always have food and drink on me. I drank champagne at the top of quite a high peak on my birthday this year and had a lovely Greek salad with roast chicken followed by lemon drizzle cake.

Must be. Maybe some bunting outside too. I don't think we have cute law firms in these parts.

Packed lunch 99% of the time

Sometimes a few places we have passes for are within 30 min away so sometimes have lunch then go and just take snacks. I hate being loaded down with heavy bags thankfully have 1 in a buggy still.

Always get dcs an ice cream out.

It depends on where we are going and what the weather is like. Outdoorsy places in the summer we always take a packed-lunch, In the winter we tend to eat out more, but go out a bit less anyway so it’s not that frequent.