To hate going out for a meal

[Bigbouncingbaby]

I’ve always thought eating out was expensive…but since covid and not going out at all now I just can’t be bothered to go ! Every time I go out the service is crap or the food is crap . Then I get the bill at the end and think omg could of brought loads in Lidl for that 🤔😳 would much rather eat in but I think my husband just thinks I’m being miserable. Is it just me 🤷‍♀️

I LOVE meals out, but then I live in London where there are amazing restaurants 10 minutes walk from anywhere. It is literally my favourite thing to do, I couldn't bear living somewhere that didn't have great restaurants.

Love going out but have fallen out of love with takeaways. I always feel yucky after a takeaway. Too much MSG / grease / carbs, always late at night by the time I have eaten it. Regret it an hour later and the next day!

How do you know Op is “ joyless” just because they don’t rate eating out.
Anyone that’s worked in a restaurant knows what it’s like behind the scenes. Sweaty chefs, grubby tea towels, fingers on food.

I like eating out but only if DH pays or I treat my friends. I resent paying £15 for a main and £6 for a glass of wine for my own food. Such a waste of money. I’d rather pay more so that everyone has had a good time and it’s an occasion.

@shinynewapple22 @Bigbouncingbaby It's incredible. Fabulous value and the college I went to today also do evening meals and taster menus.

The students work so hard. As a patron, we had to leave feedback forms. There was a Shouty Man (from the school of Gordon Ramsay methinks) and a Gliding Lady (who floated about after the students) and the students did everything from maitre d', bar work, cooking, serving, everything.

The lunch I went to today had a choice of three options for each course. I didn't feel like I was in a 'school' but in a really niche restaurant.

Obviously they need guinea pigs to practice on and to gain experience to pass their exams. But such an amazing lunch for next to no money - we have a great time and they reach their educational goals.

I love going out for a meal.

@Westfacing

I love eating out - but from tomorrow it's going to be even more expensive when VAT on hospitality returns to 20%.

What makes you think that? Most restaurant bills are inclusive of VAT, rather than split out.

OP maybe you're just unlucky in where you live.
I won't ask where that is, but what would be an example of a meal out you had where you thought, "HOW much??!!" (feel free to add, "...and wasn't very well made and took ages to arrive").?

I like eating out but although there are plenty of the cheap and cheerful places I like (think, all day breakfast including coffee for under £10, fresh and big portions) there are certainly also a whole bunch of places I have tried once and never went back to. Someone unlucky might just end up going to all the lacklustre ones!

I love it. 💗 It's my favourite.

I love going out for dinner, I would do it every night if I could!

I think the standard of food and service has really dropped off in recent years (well before Covid), I trained in hospitality and catering and I really hate being served by someone who just doesn't know what they are doing ... it is not hard to offer the steak knife before your steak arrives for example. I used to love going out for a meal but, particularly where we live now, we have very few restaurants... let alone good ones.

Another thing that you have no control over is obnoxious people at the next table ... I actually ate out this evening, very nice pub grub, well served and a fair price ... but the people at the next table were so loud it really intruded on my enjoyment ... and they were incredibly indiscreet discussing all their employee problems and naming names .... I now know all about Susan in Accounts and the fact that she is likely to lose her job (not real name!). . And the main woman going on and on about how 'driven' she is in her career ... clearly not so driven that you understand appropriate behaviour in public .

I definitely prefer breakfast, brunch or lunch when eating out. Evening meals are always a bit of an overpriced disappointment.
I do like Indian restaurants though

Agree OP, have never really eating out and don't consider it a 'treat'. The food is usually mediocre, often overpriced, and the hygiene can be questionable.

I don't much like eating out. I do like having breakfast out, as it's hard not to enjoy a breakfast, and there are often plenty of choices. But lunch and dinner? No thanks. If that makes me "joyless" then so be it! But I often find that veggie options are increasingly vegan, and just not for me.

