Quality and price of takeaway/restaurant food

[KenAdams]

We used to eat out quite a bit - 2/3 times a week. Combination of busy lives and medical conditions.

For that we used to get reasonably fresh, good quality meals and decent sized portions (reasonably healthy stuff rather than a fried Chinese meal or burger for example).

Over the last two years, we've noticed a reduction in the quality and price increases in such meals.

Sushi has massively gone up in price and other meals that used to be healthy have reduced their quality of ingredients and now seem full of oil etc.

I know prices have gone up but as an example, last weekend my friend ordered a chicken supreme for £22 in a local pub in the East Midlands. She got a piece of chicken which was about 10cm across (not a breast), about two tablespoons of potato and some pea shoots. Another friend ordered a risotto and wanted to add a salmon fillet, but it was an extra £10 for the salmon!

This wasn't anywhere fancy, just an average pub but the prices now are such that it's pricing us out, even taking into account the convenience factor.

I work in an industry where I know the price of ingredients and I feel like places are just taking the piss a little bit now. I'm also aware of the on costs but I can't really make them add up to the astronomical prices I see now.

The solution for us has been to move to low prep style meals so I can still manage to make these when I'm having a bad day with my conditions, but it's such a shame as it used to be something to look forward to and a bit of a relief that I didn't have to cook on a flare up day.

Has anyone else noticed the same?

Slightly off topic but any healthy, filling, low prep meal ideas would be welcome please!

Honestly, I have stopped eating out recently. Admittedly, there are limited options near where I am but all have had a significant drop in quality as well as a increase in prices.

I understand about increased costs but the drop in quality I do not understand. Things like food being undetseasoned, lettuce leaves not being washed properly and stalk and dirt on plate, vegetables boiled mush. Also most menus locally to me are the same. Things like burger, chicken stripes, steaks and salmon seem to appear everywhere.

Honestly, it is more flavoursome and cheaper to cook at home. Traybake dishes are great as limited clear up

I get the boneless chicken thighs at Nandos, they seem the best deal to me.

in the last few years I’ve only had disappointing meals out (with one exception at a Michelin starred restaurant), made all the more disappointing by the fact that prices have (understandably) rocketed. The quality of ingredients and service has plummeted, and I don’t enjoy it at all.

For me, its not about cost. If something's good, I'll happily pay.

what gets me down is the experience. Other diners are so loud now and badly behaved. There aren't enough staff so you have to wait an age to be served and when you are, its by a sullen, harassed member of staff. Tables arent wiped or cleared and there never seems to be anyone in authority on site to oversee things. Loud music is also off-putting.

It's to be endured now, not enjoyed.

True, tables seem to be constantly sticky now. Totally agree about the music too.

Agree that it helps to know where the decent independents are. For example 20mins walk from here the Beefeater charges around £17-21 for a main course, £5-7 for pudding for bought-in, heated up food. But 20mins walk in the other direction is a nationally rated independent restaurant where Sunday lunch is £27 for two courses.

Loads of places now just see, to buy in ready made food probably from Brakes. There is so much sameness. And frankly I can get better ready made meals.
It is why I only eat out at independents where the cooking is happening on the premises and you can see this.

We have stopped eating out at a lot of mid range or chain places. We used to think nothing of going out for a pizza/posh burger/pub meal before a gig or film, but those places have become such poor value that we now eat at home instead… especially when it’s something like pasta that I can usually make better myself.

We will eat at some cheap/mid restaurants if it’s the kind of food we can’t be bothered or don’t have the skills to cook well - eg Japanese/Vietnamese. But otherwise, we are eating out way less often and saving up for occasional visits to fancy restaurants instead - often way better value when you consider the quality.

@BigBarm exactly- so now as I mentioned before I have quite a few breakfast/brunches out - the odd Japanese/Korean/vietnamese pre gig/show and the odd fancier meal out on celebration dates- maybe somewhere like the Ivy chain ( which I like- partly food but also their interiors) what we have cut out is the quick pizza/pasta/posh burger/gastro pub type joints

That's a good point actually, I can usually cook the mid range food myself so having the same thing out doesn't feel special.

It's independents I'm talking about, we don't really go to chains.

And yes to the temperature of the restaurants - sometimes I don't even take my coat off!

