Has the pandemic altered your appetite for eating/ordering out?

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  • rosiekin
    rosiekin Posts: 78 Member
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    Post pandemic, I ate out about 2-3 times a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. I've been maintaining my week since 2015, so in order for me to be able to eat higher calorie meals when I dined out, I had to reduce calories on the other days in order for my week to balance out.
    Since the pandemic, I have rarely eaten out (other than when rules allowed which has been rare), and I have really enjoyed being in more control of my weekly eating, and not having the regular juggling act that was required in order to meet my calorie goals. To be honest, now restrictions are being lifted (UK), I am actually quite anxious about going out to eat more regularly again. I have got VERY comfortable eating at home, eating the foods I like, and I don't really want to let go of that control. However, I know that in order to get back to real life, that anxiety is something I am going to have to overcome and deal with. This week I have 3 meals out planned so it's back to the juggling for me!
  • LazyBlondeChef
    LazyBlondeChef Posts: 2,809 Member
    edited May 2021
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    Pre-pandemic we did dinner out 1-2 times per week and breakfast out nearly every Sunday. During the early part of the pandemic we were getting takeout 3-4 times a week primarily to support our favorite regular restaurants as we wanted them to stay in business. But that was becoming a problem for our weight (well that and the excess drinking) and also the scaled back menus in some cases causing boredom with the choices. In the fall we decided that we could only have one restaurant meal per week.

    Since a few months ago we started dining outside at restaurants. Many of them have improved their outdoor areas with heaters and other protection against the elements. I don't see us going back to more frequent dining out though now that we've both lost some weight. Restaurant meals are too caloric even with carefully made choices. It's going to be a long time before I feel comfortable eating inside.

    I remember reading back in late 2019 that the US was over saturated with restaurants and there wasn't sufficient population to sustain them. The pandemic certainly solved that problem.
  • suzij27
    suzij27 Posts: 199 Member
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    Prior to the pandemic, we ate out 2-3 times per week, usually dinners, but sometimes a lunch. I would also meet friends for breakfast about once a month.

    Once restaurants closed I decided to try at least 2 new recipes per week to meet some of the cravings for variety. It was also during this period that my husband wanted to try plant based eating, and for those 2 weeks I made something new every day. The only take out my husband likes is pizza or Chinese. So once or twice a week I’ll pickup fast food for my kids and cook for us.

    Restaurants have been open here for a long time. I tried it but was really uncomfortable eating inside and refused to go with my family. Now that we are fully vaccinated I am willing to eat inside a restaurant but still prefer not to. I have grown accustomed to cooking and eating at home. It ends up being about once every other week that we dine out.

    Much easier to control what and how much I am eating when I cook at home.
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
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    Pre pandemic - ate out 4- 6 times per week.

    Right now.. maybe 2- 3 times per week. I tend to go for outdoor dining as much as possible.

    During the height of the pandemic in nyc in 2020 - did more take out than dine in.



  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    Honestly-- not much -- for me things only changed drastically during March-May 2020. Where I live, restaurants reopened (with extra measures of course) during the summer last year.

    I have a standing lunch "date" with my senior dad, and we still dine in. I also get takeout with my husband every Saturday for lunch and sometimes pick up dinner too. We've only been out to eat (dine in) maybe once a month or so, but we still get restaurant food with the same frequency.

    I don't like having food delivered - seriously have not done that at any time in the past decade.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
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    I hardly went out to eat before, but when restaurants had to close down here I made it a point to order take out from local restaurants once a week. We did that for a couple of months before I realized we didn't need to keep doing that.

    I have not eaten inside here where I live since pre-Covid. I ate inside a restaurant twice when visiting my mom in Indiana back in March.

    I would've gone out to eat to my favorite Indian restaurant for Mother's Day (it's never crowded anyway), but because I'm on a limited diet right now (elimination diet for food sensitivities) we got Chinese takeout so I could get plain rice and steamed chicken and veggies :( .
  • DaffyGirl88
    DaffyGirl88 Posts: 4,493 Member
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    We were never big on eating out prior, between the $$ and the calories it just wasn't worth it to me. Like many people, we did start ordering takeout to help out local restaurants. We never did that before. For me dining out was going to sit somewhere other than my kitchen and be waited on hand and foot. Eating lukewarm takeout in my kitchen didn't cut it.

    We went out to a local coffee shop recently (our first foray to inside seating) and were met with the QR code menu. For us who are chronologically gifted both the scanning and trying to read tiny print on a tiny screen were a challenge. Won't be going back there any time soon.
  • cyfehr76
    cyfehr76 Posts: 45 Member
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    During the heart of the pandemic we as a family did curbside at least once or twice a week to support the local restaurants as they were struggling. Pre-pandemic we ate out once a month if we were lucky. Luckily for my family I love to cook and experiment so most of the cooking is done at home regardless of a pandemic.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,076 Member
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    Just the other night, we had our first not-cooked-at-home meal, Italian take-out, since March 2020. We are all now vaccinated, so this was a milestone for us. We did, however, depackage all the items, and re-heated them in our oven at 170F for 30 minutes per CDC recommendations. We declined all the side items.

    It's been a long siege for me. I do 90% of all the cooking, including bread baking. Our at-home daughter has been making occasional pizza meals for us from scratch, and some other dishes as well during this period.

    I miss the social and frankly, work relief, of eating out occasionally. On the other hand, we've cut expenses a lot this year as a result.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
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    Didn't eat out much before or eat take away. Made everything myself during the lockdowns pretty much although in the periods of the strictest measures easing we have had the odd click and collect roast dinner or afternoon tea just for the novelty. I think most take away and restaurant food is a colossal waste of money as the quality is rarely worth the price.
  • Godlord1488
    Godlord1488 Posts: 37 Member
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    its improved my relationship with nutrition. some products are still out of stock andor no longer able to come in . ive had to go with what was there on hand. i.e 60 cal unsweetened flax milk vs my usual 25 cal cashew....it def.is a challenge
    also been eating alot better as in portions. folks order oriental take away and steamed chicken and broccoli is only 240 for the whole container plus 2 steames dumplings.

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