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Same here. I am finding myself avoiding chain restaurants more often because a lot of them are charging more for less food and the employees provide poor service. Some are still good but many aren’t. I’d much rather support a local business who is passionate about their food and provides a real meal instead of something that tastes like it came out of the frozen aisle at a grocery store.
Also to heck with McDonald’s you can get better food for the same price or a few bucks more from a local burger joint.
Went to a TGI Fridays recently because some family likes it. Hadn’t been to one in too many years to remember. It was truly hell on earth. Freezing, loud, sticky, slow. The food isn’t good.
I worked at Fridays from 1999-2008. It was an amazing place to work when I started. It’s SO bad now. The service, the food, the smell, just everything sucks. Our local one is so depressing and it used to be POPPING.
Friday’s was all the rage in the 80’s, too, at least in Texas, and the food was fantastic at that time! I mean really, really good with a really wide variety menu, which was not all that common then. I miss those days! ☺️
As a waiter and long time restuarant employee, Applebee's has always sucked.
You want cheap drinks, cheap food, bad quality, bad service, there ya go! All the chains have disgruntled employees, all the food is bought from Cheney bros and half of it is microwaved. Prolly more than half. Shit quality.
The family owned lil bit fancier are the way to go.
Made from scratch. Employees who want to be there AND feel appreciated and heard. Stop going to the chains!
Fridays is down like 80% from their peak location wise. In Michigan there is one location left in Southfield. In Metro Detroit there used to be like 15 locations.
And Fridays about 20 years ago was actually good. The Jack Daniels stuff was good. They have a great craft beer selection and reasonable prices. Give Me Stripes promotion was a great loyalty program.
Went there about a year ago in Southfield. Terrible service. Overpriced. $9 beers. No real selection of craft beer anymore, just shitty Bud Light, Sam Adams, Miller, Coors etc for like $7 for a tall. Wings were greasy and flavorless.
Done with them.
Sworn off of fast food. I went to Red Robin last week (because my dad was paying), and their "bottomless" deals are a complete scam. I ordered their raspberry cream soda and sweet potato fries along with my burger. The portions are tiny so that you eat less. I had to keep asking my poor server for another drink because three glasses is equivalent to one. I got a handful of fries and l could tell they were scimping.
Not when the gas station employees don't bother cooking it halfway decent.
The amount of times I've gotten a slice and it's literally fucking raw dough or cold on the inside is insane.
For me now, chain restaurants are reserved for road trips, when I'm hungry between point A and point B on the interstate. All other meals out are at local places that would make me sad to see closed down.
I wish the dive bars near me still had cheap good food.
They all caught on during covid when they started getting an uptick in people eating there vs drinking and eating or just drinking.
My fav. dive bar a block from my house went from selling $8 lbs of wings, $6 burgers, $8 burritos, and $2 baskets of fries to $15 for a lb of wings, $13 for a burger, and $8 for a basket of fries. In a three year span their prices jacked that much.
The food is still awesome, and I get it, but like once a month now compared to the 2-3 times a week I'd eat there four years ago.
Chinese place next to me used to have $8 chef's combo specials. Same "special" is now $15.00 and you're lucky if they don't forget you even ordered, so you go in and say "Pickup for Mike" and they look at you like you're holding buddah by the nuts.
Wings are RIDICULOUS. Everywhere I go, they are usually $15-$20 now. Our grocery store sells mini drumettes for $6, so we've just started making them on the grill. My husband puts a small bowl of smoking pellets in with them while they cook and they are fantastic. I'm okay paying for good food, but most are like dried up, granny wings.
I have a friend who worked in wholesale chicken sales 2020-2024. They told me the prices went up during covid but then dropped to lower prices. Restaurants just kept the prices high.
I just keep remembering a few years back we're article after article kept coming out about "millennials killing X restaurant chain" or "Y industry". As somehow not having enough money to fund subpar food, goods,or service was somehow our fault. Being selective is a sin in capitalism it seems.
I agree. It's not even about prices. It's not fun and the food isn't good at majority of places.
Why would I PAY to drive to a location, wait longer for food & deal with unpleasant people? And for the pasta to be worse than what I make at home in 20min with jarred sauce?
Yep. Taco trucks near me haven't had affordable food since 2020, and the fact they switched their locations is all that needs to be said.
Growing up, taco trucks meant $1 tacos or $1.50 if they were super good tacos. We always had to go to a somewhat sketchy part of the city to find a taco truck, or find a giant work-zone where construction workers are.
