£100 for a casual lunch out for 4 is too much

[GrealishGoddess]

Deeply middle class problem but. Anyone else noticed that you can no longer get out of the likes of Bill’s, Wagamama, Pizza Express, etc , with two teens, for less than £100. Is this just inflation, NI effects, price gouging, what? AIBU to stay home?

Wow, judgemental much. I can say my DH and adult sons dont have problems, worms or are greedy/glutinous, but a single PE pizza would not fill them up.

You must have a tiny DH and teeny tiny children.

So what if it is loads. If I wanted to eat a moderate amount of healthy food, I wouldn't be at pizza express. It's fine to eat loads sometimes.

They are teeny tiny family.

Who made you the luxury police?

Three ‘huge’ slices ?!

There is no way that half a thin pizza will be enough to fill up an adult, let alone a growing teen!!

I agree OP, a lunch for 2 even in Pret now can be about £30 - may as well go somewhere proper for a 'dinner' and spend the extra £20.

Everything has gone up so much.

Why are posters being so obtuse ?

Of course no one is literally starving after half a Pizza Express pizza but you might still be hungry. Half a thin crust Margarita pizza is just not worth going out for in my book

Also 1000 calories is a lot for a meal but actually a pizza being primarily cheese and carbs isn't as big or filling per calorie as loads of vegetables and a bit of chicken.

LOL at people being disgusted at people ordering and eating their own pizza in Pizza Express!

I have never known someone not order their own meal there? If they want less, someone might order a leggera or pasta/salad? The only way I'd be sharing is with my 2 year old.

It's not at all unusual for people to order and eat their own pizza in Pizza Express/Prezzo etc, I'd definitely say it's the norm.

I definitely order a pizza to myself . I said 1000 cals was loads cos it is for one meal, for an average woman. Someone upthread said it was standard cals. I just wouldn’t do it very often .

YABU dough balls with pizza. Carb with carb side! Plus the mark up on the balls is staggering

Yeah I never understand dough balls when you have pizza crust.

Eating out is a luxury! Or it certainly was when I grew up. I do think people have different expectations now and then feel hard done by when they can’t afford things. (I’m mid 40s, we went out for a meal a few times a year for birthdays - if that)

It's a fair amount of calories for one meal for sure, but not out of step with any other meal out people might have really?

I'd actually say tbh that 1000 calories is on the lower end of the values I see listed on menus for mains (not in pizza places specifically, but burger and chips etc). It's a rare dish that's under 1000 calories in a restaurant now unless you're replacing fries with a salad/having one of the purposely 'lighter' options.

It was for me too and I'm mid 30s, but things have changed a lot. My parents and PIL still eat out pretty rarely in comparison to me and DH.

Eating out/takeaways have certainly become more commonplace and expected as a standard part of life I'd say.

Eating out is definitely a luxury! You’re paying for the privilege of not having to shop & cook yourself. I would much rather save the money (have only a small pension) and cook myself for family & friends.

Once it twice a year for a special occasion, if the food is exceptional, maybe!

As long as you can easily afford to and still save enough for your pension etc, then you’re very lucky

We just can’t afford to eat out anymore unless it’s a special occasion, we’ve cut our takeaways way down too since those are now £30 for the three of us.

DH and I were talking about this . We are in early 50s and we could remember meals out as a child because they were for VERY special occasions. Pubs didn’t really do food until the 80s and it would’ve been chicken and chips in a basket etc Restaurant chains didn’t really exist apart from Wimpy and then McDonalds so it was proper restaurant and they weren’t always child friendly. I didn’t go out for dinner until my teens and it was for something like my Nan’s 60th birthday . I remember it clearly as it was the first time I’d eaten in a Chinese restaurant and loved it! We did have fish and chips from the chip shop at home on a Friday night sometimes.

We went to Wimpy too!

I pile my plate with veg as I live alone and it’s nice to have the variety and often go back just for more veg
AND I had 5 Yorkshire puddings and ate all of them
dunno why people judge if it’s not wasted

😳

I’m mid 50’s and used to have Wimpys once a month, a restaurant called Garfunkel’s a few times a year, a place called Pizza Land sometimes too. Every Saturday lunch time when out with shopping with my mum we’d get a soup and roll deal at the bakery for lunch and I chose a cake (always bread pudding) to have at home). We also had a Chinese takeaway occasionally.
My DH never ate out, he had Little Chef a few times in his childhood and that’s it. He had a more traditional MC childhood, his DM mostly SAHM/worked part time, his DF solid MC job and they owned their own property. I had a WC background, council house, DM always worked full time (which was unusual in my friendship group) and DF did a manual job.

I like Yorkshire puddings and only have them at a carvery. To be honest I would rather just have veg and Yorkshires than any meat! I never have roast potatoes either

I used to eat out maybe 2 or 3 times a year as a kid. Grandparents would take us to Pizza Hut in the school holidays and family meals might be at a beefeater/harvester type place.
But it was very much a special occasion for us.
Now I go out to eat once or twice a week, either with friends, dh, the DC. My dc eat out easily once a week.
£100 is not an insignificant amount of money to spend but near me we have some fantastic independents - costs more than £100 for a nice meal and there are 5 of us (4 adults and one teen boy with the appetite of an additional 2 adults!) - would rather spend more for better quality and more variety etc but I still consider it a treat. No clearing up!

That would bloat me like a balloon!