When eating out, do you choose by taste or price?

[Thegirlwhowent]

I'm curious - if you go out for a meal, do you just choose whatever you fancy, do you take prices into account, or are you totally driven by the cost?

fortunately none of my friends or family would do this, if anything we would all order less if we thought one of our group had a money issue.

I feel very sad for people if this is their social circle.

A combination, obviously. I find the things that I want to eat and then choose the one that I am willing to pay for. So often I want the beef or lamb but opt for duck or seafood instead because they’re cheaper.

I’m not fussy so there’s often various things on the menu I would enjoy. I do take the price into account to some extent in that if I’m torn and one thing is significantly cheaper I might choose the cheaper thing. More often though I take into account my perception of value for money. If it’s something I know takes a lot of skill and is hard to do yourself, I would pay a lot more than something you can do a reasonable approximation for yourself at home.

It also depends on the occasion - if I’m grabbing a bite to eat and I’ve got the kids I might be more inclined to choose something cheaper vs being out in a nice restaurant for an occasion when I’m more likely to have whatever I fancy.

Both. I pick a restaurant that suits my budget then pick what I like from there.

However I would never bother buying a steak in a restaurant as they're always overpriced.

I’m canny about my choices, so a bit of both. Mostly vegetarian dishes for me, they often cost less. If there’s a nice bit of fish I’ll have it. Steak isn’t something I’d order, I don’t like it or meat in general. I’ll eat it if served to me. I’ll find a balance between price & taste by doing an Early Bird or a Bento Box, if it’s just me.

I’ll go for taste but if I’m in a group where the bill will be split I won’t go for the most expensive item if it’s a lot more than every other choice.

For a special occasion meal, I’ll pick whatever I want most regardless of price.

For a regular meal out, I wouldn’t pick something I didn’t fancy just because of the price, but I often will pick the cheaper of two options that sound good. Like if the steak is only slightly more tempting than the burger but £10 more expensive, I’ll go for the burger.

Mid price range
Freezer to fryer,micro..nah I can dish up better.

More likely to choose on calories.

You have a point there. Sometimes only slightly different dishes vary wildly in their calorie content, don't they?

It depends on why I am eating out -
e.g. motorway service station - go on speed/convenience e.g. McDonalds
meeting with friends with small DC - go on what the smallest DC will eat (usually end up in wagamamas or pizza express)
eating out for an occasion e.g. a birthday/special event - go on taste.

Both. I won’t pay for anything that’s not value for money, so I’d never order an omelette but I’d be happy to order lobster if I fancied it (can’t cook them at home myself).

Haha neither. I go for the highest protein lowest fat option.

Price, always 😔
hopefully one day I’ll be able to choose based on taste!

Usually taste, but if there are two things that I am choosing between I might go for the cheapest one if there’s a big price difference.

Taste, I like my own cooking, so would only order something by out based on the taste/effort to cook at home. For example, I rarely cook octopus at home or lobster. We sometimes do oysters at home, but enjoy the convenience of having them out (and the location!). Also, I love lots of small plates to share, but the effort of making croquettas, various dips, stuffed courgette flowers, and other more fiddly tapas for a small family means I tend to only cook that sort of thing for parties, so I like having that out.

Always what appeals to me most on the menu. Regardless of if I’m eating out with dh or a group of friends or family. If I’m with friends or family and I know mine was the most expensive I will always more than cover my share. But I tend not to have a starter or alcohol (WLI) and others do so it generally all balances out.
i love eating out, it’s one of my biggest luxuries. Dh is a fantastic cook and we eat so well at home but I love food and if I’m going out for it I’m not compromising.

My lovely dad used to say that a meal is only expensive if you don't enjoy it. I live by that mantra and choose taste every time - whether it's he cafe down the road that does an amazing and cheap bacon butty or somewhere more expensive (that I can afford and have researched)

If it states the calories, I can't help but be put off the really fattening things. And I don't need to lose any weight! I prefer not to know the calories but I suppose it's useful information for some. My grown up (not overweight) son chooses the most calorific things - he says he wants to get his money's worth!

I've been very poor in the past. I'm ok now but there's always a voice at the back of my mind telling me not to spend too much. Luckily, I'm not keen on a lot of the most expensive things like steak. I just can't imagine not even noticing the prices.

Taste every time. I would rather cook at home then sit somewhere having average food

Bit of both: I aim for middle of the price range. Wine, I aim for low end of the price range.

I don’t agree that there’s no point in eating out if you’re careful about the cost: it’s still a treat.

I mean, we might think twice before ordering the Chateaubriand or caviar, but I don’t generally look at menu prices.

I can't afford to eat out much so tend to only go where I can actually buy something.
I usually see how hungry I am and then choose something from either main meals or sandwiches/equivalent.
However if I find myself in an expensive place for a birthday or something I'd definitely go for the cheapest option even if something else looked amazing as I couldn't justify the cost.

I'd choose the level of restaurant based on circumstances - I'd generally stick to a cheap chain like Pizza Express if stopping off en route somewhere with kids for example. I'd be happy to go much pricier for a celebration meal with my DH. Once there, I'd choose what I want though, without thinking about price.

If I choose something expensive from the menu in a group situation, I'd always insist on putting in extra to cover it. Money's not tight for us though. If it was, I suspect that expensive dinners out would be one of the first things to go.