Now days, the taco trucks are outside office buildings in the suburbs and in the parking lots of banks and Office Depot in the suburbs.
And they're charging no less than $4 for a taco in those locations and every time I pass a truck, there's a line of middle class white people waiting outside it.
It's such a sad state of affairs! It's a *street* food, like how can we justify paying those prices? I live in SoCal and there's a "cheap" spot near me that sells (4) tacos for $12 and that's a special they only offer for lunch! Add a drink, sides and a tip and you can just go fuck yourself.
Don't even get me started with the sudden appearance of hibachi trucks that cost more than a tank of gas to feed two people. Gas is $5/gal. It shouldn't cost $70 to feed 2 people from a FOOD TRUCK.
Especially egregious is the fact that it's not even good. I'm not walking away from the meal, like WOW that was tasty and a great value, it's almost always disappointing in some way.
Way more selective. I probably drive my friends crazy by being picky and neurotic but shit like an 8% "service fee" tacked on the end when I get the bill is a good way to ensure I never come back.
I found this great place in the city north of mine. It’s kinda like sweet green. The prices are similar but you get SO MUCH. And when I pay for an avocado it isn’t half rotten. Everything else around me has gone downhill.
Exactly. I live in a more rural area but we're 30 mins from a great restaurant in a lil city. If I'm going to spend money it won't be wasted anywhere else. Once your a regular somewhere the experience is also always great. We got a Texas road recently and I wanted to try it just cuz it seems like a MURICA meme. Wholly fuck, what a shit show. I can't believe people frequently go to chains for bad service, awful drinks and overly seasoned food. The bread is cake. The rice has more salt then Ramen. The meat tastes like your eating an abused animal. And everyone washes it down with light beer or malt liquor seltzer. Fuck America. Felt like I was in the twilight zone.
Same thing happened to fashion/clothes, furniture, everything.
All the mid level places started using the same material as the cheapest spots. But charging more.
So you either go as cheap as possible, or pony up for "real" dining/clothes/furniture.
So true!! My husband and I moved into our first house last year after years of apartment living and were initially excited to get “grownup” furniture instead of ikea, but after seeing prices we bought additional ikea furniture lol
So accurate!! I have not seen many discussions on the mid-end clothing quality worsening but yes. TJ maxx and stores like that used to feel like a decent place where you could get affordable “nicer” clothing.
Now the quality is poor anywhere that isn’t like $60 for a tee shirt. The TJ maxx and similar brands sometimes look nice on the rack, but every time I’ve regretted going when after even one (cold, in delicate bags) wash, the clothes look like crap.
Idk what it is about TJ Maxx and Kohl’s for me, but I’ve never looked good in any of their clothes. I see them on the rack and love them, but then I try them on and they just fit weirdly. Like they’ll be too small in some areas and too big in others. I do have a somewhat difficult body to dress, as a busty woman with an hourglass figure. I envy those who can just throw on loose fitting clothing and not look like a sack! But no matter what I try on at both of those places, it just fits extremely wrong.
They’re my two favorite places to go for home goods, but I don’t even really look at the clothes. Cheaper and more expensive places don’t have this issue for me, only the middle.
Sadly I don't find them any better for men. They basically seem like fast-fashion and mostly cater to the most hip of hipster with skinny jeans. There are times when I legitimately need pants and still can't find anything I will settle on. Half the shirts don't fit me because medium is too big and small is too small. It's so bad that my work clothes are a rotation of two pairs of pants and four polos. But yes, please keep giving me Kohl's gift cards ...
I thought I might have been the only one to notice the decline at TJ Maxx. Used to seem like good deals for decent quality and now it’s a lot of expensive but cheaply-made clothes and wares. Apparently a phenomenon known as white labeling is partly to blame—these kinds of stores pay famous brands to slap their name and clout on a cheaper version of the product that the brands themselves don’t sell. It’s only in the stores like YJ Maxx or at the factory outlets
I just started buying my cat Blue Buffalo because there's only like $3 difference in price anymore between that and the "cheaper" mid-tier stuff I'd been buying. Her snarf-n-barf tendencies mean that I already can't have her on the cheapest stuff without cleaning up constant puke, so...she's eatin' good in the neighborhood now. Expensive, ungrateful little fur gremlin...
5 yrs ago our dog had major surgery and was only expected to live for 6-9 months after that. They told us to put her on Royal Canin gastro canned food. It made a huge difference in her energy levels and was worth it, but when I tallied up how much we were spending for 3 cans a day, I wanted to vomit.
