How many $$$ to be expensive - Restaurant?

Options
motown13
motown13 Posts: 688 Member
in Chit-Chat
At what dollar amount do you say a restaurant becomes "expensive"? ( including tip )

I admit, I hate paying a lot to eat in a restaurant.... Just like I hate paying a lot for hotel rooms.... If I could, I wouldn't spend more than $15 - $20 for myself on dinner, including tip. I don't drink so I do save money there.

Anyway, to answer my own question, I start saying to myself that a restaurant is expensive if I have to pay $30 p.p. including the tip, but like I said, I am a tightwad when it comes to paying for food. The absolute most I can ever remember paying for a meal was $55, including tip, while in Vegas on vacation. And because I am so cheap, LOL, it bothered me all night.

BTW, I had to pay $370 last weekend for a dinner for 10 people, including tip, and all I kept thinking was "These people better eat all their food and not waste it." And then my mom took ONE BITE from her dinner, and proclaimed herself full. She absolutely KNOWS that she doesn't eat more than a few bites at a meal, so she probably should not have ordered a meal... sh had already eaten an app and a salad, which is more than she can usually eat...... I felt like she wasted $22 of my money.
«13456

Replies

  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
    Options
    Anything over $10 for me and my date is too expensive..
  • Mutant13
    Mutant13 Posts: 2,485 Member
    Options
    I would consider 40-50 a plate to be expensive, 20-30 to be average and >20 to be cheap. Eating out in Aus is costly
  • CountingCaloriesSuxass
    CountingCaloriesSuxass Posts: 387 Member
    Options
    She did waste $22 of your money..Do you think she did it on purpose?
  • _DaniD_
    _DaniD_ Posts: 2,186 Member
    Options
    $25.00 and up for a meal.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,793 Member
    Options
    We never go to fast food joints and rarely eat out, so, when we do, price is not a factor. We usually make our decisions based on type of fare and occasion.

    I love to cook, so I'd rather make something special for my wife at home.
  • nataliefamily3
    nataliefamily3 Posts: 190
    Options
    If its over $50 with no alcohol involved for 2 people I start to grumble.
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
    Options
    I'd say if a lot of the entrees are $15 and over I'd say it's spendy. We don't eat out much, even fast food adds up. And then when we do we go somewhere we really like, expensive or not :)
  • zewolf77
    zewolf77 Posts: 173 Member
    Options
    Anything over 25-30/person is expensive, but I live in the Midwest. I think it's probably different depending on where you live.
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
    Options
    I would consider 40-50 a plate to be expensive, 20-30 to be average and >20 to be cheap. Eating out in Aus is costly

    This, except i'm in Canada.
  • motown13
    motown13 Posts: 688 Member
    Options
    We never go to fast food joints and rarely eat out, so, when we do, price is not a factor. We usually make our decisions based on type of fare and occasion.

    I love to cook, so I'd rather make something special for my wife at home.

    Me too, and I am an excellent cook. I would almost call myself a chef, but not quite. But my wife likes to eat out once a week, sometimes with our kids, sometimes not.
  • LindseySprake
    LindseySprake Posts: 333 Member
    Options
    Are we talking starter, main & desert? Of just main?
  • oregonzoo
    oregonzoo Posts: 4,251 Member
    Options
    I don't really care for $300 shoes.
    I have a nice purse, I don't need more. In looking at houses I want a nice reasonable one, no matter what we can afford.

    However, there IS NO price for a GOOD meal I consider to be too much.
    Food is my thing.
  • jess7386
    jess7386 Posts: 477 Member
    Options
    I'd consider an entree over $30 to be expensive. I live in the city and don't eat fast food/applebees type restaurant food, so I am fine paying the price for better quality.

    If my fiancee & I go to dinner, it's usually around $100 or a bit more for an app, 2 entrees, and drinks. We don't go out every night, so it is a splurge & something nice for us to do together.

    ---

    To the OP, IMO if you're taking people out to eat, you are required to pay for their meal, no matter how little or how much they eat of it.
  • spade117
    spade117 Posts: 2,466 Member
    Options
    If drinks are involved, I prefer to keep it under $50-$60 per person.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,026 Member
    Options
    You guys are fancy. My.butt clenches at anything over $15.
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
    Options
    We never go to fast food joints and rarely eat out, so, when we do, price is not a factor. We usually make our decisions based on type of fare and occasion.

    I love to cook, so I'd rather make something special for my wife at home.

    Your wife is a lucky woman!! :love:
  • MG_Fit
    MG_Fit Posts: 1,143 Member
    Options
    If drinks are involved I'm comfortable with $75 per person, if I were on a date.

    If I got out myself, I try to keep it around $20.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
    Options
    We rarely go out to eat, so when we do, we try to make it somewhere interesting and consider it a special thing. For a general 'once a month' type dinner out, I would say anything over $50pp is expensive. When we plan really special dinners (about twice a year with friends), we'll pick somewhere supa-fancy and end up about $100pp.
  • portergolf
    portergolf Posts: 40
    Options
    Once you get over $120 per couple that is where I would begin to consider it expensive. I have two young kids so my wife and i get out to our favorite steak house about twice a month. Generally after tip we are right around $100 unless we have drinks then it gets closer to $140.

    Having kids tacks on another $40-60 for a baby sitter....
  • amberlykay1014
    amberlykay1014 Posts: 608 Member
    Options
    For us, if the main entrees are over ~$20, I think it's expensive. We usually do get an appetizer and at least 2 drinks each though, so it adds up fast.

    Usually when we go out to our favorite "nice" places, we'll end up spending around $75 for two including tip.

Categories