Eating Out becoming a Luxury?

listermint

Yet its still hard enough to get tables in restaurants in Dublin. Based on that I think there's still many people with disposable income even January places are busy.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121638525#Comment_121638525

What ever you are into I guess.

• Blood from raw duck was noted to be dripping onto containers and bags of rice, flour + sugar
• Dirty cleaning cloths used to mop up bloody water were placed on various surfaces
• Flies were observed on raw ducks
• A black bin bag filled with waste was stored in a sink in the kitchen basement

Bobson Dugnutt

Chapter One is 190 quid per person with the wine pairing being another 110. Can’t get a table for months. People appreciate world class dining. It’s the “I couldn’t be bothered cooking so I’ll go somewhere that serves me up a representation of what I would have cooked anyway” sort of spots that will be in trouble.

Quitelife

Dublin is nearly a law onto itself with many top earners residing there and a huge chunk of tourists visiting Dublin but elsewhere in the country there’s not as high a percentage of high earners and low tourist numbers, I do feel a lot of what would have been middle ireland 10/20 years ago are now not much better off than minimum wage workers / welfare cases who have low rent council houses by the time you pay a mortgage etc

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121638723#Comment_121638723

I just spent €18 on a breakfast and a cup of tea this morning in a cafe. That will be the last time i leave the house without breakfast now too.

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121638944#Comment_121638944

And yet... eat out food places near me are always busy. Especially the good ones. You even have to book an order time.

I'm not in Dublin., near regional town.

rob316

There is a handful of restaurants in my city I go to that justify the price and I'm happy to go there spend my money and enjoy the eperience. But I do that 1 every couple of months. I perfer cooking my own food.

The proliferation of Deliveroo/Just Eat has created a lazy generation though who don't cook and they are now complaining about the prices.

Sonic the Shaghog

You only have to look at the media from before Christmas.

The hospitality sector have been on several times moaning about reduced footfall and lots of places closing and having to close. The government has only started paying lip service by some sort of debt restructure thing in the last week.

Moaning about the VAT rate and the last time it was cut they kept the same prices and even added a little bit in some cases.

In my town there's 2 chippers and an ethnic takeaway. They used all be open to 11pm weekday now are closing at 9.30pm, you never see anyone in there. The pub owners whinging too when tho they are pushing nearly €7 a pint coming soon for a rural area.

I keep saying it, a silent recession of sorts. I do remember when the crash hit in 2008 and half the nation getting laid off it was similar, gobeens kept raising prices for like the first year or two of it and then being shocked at having to close up shop. I remember 2 of 3 takeaways closing that time that I mentioned above and are under new owners now so am curious if it will be similar again due to inflation.

Liam O

I'd say the pubs could make good money bringing down the prices by a good bit but why would you when you have people willing to pay as is clear by them being generally packed out every week?

Restaurants you can see a bit more value in now with good cooking over the pubs for not much more but the drink prices in most has stayed beyond the pubs. More palatable though because you probably don't drink as fast there.

ULEZ23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058332137/eating-out-becoming-a-luxury

I think you are giving up on life and cutting back on a rare treat you that your wife enjoyed. Are you sure your wife agrees? “Date nights” / occasions are very healthy and important for marriages or they can quickly become stale. It’s a treat after a hard week of work, a chance to park life’s distractions and problems and have a good time and chat.

Hate to be harsh but If you can’t afford a €20 meal (plenty of 2 course early birds out there you just have to make the effort) every two weeks which is €10 a week then I don’t think you can all yourself middle income.

yourdeadwright

Went to a pub on Christmas eve at about 2 o'clock with the wife & 3 kids ,

We all had a bite to eat & i had 2 pints & it was 80 euro ,

That was 4 meals , (the youngest is only 2 months old), 1 diet coke for the wife, 2 juices for the kids, & 2 pints for myself , The kids also had 2 ice creams ,

That's not to bad is it ?

Jinglejangle69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639436#Comment_121639436

That’s good value.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639436#Comment_121639436

Really it's €60 for 4 meals which is decent.

Eating out isn't that expensive considering what you're getting.

They've a lot of overheads to pay. I think they make their money on the drinks and coffee.

I think food trucks are a rip-off as they cost almost as much as restaurants and they've very few overheads.

SteM

Here love, fancy going on a date night? Yeah, we can only go on Monday or Tuesday to Thursday between 4pm and 7pm and you can't have the steak, ribs or chef's special but it'll only cost us €26 each.