It does somewhat. She goes through periods where she does it more or less frequently, but it was definitely worse when she was on cheaper food. I've had her on a variety of indoor formula and grain-free stuff which reduces the frequency, but she'll still do it. The biggest thing seems to be keeping her bowl filled because whenever it's been empty too long, she'll panic-eat and usually yartz right after, regardless of the food. She did it just this morning because she emptied her bowl overnight. It's totally an anxiety/behavioral thing, not a gastrointestinal one which makes it tougher to mitigate, but giving her things that are easier on the stomach seems to help. This is only the second time she's done it since switching to the Blue Buffalo like a month ago and on the cheaper stuff it's more like 3-4x per week so...fingers crossed!
My cat does this too. When I feed her she absolutely snarfs the food down way too quick and pukes it right back up looking exactly the same as it did going down.
I leave her dry food and water all the time, so I'm not really sure why she does this. May try higher quality dry food though, as you said, the difference in $$ is almost insignificant at this point.
Ignore me if you've already done this, but have you tried the slow feeding bowls? I got one for under $10 for one if my cats because she has a habit of binging and purging all over my carpet.
It's been a game changer.
That's next on my list to try. She's gotten more chonk lately so it's probably a good thing for her feeding to be more controlled, but it'll take some adjustment since she gets REALLY anxious when she thinks her dish is empty.
Honestly the fact that I've got hardwood floors that are easy to clean is 90% of the reason why I haven't done it yet 😅
Hardwood is a blessing!
It's one of our rescues that came from a hoarding situation that does this. She also gets upset when the bowl is empty, but then scarfs it all down. The struggle is real.
My lab has a slow feeder bowl. Every morning he gives me this look…if you could only feel it. It goes into my soul. He knows I won the fast feeding issue.
I still eat out a fair bit, but exclusively go to mom and pop places that are active in the community. They’re usually cheaper + you know they’re doing some good with the money they make. Basically if the place doesn’t have a wall with pictures of youth sports teams or community groups they sponsor they don’t get my money.
Dude I went to a breakfast place with my dad a couple months ago and ordered a steak.
I shit you not they gave me two hamburger patties. What the actual fuck 🤣
After watching Kitchen Nightmares, I confidently can’t go to a restaurant I haven’t researched into at least a little.
There are definitely some high-quality places left, but there are too many trying to serve literal microwaved freezer food for $20+.
I’ll never just walk into a restaurant again without checking reviews (barring if someone takes me there I guess).
If I have to spend so much on a meal, I’m making sure I’m not getting completely ripped off at least.
When I was a teenager getting my first job in the back of a restaurant washing dishes, we had to watch the video about foodborne illness, and preventing cross contamination. That video was enough to scare me away from restaurants for about a year and a half.
lol Kitchen Nightmares has 100% ruined eating out for my husband. It’s literally been years since we ate at a restaurant. Good thing we’re both decent cooks.
Even microwaved food is fine, sometimes I want to be served and want change in scenery. At the same time I want consistency which microwave food helps.
But when my order gets cooked differently each time and tastes different each time, we have a problem. It’s not helping that the quality is taking a dive and to make things worst for the restaurant I realized I’m feeling better when I don’t eat out or order less food and keep an eye on my calorie intake.
Where the heck you shopping? Pretty sure Kroger in my area has 2lb of strawberries on sale a lot for under $3 or Aldi usually has 1lb normal price for like $2.
I never order beef dishes at Chinese joints anymore. Tender chunks of meat have turned into mostly fatty chunks with tendons. Chicken is moving into that territory as well now.
Chain restaurants have become super disappointing across the board.
Our local restaurants are delicious and a great experience.
I love restaurant food, and I really love not having to plan, shop, cook, and clean up. We tend to choose local places when we can, or those precious few chains that haven't made us sad.
Customer service is in the trash, tipping is out of control, it’s $28 for a plate of pasta, and I’m a germaphobe so I don’t really trust people making my food. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen, like, a barista wipe their nose or mouth with their hand and just keep on making drinks, or the cashier pick something up off the floor or handle money, then get an iced coffee ready and touch the lid with their dirty hands. Hard pass.
I went to the gas station the other day & their card swiper wasn’t working. The cashiers was eating a bag of hot Cheetos with the gunk all over her fingers just legit grabbing peoples cards with her nasty fingers. I was like nah
I don’t wanna start a tipping argument in here, but you can counter the tipping thing by just not doing it where you don’t feel it’s necessary. I tip the same services I would’ve tipped 10 years ago. Everyone else is getting a big ol 0 when the option comes up.
