is the food at market overpriced?

Fuinseog

Is the food at market overpriced?

yes I know its home made, they have rent to pay etc.
but still. its five or 6 euro for a crepe with ham and cheese filling, which is basically a thin slice of ham and cheese. there must be a significant mark up.

is the market the palce to be on a Saturday morning?

HardyEustace

Yes, it is overpriced but then again it's all about supply and demand. They seem to do a bumper business every week so it's only when this starts to wan will they look at their price.

Xiney

They're not just selling a product though - they're selling an experience: being surrounded by stalls, the smells, the noise, the clausterphobic crowding...

There's a reason it's in every tourists guide to Galway... and it's not the 6 euro crepes.

That's why you're better off going for their savoury crepes - where it's pretty much a whole meal in them.

HardyEustace

Xiney wrote: »

They're not just selling a product though - they're selling an experience: being surrounded by stalls, the smells, the noise, the clausterphobic crowding...

There's a reason it's in every tourists guide to Galway... and it's not the 6 euro crepes.

I don't really get your point though. Regardless of the "experience" and the footfall through the market, if they price themselves out of the market, people stop buying and then they review the price.

HardyEustace

HardyEustace wrote: »

I don't really get your point though. Regardless of the "experience" and the footfall through the market, if they price themselves out of the market, people stop buying and then they review the price.

But people aren't going to stop buying them though. If you want to get them to review the prices, get the tourists to stop paying for them.

Xiney

judging by the queue to get a crepe every time I've been there (so long that I've never even bothered to buy a crepe in the market, although that might have something to do with the fact that I can make crepes myself...) they're far from pricing themselves out of the market.

swe_fi

OP Damn you, i really feel like those crepes now! I'm going down on Saturday to get it.

6 Euro is not much to argue about. They really fill you up as well + they taste mega nice. Have you tried them? Of course it is cheap as chips to make at home if you have all the ingredients already but if you think about it

Milk €1
Flour €1
Eggs €1.50
Ham €3
Cheese €2
Sun dried tomato €3
Pesto €3
Spinach €2

You can of course make a ton of pancakes with the above but it's nice to eat in town sometimes. I would normally say I can make better food than most take-away places but I don't think I could make as nice crepes as these. Very passionate about them haha

inisboffin

Not everything, but certain foods seem overpriced to me because I know what's in them and how long they took to make. Govinda's stuff, to contrast, seems very reasonable to me for ingredients, how much you get, etc.
I haven't eaten a crepe for years, as I prefer to sit down with them at a table. I used to go to Zatzuma (is that the name?) a lot at the corner of the market. They did specials of tea and crepe of the day for a fiver I think, but I often paid 5 or 6. Yum. Miss them.
I agree with Xiney, it is a tourist spot in the market, so people are paying for location. There is the whole 'tourist tax' thing. It is pretty common in a lot of places (think coffee in a café in Paris - have it at the counter is one price, more at a table, and even more to sit outside). The new restaurant / cafe opp Neachtains seems to have 2 prices two, wonder if that's to do with seating.

Prices should go down a bit in winter tho.

Fuinseog

Xiney wrote: »

They're not just selling a product though - they're selling an experience: being surrounded by stalls, the smells, the noise, the clausterphobic crowding...

There's a reason it's in every tourists guide to Galway... and it's not the 6 euro crepes.

true, it may be miniscule and a haven for pickpockets, but it does have quite an ambiance, bohemian Galway at its best. it has been there for centuries, but only really became tres chic within the last 15 years.

buggies should be prohibited from it.

i have never bought fish there. does anyone know is it better than the guz terryland or much of a muchness?

Fuinseog

Deleted User wrote: »

But people aren't going to stop buying them though. If you want to get them to review the prices, get the tourists to stop paying for them.

its mostly Irish who go there. the atmosphere has been successfully marketed by the Irish Times. to go to the market on a saturday is apparently the thing to do when in galway.

the city has only one market, which is unusal for the palce that size. another market could be healthy competition.

there used to be a flea market in eyre square centre, but it never really took off.

Fuinseog

whats in a crepe, a bit of flour, eggs and water. not much labour involved either. in france at such a market teh starting price would e a euro. nobody there would fork out 6 euro for any type of crepe from a stall. why so expensive?

Fuinseog

swe_fi wrote: »

OP Damn you, i really feel like those crepes now! I'm going down on Saturday to get it.