How romantic.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639510#Comment_121639510

Plenty of time for lovemaking after the early bird

looksee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639510#Comment_121639510

Yes, its called life. Or cutting your coat according to your cloth. Your relationship should not depend on your ability to splurge on expensive food in a restaurant. You need to apply a bit of imagination to your ideas for romance.

Sonic the Shaghog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639379#Comment_121639379

I understand you to a point about not being able to afford €20 but you have to consider what the mortgage is, childcare fees, electric is still nearly double what it should be despite "reduction" grocery shop in Aldi or Lidl they've gone mad in prices, I'm hearing Dunnes with the vouchers they offer bring them par.

I will say tho not directed at the OP but there is a lot where people could cut back with won't too in fairness. Like ones I know on maybe €80 monthly for a **** phone plan to have the latest iPhone when an android or even keeping their iPhone rather than every 2 years having to upgrade. Then again maybe the eating out is the cut back 🙈

In fairness it's funny I remember restaurants here when prices started to go mad smugly giving the old "if you can't afford x price then maybe you shouldn't be going out"

Well we've seen where that's got a lot of em, the dole.

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639583#Comment_121639583

It doesn't, we're both much happier cooking the food we like, spending time together cooking and then sitting down to eat it. Your relationship should not depend on going out to restaurants at times you don't want to eat to buy food from a limited menu.

McGrath5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639501#Comment_121639501

Agree on the Covid box style food vans. There is a local cafe to me that does nice sandwich's / toasties/ wraps for €7 with table service in a warm & cozy setting. Meanwhile the food van 2 minutes away is doing pretty much the same "gourmet" sandwich's for €12 with much smaller overheads.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639639#Comment_121639639

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kvpkgfoa6zLGEqu3A

This place case in point.

I'm sure it's lovely but it should be cheaper if you're sitting outside on the side of the road.

Tombo2001

what gets me is the paying high prices for really ordinary food. I actually think restaurant food was better 20 years ago. Too often when I go to a restaurant now its meh.....

Luxury implies you are getting something good.

Tombo2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639671#Comment_121639671

Should be cheaper than what?

Sandwiches to go are routinely 8 euros.

These guys are charging 12 for a main.

All those pizza vans are charging minimum 12 for a Margerita.

I dont think the prices here are out of sync.

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639671#Comment_121639671

I couoldn;t figure out where that place was until I went into Streetview, it was a car park the last time I was down that neck of the woods I think.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121638142#Comment_121638142

A big mac meal is about a tenner. Every minimum wage hike is being passed on to the consumer.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121638417#Comment_121638417

Who are you tipping? Cut that straight away. We aren't in America.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639700#Comment_121639700

€16 for a Biryani is sit down prices.

I just think lots of food trucks are taking the piss.

They've no rates or bills or waiting staff to pay.

I know they've some overheads but far fewer.

taratee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639724#Comment_121639724

Not one for McDs but I couldn't believe the price of their meals when I went in there. A bag of chips is €3.99 now in my local chippers. Coffee shops are another one to watch out for. I used to grab a coffee (caramel macchiato) in Butlers on a Saturday and Sunday. Last December they increased the price from €4 to €4.40; the second price hike in 2023. Cut it down to one a week now.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639842#Comment_121639842

You think a tenner for a burger, chips and a drink, served in a fast food restaurant, is expensive?

Creamy Goodness

Not sure why Dosa Dosa was singled out, I've had it and the quality is worth the admission price. It's in an affluent area with a lot of multi-cultural offices around, the fact it's still operating tells you a few things, it's popular and they're doing enough to keep the truck running, I doubt they are absolutely rolling in it, and if they are? Fair play to them!

This thread is fascinating, for a long time I believe eating out and getting value for money has been a thing no one gave a second thought to. Costs have risen and those that were on razor thin margins have kept the doors opened by dropping the quality of raw ingredients, reducing portion size etc.

Those not on razor thin margins have increase their prices too but you still see the value in it (to some degree, probably less than before).

Eating out used to be a weekly affair for me 5-10 years ago, now, due to multiple factors eating out is maybe once every three months but mainly in higher-end restaurants the upside is I get a much better experience and I enjoy it more as I look forward to it. Doing it weekly it was just part of a routine.

Wanderer78

yea we ve all made a bollcoks of our economies by financialising them, which has just drove up the price of critical needs, in particular property related, so the rest is history....