Are you eating out less?

[Solasum]

I work in London, and the lunchtime cafes etc are still very busy, though it seems to me mainly with a young demographic. As a household though, we are definitely eating out and getting take away less. It just doesn’t seem worth it unless it is something really special.

In your local area, is there evidence of people majorly cutting back?

If anyone works in hospitality, have things changed a lot in recent years?

Not a journalist, just curious.

I am definitely eating out less. Everything is so expensive. Even a takeaway for one is over £15 these days. I don't want to pay that.

I’m eating out far less: it’s too expensive for food that is lower quality than previously.
DD and I had a main each and a soft drink in a pub recently £59. Won’t be repeating that any time soon!

I only eat out on special occasions with family, or on paid for work dinners. Don’t get takeaways as I don’t think they’re good value (I can cook decent food myself quickly and for far cheaper)
I have had children in the last 5 years and before kids I used to eat out loads

Yes, definitely. I’d rather spend the money on good quality ingredients / wine, and cook at home, both DH and I are excellent cooks so we take it in turns and our DSs tend to be out most evenings so we usually get the place to ourselves.

Far far less. I’m a good cook though so I don’t mind. I haven’t had a Chinese in a few months because even for one it’s £20! That will last me for two meals admittedly but it’s a lot in one go.

Yep. It’s over £100 wherever we take our family. Ridiculous!

So much less! It’s not worth the money to go out for brunch etc.. used to meet friends and include some nice avocado and eggs and toast etc. don’t even consider it now. Too expensive.
i can’t believe that ten years ago we got a Friday night take away as a matter of course, and this year we haven’t even had one!

Personally no change but then we have never done that much casual eating out.

We have always and still go for dinner out at nice restaurants with really good food.

But we never really had a lot of takeaways or cafe or pub type meals because tbh the food isn’t that great for the cost and I prefer to make something at home. I resent spending a lot on a meal that’s less good than I would have made!

No but a few caveats. I didn't eat out a lot anyway, maybe once a month at most plus sometimes on holidays. Very rarely get take out, maybe twice a year as a treat. Always look for deals and never really go anywhere more pricey than pizza express... so I'm probably doing roughly the same. I'm quite careful with money. We did go out a few days ago. I got a main, dessert and water for about £30 and my daughter ate 3 courses and water for free. That seemed reasonable and within our budget.

Yes we've cut back as agree with other posters that I was getting tired of indifferent food at high prices. Added factor is that I'm on montjaro so end up leaving the carbon part anyway.

Meant carbohydrate of course.😃

Its just DH and myself but yes, we are eating out less. Just seems very expensive for a soft drink and a main. Even a house bottle of wine seems so much more than a few years ago.

We also used to get a home delivered meal- Chinese, Turkish, Thai etc about every fortnight. We only do that monthly now, if that.

Yes, and we aren't particularly strapped for cash at all. But we have cut down on eating out as you the quality seems to be worse and you get less than you use to. I understand why - but we really can cater better and more healthily at home.

Where I live the eating out options aren't brilliant and seem to include very little veg...and the takeaway are really not good and have got worse so we've really not ever bothered.

I'll meet friends to eat for the social factor but that's less frequently than it used to be to.

Yes. A pub where I go with my boyfriend the meals aren’t great and expensive. I used to get Groupon deals to eat out with friends but they’re not great either.

I'm not paying good money for yucky slop.

We eat out far less. It’s really sad but it is just such poor value nowadays we can’t bring ourselves to enjoy it.

Overpriced and overrated. No thanks. I'd rather eat at home.

Oh, and what is it with the UK and surly service?

Definitely. I make my own lunches, I take water from the tap out with me, and I tend to eat dinner at home. I used to go out for meals every fortnight in the 2010s but I can't justify the price anymore. Not even fancy places, but going out for Sunday dinner or for a curry, or even a caff for a fry-up. So I only go to eat out on special occasions now.

I took three kids for -
3 bowls of ramen noodles
1 chicken katsu
1 glass of white wine
2 cups apple juice (small)

over £100 - no starter no pudding - one kid only drank tap water. I had house white.

No, we do not go out much any more.

Yes, but because the quality has gone down (well, more specifically the places we liked closed) rather than cost.

Take aways are getting silly. I had a Chinese a few weeks ago- hadn’t for a while- and it was £36 for three dishes. I’ll eat out less

Not at all no. We are foodies and live in a place with some excellenh restaurants.

I’d say yes, which is partly cost of living, but honestly, so much food you get out is rubbish. I can make something nicer at home or I can bring a packed lunch which is the same or better quality and cheaper. We only really eat out if it’s a special occasion or we get stuck somewhere and can’t get home in time to eat.

I don’t know if I’d say it’s truly less because we didn’t eat out loads anyway, but I really do make an effort to avoid it because I know I’ll be disappointed.

That said, we have a business as suppliers to the restaurant industry and caterers. For all people say about the hospitality industry, our sales took off over COVID and show no signs of letting up. Maybe restaurants are struggling somewhere, but it’s definitely not ones on the higher end because they are still spending a lot of money with us, so business can’t be too bad.

we eat out less than we used to. I would eat out more if places didn't add a 10/12.5/15% service charge on. It really pisses me off.