6 Euro is not much to argue about. They really fill you up as well + they taste mega nice. Have you tried them? Of course it is cheap as chips to make at home if you have all the ingredients already but if you think about it

Milk €1
Flour €1
Eggs €1.50
Ham €3
Cheese €2
Sun dried tomato €3
Pesto €3
Spinach €2

You can of course make a ton of pancakes with the above but it's nice to eat in town sometimes. I would normally say I can make better food than most take-away places but I don't think I could make as nice crepes as these. Very passionate about them haha

the ham they use proablz costs less than 3 euro. its looks to be a much cheaper variety.

maybe someone should drop Bia Devil at the Advertiser a line. i would be interested to see how he would rate the stall in his weekly column.

Fuinseog

. The new restaurant / cafe opp Neachtains seems to have 2 prices two, wonder if that's to do with seating.

Prices should go down a bit in winter tho.[/QUOTE]

which cafe, O Riordans? those kebab places do the same, which is a new trend in galway. eight euro for a kebab (the same kind that would cost me two euro abroad) and two extra if you want to sit down. I have to laugh when I think only hard men frequented that area in the eighties and now it is the ultimate in chic.

lil'one

man if its €6 for a plain crepe grand its v expensive, i have no idea what they charge for just butter lemon etc, but the crepes with fillings eg spinach, sundried tomato, feta, pesto, mozzerella....
they use quality ingredients and sure as hell don't skimp on them.
in my opinion you get what you pay for with them.
mmmm i want one

Fuinseog

Fuinseog wrote: »

its mostly Irish who go there. the atmosphere has been successfully marketed by the Irish Times. to go to the market on a saturday is apparently the thing to do when in galway.

the city has only one market, which is unusal for the palce that size. another market could be healthy competition.

there used to be a flea market in eyre square centre, but it never really took off.

It could have taken off, but once the new management came in a few years back, both that and the Christmas display vanished - yes, I acknowledge that the display is still there, but compare it to it's former glory.

Fuinseog wrote: »

. The new restaurant / cafe opp Neachtains seems to have 2 prices two, wonder if that's to do with seating.

Prices should go down a bit in winter tho.

which cafe, O Riordans? those kebab places do the same, which is a new trend in galway. eight euro for a kebab (the same kind that would cost me two euro abroad) and two extra if you want to sit down. I have to laugh when I think only hard men frequented that area in the eighties and now it is the ultimate in chic.[/QUOTE]

I think they mean the one that was once the lingerie shop until recently. They're incredibly overpriced.

brianthebard

Fuinseog wrote: »

its mostly Irish who go there. the atmosphere has been successfully marketed by the Irish Times. to go to the market on a saturday is apparently the thing to do when in galway.

the city has only one market, which is unusal for the palce that size. another market could be healthy competition.

there used to be a flea market in eyre square centre, but it never really took off.

There's a market out by the omniplex now I think.


OP, what are you comparing the crepes to when you say they are overpriced?

a.nidhomhnaill1

the falafal pitta is a fiver......best value and lovely...really want one now

brianthebard wrote: »

There's a market out by the omniplex now I think.


OP, what are you comparing the crepes to when you say they are overpriced?

Fuinseog

brianthebard wrote: »

There's a market out by the omniplex now I think.


OP, what are you comparing the crepes to when you say they are overpriced?

France the home of them
Germany the home of kebabs

as I already pointed out they are not exactly labour intensive and do not require expensive ingredients ergo they could easily cost a euro less and they would still be making a profit.

in these hard times people are still prepared to pay more and try to convince others that they are getting bargains.

Fuinseog

brianthebard wrote: »

There's a market out by the omniplex now I think.


QUOTE]

I have never come across it.

in days of old there used to be Sales of Work, where amongst a bit of everything there was home baking.

brianthebard

Fuinseog wrote: »

France the home of them
Germany the home of kebabs

as I already pointed out they are not exactly labour intensive and do not require expensive ingredients ergo they could easily cost a euro less and they would still be making a profit.

in these hard times people are still prepared to pay more and try to convince others that they are getting bargains.

Not trying to be smart but I suggest you stop comparing foods and services you pay for in Galway with those you could potentially buy in other countries or you will be persistently disappointed, unless you decide to move to that other country. 5 euro sounds normal for a takeaway food, plus a crepe would be considered a light snack by most. In comparison we've had falafals mentioned earlier in the thread at the same price, and I know the sushi roles are about 3.50 or more (you'd want two to feel full really), and you probably have an idea of what other takeaway businesses around town charge, so overall I think the crepe is averagely priced. If you were disappointed with it that's unfortunate.

WesternNight

Ah come on, it's not €6 for just a crepe. It's about €3 or €4 for the sweet ones (with honey or nutella or whatever) which is very expensive for what you get, but the savoury ones are loaded with stuff...and quite tasty too. Like boneyarsebogman said, it's a whole meal in one of them.