You're right - it really does feel like something to endure.

I like a Wagamama's take out. Full of veg and delicious in my view

I'd much rather have lunch out. Dinner out now is very rare for us. But they seem mostly as busy as ever. If I go McDs I just get a kids meal or Cheese burger and Chicken Mayo. Both are £1.39 I think. Ds had a £10 meal so I cut back on what I buy. I don't miss out. Just feel less guilty about the cost.

For cheap easy emergency meals I buy frozen chopped onions, frozen mince, frozen mash and frozen carrots. I could do a very easy cottage pie in minutes then. Or sausages. A friend cooks hers all at once and then freezes them. Again it's comfort food that needs zero prep. We normally have lots of spaghetti sauce frozen and that's a weekly job to cook in bulk. Very easy just defrost innthe microwave and cook some pasta

I agree. It's the end of an era, for better or worse.

I just had a look at the Pizza Express menu - £25 for a pizza and a dessert now.
You can get a two course lunch at Michelin starred places in London from £29. Makes PE and similar look poor value I think!

https://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/best-for/cheapest-michelin-star-restaurants-london_9943

I used to like Pizza Express, but it is such poor value these days.

To be honest, I'd feel more comfortable paying more for a small, but well sourced, cut of meat in a bought meal. I'm much more suspicious when a meal is packed with meat but fairly cheap.

57 tonnes of illegal meat was stopped at Dover recently and they think this is the tip of the iceberg. I can't imagine it would end up on supermarket shelves - that only leaves restaurants and takeaways . . . .

Whilst I agree that some places are no longer good value for money I also think you need to shop around for deals - we had two 3 course meals at Bella Italia after going to the cinema- with a cider and a Diet Coke for £50 last Sunday. They boxed up both desserts and my leftover pizza for us as we were too full to eat them! I completely understand that that's a lot of money for some people but this was a birthday treat before anyone piles on...

I agree with this. I am in London and have lots of restaurants and takeaways close by but don’t eat out very much at all. We used to quite often get a pizza from a local pizza place, etc. But most places have really increased prices and swapped to cheaper ingredients,

We now tend to focus on eating at home and occasionally have a meal somewhere that’s more of a treat.

@ViciousCurrentBun - tapas and brunch are good!

Tapas are usually way over priced.
Like another poster we have been going out more for breakfast than we used to instead.

@BigBarm I agree. There are a few fabulous independent places here in Bath including chez Dominique where you can get a set 2 or 3 course for £26/£29

And they feel far more of a treat.

Hardly ever eat out since we returned to the UK from Spain. It's too expensive and often very disappointing. My neighbour eats out regularly but is always moaning to me about the quality and price of almost every meal she has out be it in a restaurantor a pub: not hot enough, dry, flavourless, inedible, poor value. I couldn't be arsed to be honest.

We eat very well at home for a fraction of the cost and are rarely disappointed.

A mixed bag where we live. Prices have definitely increased, or those where it isn't significant, the service has dramatically decreased (waited 25 minutes before we had to ask for menus on Tuesday). One stands out in particular. We had a Christmas party there in December 2022 and it was excellent so we booked again for 2023. Nearly 40 people. The second one was £13 per head more for one less course. We had to keep trying to get someone's attention for drinks, clearing away etc. More often than not there wasn't a member of staff around at all, we were just sat waiting. Now I get it, it was a big party, but the rest of the restaurant was empty and it was a Friday night, so no idea what would they would have done if walk-ins had arrived.

I should add that price increase was a whopping 59%.

I agree the prices have gone up so much it's prohibitive now. I understand it's inflation but I don't know what the answer is. I want to support local restaurants but the price means it's totally off-putting.

I took DDs out for lunch this week as it is half term and wanted to treat us. We went to a local independent Italian restaurant. One adult's pizza and two children's pizzas plus a soft drink each came to £40. It was a lovely lunch but we just cannot afford that on a regular basis and we earn decent money. Conversely on Valentine's Day I cooked fillet steaks at home for DH and I, we shared a bottle of wine and it cost less than us getting takeaway from the local chip shop.

Like others I'm more likely to go out for breakfast now or to go to a café for a coffee and cake rather than a full meal out.