Been out to dinner lately?

[LilElf70]

Me, my wife and our grandson go out to well known pasta restaurant for dinner(midwest). Tortellini/small salad, small pizza, Fetticcini/no salad, 2 water(no charge), 1 soft drink, 1 wine. Total bill, with 15% tip was 100 bucks. Really?

WTF. How can this be? A year ago, it was 30% less. I'm retired, limited income.

Please tell me this has all been a dream. When is this shit going to end?

[kimbutgar]

1. I did take out at a food place that I've been going for years

We order the same things and it used to be $50 for the 3 items yesterday it was $76 and that didn’t include the tip

[FHRRK]

3. Went out to breakfast with wife

Nothing fancy, stand in line to order then find a place to sit place.

Wife had omelette with two pancakes, I had two eggs, link sausage, hash browns and cup of coffee.

$53.

[Shellback Squid]

6. that's insane, and these places are packed tables

[LilElf70]

2. Tariffs? Tariffs? Tariffs?

What a genius decision, huh?

[LilElf70]

4. The restaurant business

will take a huge hit on this eventually.

[Shellback Squid]

5. buy a small freezer, I only use coupons for eating out, which is rarely

[progressoid]

7. yeah...

[LilElf70]

9. Imagine

where we'd be without these illegal tariffs.

[eppur_se_muova]

23. And that's only a chart of the inflation *rate*, not the actual prices.

A plot of prices would climb uphill, sometimes more steeply, sometimes less, but over 5.5 yr a big climb.

[newdeal2]

8. Yes it's like this everywhere

Even fast food bills can approach or exceed $20 per person. At that point I’m out unless there’s no other option to eat.

[Sympthsical]

22. Fast food is the most noticeable

Restaurant prices have hovered about where they've been with some increases but still within general expectations. When reading the OP's menu and price, I mentally pegged it around that.

But fast food. Good lord. We don't really eat fast food too much, but we buy it for nieces and nephews often enough, and it's just insane how costly it can be. I have the McD's app because sometimes there's a breakfast sandwich BOGO, but just glancing at the meals. A two cheeseburger value meal is $12. WTF? And forget places like Arby's where it's like $8-9 for just the sandwich. I have a local Mediterranean deli where you can get gyros and shwarma plates or massive sandwiches for $13 and they'll last you three meals. What does McD's think they have over there? Is the cheese wrapped in gold foil?!

My indulgence is the cravings menu at Taco Bell. You can get the crunchy beef burrito for $3. One or two is plenty for lunch.

Now they're putting in a Chik Fil-A down the street. Everyone is super excited (the kids love that stuff). We're going to have to take out a second mortgage over here.

At least In N Out is still roughly the same price.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

10. I spent a shocking amount at the grocery store, so I'll be cooking

At home for a couple of weeks.

[Wounded Bear]

11. Welcome to trumponomics...nt

[canetoad]

13. It's the same here

Prices keep going up. Manufacturers reduce size and weight. Even the cardboard rolls for toilet paper and towels have increased in diameter by about 5mm.

Coffee and chocolate are double the price they were four years ago. I know there have been climate induced crop failures accounting for much of this. Olive oil has also doubled in price.

It's not just a trump/USA thing. I think it's worldwide.

[live love laugh]

12. By the time he leaves it'll be double that.

[Blasphemer]

14. Yep. Had brunch at a local place for the first time in years and I was shocked at the bill. nt

[DFW]

15. Last night.

At our local Greek place. California Peggy, Lionel Mandrake and Steve 2470 know how good their food is.

My wife had some huge elaborate salad with red beets, feta, shredded red cabbage, and a bunch of other thingies and doodads. I had a turkey meat souvlaki (can’t do pork or any other red meat due to cholesterol issues), two skewers, with a small mixed salad, two scoops of Croatian style djuvetsch rice, and a side portion of the best tzatziki in Westfalia. I had a big bottle of mineral water (don’t do alcohol) and my wife had a glass of some white wine. The bill including tip was €55, or just a little under $65. We never get the same thing, and we usually go with our next-door neighbors, so if this was more or less that it would have been a year ago, I couldn’t say.

[peacebuzzard]

16. I go to restaurants often.

I travel often for work and it is inevitable but I am cautious because I am really picky about what I eat. I really prefer my own cooking at home with specific selections I make when grocery shopping.
I find eating out with other people's choices for restaurants are mostly boring, non-nutritious and a real drag; I usually try to find certain off the beaten block eateries that specialize in more healthful fare when I can slip out on my own.
As far as the tab...yes, it is getting insane with the devaluation of the dollar. Even at discount stores for regular shopping I always do a double take and check my receipts. My shopping and eating out is slimming down my budget for the month.
I even carry an immersion water heater for instant coffee and tea when on trips and in hotels. It is so less stressful than running around trying to find my morning breakfast . I just bring instant oatmeal, a power bar and instant coffee. An notable save of 15 to 20 bucks. Maybe more. And much less frustrating.

[Bayard]

17. Not dinner, just breakfast

A friend and I like to hit Cracker Barrel (no poking fun!), and then hit either the big flea market, or farmers market about once a month. We both get pretty much the same--french toast or pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, coffee. Even with the tip, we've never gone past $22 or so for both of us.

[Nictuku]

18. I took Family out to Dinner for Mom's B-Day last year

There is no way I can afford anything like that this year.

I used to be able to grocery shop and not watch the bill. No more. It is Stressful! If we don't stop them, it will only get worse.

[LilElf70]

19. I hear more and more

are ordering from the "kids" menu. Some restaurants are trying to put a stop to it. The profit is not as much.

Never in my life would I have thought eating out would be an issue. It's insane. With no end in site (so far)

[chouchou]

20. "Outback" has some pretty nice deals.

Eight large shrimp, salad, Green beans, drink and cheezcake.14.97 plus bread and all that..

[Buddyzbuddy]

21. What inflation?

I'm the cook in our home and I've never cooked so much in my life. I have noticed our recycling bin only gets filled every other week instead of every week because of fewer take out trays and packaging.