Only if it’s amazing food and on a special offer. We have a 2 michelin star restaurant near us which does a special lunch time meal of 3 courses for £24. I wouldn’t waste my money on mediocre food which many restaurants around here serve

YANBU. I used to LOVE going out and trying new food before covid, but after lockdown the quality of food and service went to shit (and prices went up). I don't mind paying more if it's a really nice experience, but to shell out ££££ and in return get mediocre food and awful service is a bit much. So now I'd rather spend more on good quality ingredients and cook myself and even experiment with different cuisines. No more takeaways and very occasional restaurant visits (after loads of research).

Me and DH rarely eat out in the evening as we are always disappointed with the food.

We can both cook well and like cooking. We don't see it as a chore and even the washing up doesn't bother us.

No way are we paying for food we can cook better ourselves and which is almost always too salty. What is it with chefs and salt? Very unhealthy too.

If we do eat out it is almost always indian food. We can and do cook lovely curries, bhajis and even bread but without a tandoor oven naan bread is never quite as good as a lot of restaurants. Our onion bhajis are much better though - crispy and not greasy.

We occasionally go out for a veggie breakfast.

I prefer going for coffee and cake these days, food in the restaurants I used to love is now below par and not worth it. I also hate the word meal.

Oh, I'd definitely be happy to skip eating (out) if we have a night out. Who can be bothered to stop for food when the drinks are flowing? I don't mind a takeaway after a bottle of wine but if I'm going out, I want to go out out! 🍾 🥂 🍾 🥂

I'm weird, I like honest greasy spoon cafes and high end restaurants. I can't be doing with pub chains where you get disappointing basic food that I can make much better versions of at home.

I find many restaurants very average in terms of food and service quality and just really disappointing. But there are a handful of restaurants near me that I really enjoy though.

I used to think it was great and spent vast amounts of my income on eating out.

Gradually I came to my senses. Instead of wasting (say) £15 to £30 for a substandard meal (per person) in a restaurant, which isn't quite what I wanted, is cold, maybe bland, small portions etc, I push the boat out and buy pricey things like prawns, smoked salmon and steak in a supermarket and eat them at home.

It still works out cheaper! Even eating a whole £5 pack of smoked salmon to myself is cheaper than fish and chips from a chippy!

It's also the environment. In a restaurant I often find chairs are uncomfortable, you are overheard, you can hear other people's convos, sometimes people bash into your chair, the waiters are sometimes intrusively attentive, the music too loud or just not to my taste, the list goes on forever.

At home I can sit on a comfy chair or on the sofa, have the temperature I like, the food I like in the amounts I like, speak freely, play the music I prefer.

I'm now amazed at anyone enjoying eating out. Especially pizza - the biggest con going! About 50p worth of protein items, dotted thinly over a base that cost a penny, and you pay £15 for it. Huh.

PS there is one exception! A full English. Eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms, hash browns, tomatoes, toast and tea.

That is worth paying for because at around a tenner you cannot recreate it at home for that price PLUS its a load of faffing and a load of washing up as there are so many components that each need a pan. Also it's hard at home to make everything ready at exactly the same time!

It seems the key difference is there are two camps.

Those who eat out and are purely there for the food like the op

Those who eat out for the change of scene, the social aspect, the being Cooked for, the difference from every other night at home,

If you’re in rhe first camp then there are few restaurants who will likely fit the bill cost v quality wise, if you’re in the latter camp a decent meal is just part of the over all experience and you’re not working out how much you could have got down Aldi for the same price,

@drpet49

I don’t know a single person who doesn’t enjoy a meal out. You sound joyless.

Harsh. Everyone is different, didn’t you realise?

I love having local independent restaurants where there are a small number of tables, and where (even if I only go there once a month tops) the people remember me and I can say, "cook me what you think I would like to eat". It feels very cozy and homey, at the same time as being a higher standard of whatever the specialism is than I could manage myself. The feeling of being taken care of by people who care that you are enjoying the food and the athmosphere is worth a bit of money to me. But I think that for non-local food styles, the guest owes a bit of work as well: just a wee bit of prior research about a particular food culture can really help you be appreciative of a restaurant, as can a willingness to be advised about what to try. I've had a few experiences of being shown slightly preferential treatment (being moved to a better table, getting a complimentary drink), just through showing a bit of food-cultural awareness and/or openness to trying things their way. If you have issues that prevent this sort of flexibility, then finding a few places where they know you well is probably a better approach. I like both!