£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?

Defensive much?!

Lunch to me is a light meal in the middle of the day, I eat my main meal in the evening.

If I was to eat a large meal in the middle of the day, which that would be to me, then I wouldnt eat another full meal in the evening.

If you think that makes you a big fat slob then thats up to you.

You dont know whether I am big, fat or indeed a slob.

But that’s irrelevant, the fact is OP was taking about a “proper meal” at lunch time, not a light meal.

Maybe she won’t eat in the evening either.

But she wasn’t taking about sharing pizzas

Same. I’m 52. Eating out was something we did maybe 10 times in a year. We never had takeaways, not once.

Our children and their peers have been brought up eating out every week. They don’t even see it as much of a treat.

Completely agree: we are being rinsed every day in the UK. Currently away in another very high income EU country in a major tourist spot, meal for three with starters and mains, 3 soft drinks, two large beers: €70. And that’s for an evening meal, and not pizzas, which are basically bread and cheese. The minimum wage is higher here, too.

….the time of day doesn’t change the price, does it?

I get what you’re saying but I really hate this argument.

The economy and peoples’ jobs depend on us spending money - that’s a big part of how capitalism works.

People didn’t used to have fridges, or indoor bathrooms, but now we all expect and enjoy these things.

People are justifiably vexed when they’re sold capitalism - which is meant to provide us with freedom, free time, and luxuries - and find they have very few of those things.

Why work yourself to death when many of the things you’re meant to be able to enjoy are increasingly out of reach?

(Spoiler: capitalism actually exploits workers to make a few people rich, and makes people believe they need mediocre pizza and crap trainers to be happy.)

I couldnt agree more. We go out a couple of times a year and pretty much exclusively go fine dining now. Im happy to pay over the odds for what I consider to be a real treat. I am not willing to pay £25ph for a bowl of pasta, brownie and a wine. I could do that myself at home for a quarter of the price. I appreciate all the overheads etc but to me its no longer worth it to go to a mediocre restaurant

DH and I ate out a few weeks ago, using a kids eat free pass and it still came to £70! I remember 10 years ago a similar meal would have been £40ish

Yes unfortunately not the same, if only it was, the world was a simpler place that’s for sure.

This hits the nail on the head. It’s not just the cost, it’s the death of the casual vibe. That shift from relaxed to 'calculated' just sucks the joy out of it.
We completely recalibrated our approach because of this exact feeling. Found a way to still enjoy those days out but on our terms, without the mediocre math at the end.
I've put a simple blueprint for how we did it on my profile. It's all about reclaiming that casual joy.
Might help you get it back.

Fine in a city but in a small town how is the hospitality sector meant to survive if most households are only going a maximum of once or twice a year?

This hits the nail on the head. It’s not just the cost, it’s the death of the casual vibe. That shift from relaxed to 'calculated' just sucks the joy out of it.
We completely recalibrated our approach because of this exact feeling. Found a way to still enjoy those days out but on our terms, without the mediocre math at the end.
I've put a simple blueprint for how we did it on my profile. It's all about reclaiming that casual joy.
Might help you get it back.

10 times a year?! Wow you were posh! I remember eating out twice in my childhood! One was my tenth birthday, the other was my sisters tenth.

My parents really only started eating out in my mid to late teens when my father got a much better job and they could afford it, especially as it was just the two of them and not me and my sister too.

Yes, the last time I was there, (last year), I was surprised at the prices. I didn't begrudge paying, but I did think they were a little bit pricey.

I didnt say that it did. I merely said that to me, what the OP ordered wasnt a lunch as I understand it, but a full dinner and that for a dinner, the price was about right.

But it’s still a pizza and the situation is the same it’s expensive for four pizzas!

At midday or 9pm.

The quality or ingredients haven’t changed based on the time you chose to eat it.

Yes not hard to make reasonable pizza dough yourself and the toppings cost hardly anything.

And I just do them in the ordinary oven.

Not to mention shrinkflation. It’s why we very rarely eat out anymore.

I honestly don’t understand your logic. The price of your meal does not change with the time of day.

people eat at restaurants for lunches and dinner.

you wouldn’t eat a pizza for lunch.

…….ok?

but you go out so someone else does the thinking, shopping and cooking; not because you want pizza. A pizza oven is way more work so doesn’t solve those problems at all!

Agree - eating out is insane once you’re out of the kids meal deal options. We cashed in a Top Cash Back recently and had £190 for a meal for 5 of us - it felt like absolute luxury to be able to order whatever we wanted without scrimping!!

Another one 🙄

Typical half decent 1 course pub lunch meal (in Cheshire) is £13-18 ish , large glass of wine is £7.50 , beer 4.50 a pint so £25 per head is easy to hit. There are lots of cheaper options but then quality suffers, value for money drops, cheap deals attempted, pub changes hands and the cycle continues, not many pubs are making money.

Just been to a place in yorkshire for lunch and what was basically steak and chips was £42...and not really impressed

I thought you went out for a pizza (or got one delivered) because you fancied pizza, if you can do your own why not? It's really not that difficult and you really don't need a pizza oven unless you are a purist.

eating out has become very expensive.

we usually expect around £100 for just me and DP, although we don't really do chain restaurants or pub food.

me and DP went to hickorys smokehouse last month for date night.

1 starter which we shared,
2 mains
2 drinks each, one before food, one after
2 small puddings
£117!

however if anyone wants incredible indian food in the midlands i recommend tipu sultan! its real traditional indian/pakistani cuisine

2 starters each
2 main curry
1 rice
1 naan to share (they're huge)
and 2 drinks each

£78!

edit:spelling