What will happen to restaurants / cafes

[LaCouleurDeMonCiel]

Pre Covid / COL increase we would eat out as a family 1-2 a week. Eating out would often be spontaneous, places like Bills, Rosas Thai, pizzeria, etc. when we passed one while shopping or because we didn’t fancy cooking.

Now we have stopped the spontaneous meals because the prices are ridiculous. We still go out when we want to go to a specific restaurant or celebrate something but we don’t visit the casual low/mid range places because £100+ is too expensive for a quick ‘not that special’ meal.

Are we the only ones?
Will we see a change in the type of restaurants on the high streets? High end restaurants + cheap fast food ones but nothing in between?

Waste of money. You can by three xl and pizzas and a bottle of wine from asda for £20. You sound like you have for money thsn sense to spend £105 on pizzas.

Oh, how I agree with you! I’m not a dog lover, and it really puts me off when I see so many dogs in cafés, pubs and restaurants. Owners often put their mutts on the chairs - yuk!!

Well I regularly visit my local cafe, they are part of a chain which is Irish owned so you certainly get that warm welcome feeling when you go in there. The staff are friendly and the drinks cups are huge and cheaper than costa or any of the other local chains, plus they have a decent loyalty scheme they are often packed in there and occasionally have no seating left.

A friend of my often wants to go out for chinese when I visit them, we always use the same one as it has a 5 star hygiene rating, the food has huge portions, is tasty and properly cooked and you can see into the kitchen. They recently increased prices but not but a large amount and they had been the same for five years or so, again they always seem to be packed.
Most of the dishes are £5-6 so you can get four dishes for around £20 and it is more than enough to feed two people.

So no from my experience locally the decent places are booming.

It'll be the same as any other economic downturn e.g. in the Depression in the UK, not everyone was drastically affected and it was very much regional due to whole areas relying on certain types of industries.

Some people will continue to have more than enough disposable income to eat out even if their money doesn't go as far generally. It's how far that cut off goes up the income scale that will make the difference to places staying open.

We haven't had regular takeaways for years but when we do, we steer clear of Deliveroo- type options for places that aren't set up as takeaways for reasons other posters have said - cold food, long delivery times, food that doesn't travel that well.

Plus, if I'm paying restaurant prices, I want the whole restaurant experience to make an evening of it - and no clearing up!

Fast food places like MacDonalds will survive because relatively speaking they remain cheap(er). Where else could you get a meal for 4 for what used to be £20 (probably £25 for us now due to price rise and growing children)?

Yes! Everything is on apps, really, even the NHS now, I really don't like having to download another app. There's just too much!

I wouldn't install an app just to use a cafe or restaurant, I would just not bother or go elsewhere. It's different if it's somewhere you go very regularly but most cafes we generally just pop in as we pass

I love cafes/restaurants with apps, because it usually means you can "tailor" your order with extras/swaps etc., which often aren't shown on the menu at all.

Yes, I know you can always ask the waiter, but often places are very noisy and with strong accents you can't always hear them when they reel off the options etc (worse for me as I have hearing impediment), so I'd usually just pick something off the menu and accept it how it comes. Also, some waiters aren't well trained, so don't actually know what options they can do and have to keep coming and going to ask another waiter or the kitchen, what swaps are possible.

I think cafes/restaurants need to cater for both kinds of people - have an app for those who prefer it, but also have waiter/counter staff for those who don't.

we e not been out for a family meal in over 6 years due to cost-very low income house, but will go out for Mother’s Day this year as it’s been so long and my children want to. I’d love to go out to eat more but we simply cannot afford it. I see people on fb going out constantly and it makes me realise we lead very different lives! We’ve had no take aways for months, definitely none so far this year. I’d love to be able to afford a meal out or take away at least once a week just to have a break from cooking (single parent so all falls to me) but atm it’s just not an option-there’s always something I need to save up for- need a new washing machine, need a new kitchen table etc.

The ones I use tend to be online but not actually an app. As a single person I like them in places where you otherwise order at the bar - I don’t have anyone to leave to hold the table, and in summer no coat either.

I do not wany my phone full of loads and loads of apps.
A friend has 9 parking apps downloaded alone as each car park uses a different one.

@Mumstheword37 I hope you have a lovely mother's day treat.

@Seaside3 thank you ☺️