Sick of eatting out and it’s not that good!

[Greekdream]

Second time this week eatting out one was a birthday celebration and today for father day
both times spending over 100 quid and the food worse then you make at home

just don’t wanna go it anymore unless it’s somewhere really good
tricky when it’s special occasions tho

@Notyomama I found food out in Ireland expensive but really good - it was as expensive as when we lived in Denmark , same was true there as well, pricey but really good and often portions were genuinely big enough to share , just with an extra side.

@Notyomama in fact my best meal out ever was in Dublin in Ranalagh a few years ago now - around 130 euros for2 with wine and 2 courses each - but unbelievably top notch

Oh I'm in Somerset and would love to know your recommendations please!

So don't go out

It’s Particularly bad in this area because all the chains eg Nando’s, zizzi, pizza express are in one very popular location near an outdoor shopping centre. So they have the location and don’t bother with quality food or service. The only good options are:
Local Italian at lunchtime. Delicious, cheap, great service.
Pizza Hut meal deal. Teenage boys love helping themselves to salad, drinks and ice cream - definitely worth the £25 per head for big eaters. And a million times better than Pizza Express.

We often use Pizza Hut buffet as you can eat as much as you want.

There was a Mozza in our local centre which did lovely pizzas and had a great deal on weekday lunchtimes but it's gone. Seemingly it was part of the awful Tony Macaroni group which has gone down the lavvie pan,

Sounds good, but where I live, the local people cannot seem to get enough of the type of fare, consisting of overpriced avocado on toast, with a bit of watercress on the side eateries.

Yanbu. We rarely eat out now since covid. The quality isn't as good as it's too expensive. We don't even eat at national trust now as their scones are now tasteless as no butter in them. Sadly cooking for yourself tastes better now.

We are in South Brent. Got Turtley Corn Mill, The Cott Inn The Avon Inn and The Trehill locally. Don't know about Exeter rarely go there too busy and has become just another town of chain retail and pubs.

Surely all you can eat has its limitations

Cooking for yourself tastes like more work

The Ivy chain has always been dire.

The original Ivy was high quality school dinner food for rich people who were sick of “posh” restaurants but didn’t want to or know how to cook for themselves. So, they had a burger, chilli con carne, an omelette, a steak, and Thai curry on the menu.

Obviously none of it was great - a menu covering that wide a range of cuisines is never going to be authentic or outstanding. But it was generally better than a ready meal, and most people were mostly there to spot celebs and it delivered on that front. But obviously in the Bristol branch of the chain, with no film stars in sight, what you are left with is basically a Youngs pub menu, but 8 times the price.

@lydgjhsCSBCH agree completely! I am eating out less due to COL. I don’t think quality has changed, but prices way up, hence I think diners are more critical - in the past you might have accepted an okayish meal for a modest price, but when the price goes way up, people expect more.
I really feel for people in catering, it’s hard work anyway and now with all costs going up, near impossible to make any money.
As to how other countries do it, I think COL is hitting most places. I was travelling in US Jan-Feb and found food eye-poppingly expensive & poor quality.I think it has really gone downhill there.
France in April was better, prices seemed reasonable & food good. And this was in Paris, where my past experiences have found food not great in Paris, better in provinces. We weren’t particularly selective, just popped into wherever was convenient & looked okay. Never disappointed.

V pubby though with menus lacking in imagination( fish and chips, steak etc)differing cuisines or a variety of veggie options.

Chains and pubs is about all Devon has to offer. It’s grim. I can honestly provide better at home. Currently justifying my cookery book addiction and adding to it.

I want home made, well cooked, interesting food with a variety of interesting veggie options and cuisines as well as fish and meat, seasonal, locally grown with no microwave frozen catalogue dishes at a reasonable price. I’d maybe pay a bit more if the above was likely to be on the plate. If not I’d rather cook my own. No way am I chucking money away on food that is boring and not as good as food I can cook at home. I’d love to have a break from cooking more often however I’ve no intention of eating less well with food that is expensive,boring and not that great. I think the restaurant industry has got lazy and greedy and has ended up shooting itself in the foot.

Simplest answer is usually the right one

It's interesting reading this thread alongside another running at the moment about someone trying to recruit hospitality staff.

The industry has needed to change for a long time because the pay and conditions drive people out rather than attract them, that's been accelerated and forced by the COL, Brexit and covid.
Customers aren't liking the changes because they feel they're not getting value for money, but then perhaps the people working in the industry don't feel like what they have to put in to deliver the expectations, is worth what they get back.

Long hours at times when everyone else is enjoying themselves, physically hard, mentally draining because you're dealing with an almost constant stream of negativity about prices and high expectations, the general attitude that 'anyone' can do it, yet what we're seeing is people complaining that 'anyone' is doing it and there's no care or investment from the people doing it.

Quite a predictable result really with the current climate, hospitality is a job like any other, it's not a calling from God, you're not bound to give fantastic service for the thrill of being allowed to do so, people need to be treated and paid better.

Sorry, I just saw your reply. That sounds awful but I can semi believe it. I never send it back for reheating. I only send it back if I'm not going to eat that dish at all. And I never ask for an alternative as I guess I'm scared they might do something to it?

I don't even care if stuff is a bit cold as I eat monumentally slowly! X

that’s so gross! Also illegal given spitting is classed as an offence

When I was a teenager I picked my nose and put it into Anne Pickles' ceaser salad.

She was incredibly rude. And never tipped.