Mrs OBumble

Fuinseog wrote: »

. The new restaurant / cafe opp Neachtains seems to have 2 prices two, wonder if that's to do with seating.

Prices should go down a bit in winter tho.

which cafe, O Riordans? those kebab places do the same, which is a new trend in galway. eight euro for a kebab (the same kind that would cost me two euro abroad) and two extra if you want to sit down. [/QUOTE]

Nope, Lynch's cafe have been doing doing it for as long as I've been here: scones are 1.65 eat in or 1.40 take away. 'Tis to do with the lower VAT rate for takeaway, so I'm told.

And I suspect the new place referred to is Revive, on the corner where the lingere shop used to be. Haven't checked out their prices.

Mrs OBumble

Fuinseog wrote: »

brianthebard wrote: »

There's a market out by the omniplex now I think.

<<mixed up quote here>>
....
I have never come across it.

There was a plan for a market, and there still is a banner.

Pretty sure I read that it didn't get planning, though. Something to do with the idea not fitting in with the Headford Rd area development strategy (or suchlike) - even though the plan was for a temporary market until other things go ahead there.

I think I agree though, that area doesn't need any more traffic-generating things.

moonflower

Those crepes are definitely good value, in my opinion anyway although judging from the queue at the crepe stand each weekend I'd say many other feel the same. Have you actually tried the crepes there? €6 gets you a massive crepe full of ham, loads of cheese, fried onions and mustard. Yummy and it would fill you up for the day (me anyway). The sweet ones have less filling and are around €2.50-€4.
On the whole I find the market food to be reasonably priced. Other than crepes I get Samosas (€2.50 for 2), Sushi Rolls (€3.60 each, which I think is a little expensive) and the pea and potato curry. Cheap, nice food is hard to find in Galway, unless you make it yourself and I don't think similar food is any cheaper anywhere else here. If you don't like the prices of the market than eat somewhere else.

inisboffin

yep, the shop I meant is the old lingerie shop on cross st. They seem to have *two* sit in prices (not take away, I get why that may be cheaper), one for upstairs maybe one for outside? Maybe there is a small and large of everything, but the difference seems to be 75c to 1.50 - and prices seem high!

On the cheap crepes thing, I honestly remember crepes in Paris costing a few quid, not super cheap. It has been a fair whack of years, but we used to get chips and some turkish sausage in the 14th Arondissement and you could get two in pitta bread for the price of one plain crepe back then!

But whoever said we shouldn't be comparing to other places is right. As I mentioned earlier, Zatzumas crepe specials were brill, but they're gone. AFAIK the market crepes have loads of tasty ingredients and the savoury ones are good value. Govindas for the win though!

dec25532

You can get a lunch in Vina Mara plus coffee for €10 every day. Most of the carverys in town do full lunches for less than an tenner. In Forster Street they are offering lunches for seven and eight euro and suddenly a crepe in the market for €6 seems acceptable. For nostalgic reasons. Get real.

moonflower

dec25532 wrote: »

You can get a lunch in Vina Mara plus coffee for €10 every day. Most of the carverys in town do full lunches for less than an tenner. In Forster Street they are offering lunches for seven and eight euro and suddenly a crepe in the market for €6 seems acceptable. For nostalgic reasons. Get real.

But those crepes are a lunch too. I mean you'd want to have some appetite if you were still hungry after eating one. For me I'd find it much tastier than anything in Vina Mara or a carvery. So why is €6 so unacceptable?

dolphin city

Fuinseog wrote: »

France the home of them
Germany the home of kebabs

as I already pointed out they are not exactly labour intensive and do not require expensive ingredients ergo they could easily cost a euro less and they would still be making a profit.

in these hard times people are still prepared to pay more and try to convince others that they are getting bargains.

Germany the home of kebabs?

aren't you getting your countries mixed up.

cigarettes is Spain are 3 Euro- here they are 8.50

also don't go near that stall opposite ryans homestore - the fruit and veg one - nice looking stall , but the woman running it seems to hide the damaged fruit underneath nice looking fruit - has a face that would turn milk sour, and an attitude to match when you question her. Shouldn't be allowed out with the public. Don't waste your money there.

Fuinseog

dolphin city wrote: »

Germany the home of kebabs?

aren't you getting your countries mixed up.

cigarettes is Spain are 3 Euro- here they are 8.50

also don't go near that stall opposite ryans homestore - the fruit and veg one - nice looking stall , but the woman running it seems to hide the damaged fruit underneath nice looking fruit - has a face that would turn milk sour, and an attitude to match when you question her. Shouldn't be allowed out with the public. Don't waste your money there.

