Pie and a ‘selected’ drink … to think this is an insane cost?

[Ipbual]

Recently seen an ‘offer’ of 19 pounds for a pie and selected drink every Thursday evening between 4-7.

This is a standard country pub on the outskirts of an average town.

I absolutely loving eating out and me and dh have a pretty decent income yet we cannot justify paying these prices anymore. If we both ordered this ‘deal’ it would be 38 quid! That’s without a desert or a coffee.

AIBU to think soon these places will collapse? Or are people still happy to spend on it?

It seems pretty standard now, most places are £11-£17 for pretty basic food without a drink. Drinks are killer add on too.

Also it seems you get less for more money now, when did it become standard to have to order chips separate to your burger etc... in a restaurant? That is just surely a part of the 'meal' but now its like £12.99 for a burger, £4 for a side of chips, £5 for your drink... if you want to add a starter thats like £8 and desert is another £5 or so and thats not anywhere 'fancy'.

We barely ever go out for food since lockdown as we just cant afford it, we use to eat out often though (albeit at cheap chain places).

We went to a country pub the other day after a long walk. The food was about the same price but the bar person who served us (and the people after us) gave a script about the elevated dining experience the food on the specials board offered.

the food was nice, but no nicer than any other pub that doesn’t offer elevated cuisine or such faux posh wankiness.

It depends where you are I suppose. I’m in the north west on the outskirts of a fairly big city. I wouldn’t expect to pay that much. Pint is still £3-£4 here. Go into town though and that would be cheap.

I don't think it seems like a great deal. It's what I'd expect to pay if there was no special offer on.

Our local (nice, part of a local chain of foodie pubs) does steak night on Thursday. I think it's a sirloin steak, looks to be quite sizeable when I've been with people who've had it. You get every side imaginable - chips, macaroni cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, salad, peppercorn sauce... £18 including any drink (even a cocktail). That seems like a good offer to me.

That’s a good deal!

A full meal and and an alcoholic drink for under £20 seems like a bargain to me. A pie meal plus a glass of wine or beer would be more than that here.

Just checked my local - "beef and ale pie" (the only pie on the menu) is £18.95 and it's at least £7 for a medium glass of house wine and about £6+ for a pint.

So 2 people on your deal =£38 compared to £51 at standard pub prices here (assuming one wine and one beer).

Nice atmosphere and service with civilised other customers and no screeching children. Delicious chef made pie with mash and veg. Large glass of wine. Sounds fine to me if that is indeed the case.

If it's only on between 4 and 7 on a Thursday, presumably to lure punters in at a time that would otherwise be quiet, then it doesn't sound like a very good offer and isn't going to have the desired effect for the pub. Unless the food is very high quality and a lot more expensive than that at normal times!

Until you clarify what ‘a pie’ is, OP, it’s impossible to say. One small reheated frozen pie on its own, not good. But a good-sized homemade pie with sides that’s an actual main meal, seems about right?

Assuming you get something with the pie ie chips / veg I would think that for a home made or quality pie the price is about right . At the local garden centre cafe it’s £12 for ham / egg and chips so that would be £19/20 if you added an alcoholic drink on top . Eating out is expensive now .

Depends on the quality of the pie and whether it comes with vegetables, potatoes etc. If it's a decent pie, not some frozen ready meal thing, and has proper accompaniments, I think that's reasonable.

It’s overpriced, but this thread proves people will pay it. People generally don’t care about prices of things these days as long as the photo of it looks good on instagram and if it makes them appear richer than everyone else. God, I’m getting cynical, but I find the modern world bonkers.

I wouldn’t personally pay it, I would rather cook something myself.

Local to me does pie of the day, with chips, peas and gravy for £20 and a small glass of house wine is £8.

Always busy!

It’s overpriced, but this thread proves people will pay it. People generally don’t care about prices of things these days as long as the photo of it looks good on instagram

A pie and a pint aren't what I'd class as photogenic!

Yeah same
I would expect to pay £6ish for a pint or £7 for a large glass of wine in a pub so £12/13 for a nice pie baked on the premises with some form of potato and salad would seem a good price tbh.

just checked and its £11.32 for a "steak and ale pudding" with drink in my local spoon which is usually the cheapest place to go, and is literally just a slice of microwaved pie.

Lots of pubs by me charge £15-18 quid just for a standard main course (pie, burger, lasagne etc) without a drink. They're just standard pubs, a step up from chains like hungry horse/greene king or whatever, but not gastro type ones, and I'm in a cheaper area so not coming from a rich perspectives.

£19 for a meal and drink sounds average, if anything on the more reasonable side for eating out in 2025.

But social media is full of photos of peoples meals anyway, they just put a filter on it to make it look better while their food goes cold 🤣.

People aren't paying it for shits and giggles or because (as a pp pointed out) pie and gravy really scream glamour for the insta grid, they're paying it because there aren't (m)any cheaper alternatives.

Fine to say I'd rather cook it at home but then what do you do when every other meal is the same price? It's not that pies are solely overpriced, you could ask exactly the same q about Burgers, lasagne, Thai food, an Indian etc.

Where is significantly cheaper? As I said, even my local spoons has most main meals costing more than a tenner.

Do you never go out to eat?
What if you're on holiday?
Or if you want to meet with a group of people and don't want to cook for 8?

My local is pie and a pint for £12 which I think is too cheap. I think around £15 is right

I only eat out for special occasions these days (holidays, because I would never do that for birthdays these days).

We actually used to eat out a lot in the past, but it was a lot cheaper then and the quality was much better. A pub meal was really tasty and large - all of the sides included and a very reasonable price. These days there is either very little on the plate and/or the quality is terrible and I could make better at home. If the quality and quantity matched the past then I would pay it, but they have increased the prices and reduced the amount, so people are being ripped off.

My ex-husband did that for free

Well, if it was a "chain pub", no way. But if it was an independent, who hand-make their own delicious pies and serve top quality beer, then it may be worth it. The Devil is in the detail!

For that it’s 14 at my local and is quite decent and the pie does have a bottom.

If it’s a decent pie that’d usually be around that cost so effectively with the offer you’re getting a free drink with it. Why do you think it’s unreasonable?

I was looking at that pub as we are going to Silverstone and my DH loves the show. £7 a pint and £10 for a double vodka. £8-12 per starter and £20-25 per main. So easy looking at £180-200 just for one drink and a two course meal for 4.

My local pub the pie is £14 and is really good homemade with chips and veg

No I wouldnt go for a pie and a pint between 4-7 on a Thursday. I don't think £19 is a bad price for a pie and a drink, providing that it's a decent pie and the drinks aren't just a pint of carling, but its not a deal that would in anyway entice me in between 4-7 pm on a Thursday