I could be wrong, but I was led to believe that the kebab was invented in Germany (by turks) in the seventies. its the unofficial fastfood of the land.

the cigarette business is government imposed.
have they a similar tax on exotic goods such as flour and eggs?

obviously the stalls have to pay rent to the city, but I would imagine it would be less, as indeed would be their overheads, than a restaurant or cafe. BTW I also refuse to pay 6 euro for a sanwich or roll.

the woman at the stall I have yet to meet. maybe someone should film her ncover and throw it up on youtube.

I bought a celtic hoody at the market years ago and the colours ran when I washed it. the guy basiclly told me to f off when i tried to bring it back.

po0k

inisboffin wrote: »

Not everything, but certain foods seem overpriced to me because I know what's in them and how long they took to make. Govinda's stuff, to contrast, seems very reasonable to me for ingredients, how much you get, etc.

Mattar (Mutter?) paneer = winlicious

qwytre

Prices in that market are crazy. I bought two fairly small sizes of cheese that cost €10.50 from the stall outside Sheridans (I think it belonged to Sheridans). I haven't been back.

The prices of the olives on one of the other stands seems to have gotten very expensive too in the last year or so.

mayotom

I have gotten used to going to the markets in most countries because the choice of product is better and far cheaper than in the mainstream, due to the reduced cost in operating without a premises. Here in the Algarve and in many parts of the world that I have lived in there are daily markets where high quality products are available for bargain prices, also the Market atmosphere is very much an integral part of the experience.
I cant understand why the retailers in the Saturday market can charge such exorbatant prices????

Fuinseog

mayotom wrote: »

I have gotten used to going to the markets in most countries because the choice of product is better and far cheaper than in the mainstream, due to the reduced cost in operating without a premises. Here in the Algarve and in many parts of the world that I have lived in there are daily markets where high quality products are available for bargain prices, also the Market atmosphere is very much an integral part of the experience.
I cant understand why the retailers in the Saturday market can charge such exorbatant prices????

because people here consider it 'value for money'. perhaps there is no point bitching about it. it is as it is

Mrs OBumble

qwytre wrote: »

Prices in that market are crazy. I bought two fairly small sizes of cheese that cost €10.50 from the stall outside Sheridans (I think it belonged to Sheridans). I haven't been back.

The prices of the olives on one of the other stands seems to have gotten very expensive too in the last year or so.

Seems to me there are two categories of food: stuff that's ready to eat (crepes, curries etc), and fruit/veg/baked goods.

I don't have so much of a problem with the prices of the ready-to-eat folks, or even the baked goods. But am under-impressed with the fruit and veg (all of 'em not just one stand): serious lack of price-signs and weighing scales. I hate accent-weighted pricing.

But as someone said, 'tis all about supply and demand.

Also, I think that the stall-owners have to pay for a licence, but don't actually pay rent for their stall. OHOH, they have to stand out in the cold all day, which I wouldn't fancy myself.

the keen edge

After following this thread I decided to go down to the crepe stall myself on Saturday morning, having never eaten from there before.
I got the complete crepe; ham, cheese, spring onion and a fried egg. Its cost 6.50.

I found the crepe tasty enough, and the fillings weren't to skimpy, however I'd would disagree with other posts comparing the portion size to that of a lunch. Describing the crepe as anything other then a snack would be pushing it, and I am not one for massive portions of food.

Anyway a friend who was with me wouldn't eat from that crepe stall, due to his own personnel criticism of their food hygiene, and to be fair I've seen cleaner stalls also.
So we both when down to that crepe bar on Cross St, where he basically got the same crepe as myself, served to him, on a plate, with a choice of a side salad or chips(which I am guessing where crisps), for the same price.

biko

I consider 6 euro a good price for an Irish market crepe "with everything".
It's enough to fill me up for the day and most of the evening and is half the price of lunch.
Street crepes in France are usually 3 euro with just Nutella and would be 4-5 for a big one.
As usual, don't make the mistake to think that a product in one EU country will cost the same somewhere else, as someone said: supply and demand...

moonflower

the keen edge wrote: »

So we both when down to that crepe bar on Cross St, where he basically got the same crepe as myself, served to him, on a plate, with a choice of a side salad or chips(which I am guessing where crisps), for the same price.

Where's there a crepe bar?

po0k

Cross St.

moonflower

I meant where on Cross St. I haven't seen one in town since Zatsuma closed down.

joeKel73

Just on the corner opposite Neachtain's.

moonflower

Strange I've never noticed it, is it new? I'll have to give it a go, see if it's as good as the market crepes!