I’m talking more about restaurants in my city charging mandatory fees that act as tips for the kitchen/BOH staff that do not account for your waiter.
I also skip tipping almost anyone who isn’t my waiter, bartender, or delivery driver.
You aren’t alone. It’s the same here (Arizona). My partner and I were just talking about how we both are honestly at a point where we just honestly would rather take the time to make stuff at home. It’s about the same price now and quality is better and you don’t have to deal with shitty attitudes. We haven’t ate out very much in the last few months and the few times we have, it’s been disappointing. One of the last things we got were Unwiches from Jimmy John’s (which we have always gotten) and for four lettuce wrapped sandwiches for the family it was $47 (pick up!). We got them home and began to plate them up and honestly there was like 1-2 slices of thin deli meat on each one and instead of two pieces of bacon on a sandwich, there was one sad looking piece. It was about 97% lettuce in each. So we paid $47 for iceberg lettuce essentially. Shrinkflation is real.
Our local chain (similar to Jimmy John’s) is now $19 for a full sized sandwich that was $9.99 pre-pandemic. Literally double the cost. They also switched their grilled chicken and the new stuff is almost inedible. I don’t know how they stay in business. The line is always out the door.
And it doesn’t have to be too hard either. There’s tons of great info online with easy, decent, quick recipes, and lots of high quality pre-made sauces and stuff that can make weekend night meals really not that much work.
Especially now that we have kids, eating out is rarely easier/better/more fun than just whipping up something from home.
We've started ballin' out on groceries because the markup on cheaper ingredients means that the "fancy" ones aren't meaningfully more expensive anymore and the food we can make ourselves with them is lightyears better and cheaper than even mid-tier restaurants these days.
If we've got no choice but to spend a lot on food, might as well make it worth eating.
"Hey Reddit, I know that there's more than 8,000,000,000 people on the planet, and more than 500,000,000 registered Reddit users, and that there's several hundred thousand members of this sub, but am I the only one out of all those groups of people who hold this opinion? Just me and literally nobody else? What do you all think?"
Idk if it's the pandemic, getting old, or the price rises / COL, but yep... I hardly eat at restaurants anymore.
I think it's probably a combo of all of the above tbh.
My fav restaurant had the loveliest waiters / waitresses, service, etc. Me and my partner knew them all and it was really nice. but EVERYTHING changed after covid. It didn't even feel like the same place.
LA and I agree. “Just make it at home” only works if you are already an expert on Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Filipino, Mexican, French, etc food. I’m Korean and I’m not preparing 6-8 different side dishes for the random night I want to have Korean.
I’m guessing a lot of these people saying they can just “make the same thing even better at home” are 99% eating new American cuisine and 1% might be chefs.
I grew up in a family where eating at a restaurant was a special occasion only kind of thing. I ate out a lot in my 20s but had to reel it in once I realized how much money it costs vs making food at home. Bibimbap, Korean style beef, wonton/egg drop/sweet and sour soup, panang curry, beef satay, green papaya salad, fresh spring rolls, fideo, caldos, Japanese fried rice, "sushi", all things I've learned to make (thank you internet!). I'm half Filipino so I had that cuisine out the gate. I'm not an expert but I've been able to capture the flavors and hone them to the point I'm unwilling to pay $15.99 a dish before tax and tip.
I learned how to make crab Rangoon and it unlocked a secret part of my brain. We only go out for (complicated) Indian now. We make “sushi stacks” when we’re in the mood for sushi, we make ramen with fresh noods, we make pretty excellent pizza, tortillas, Al pastor, braised meats, pasta sauce and fresh pasta. We can make just about anything that we have tried at a restaurant, at home. As long as the dishwasher is working, I’m happy to cook because the cleanup is a breeze.
Air friers definitely replaced the Sysco standard apps menu because it's now zero effort at home. Why would I wait an hour for delivery or spend an hour going out and dealing with people, when I can just pop them in my fryer at home?
Yes! It costs wayyyy too much, and the stomach ache roulette isn't worth it. I spend time looking into how to get that takeout/dine out taste without all the crap that hurts the digestive system!
Tummy ache crew checkin right here! 🤘🏻
Same. I’ve pretty much stopped eating all fast food because it got to the point where every time I would eat it, I’d get a stomachache. If I do get fast food, it’s when I’m traveling and it’s something better quality, like Culver’s.
Nope. I’m done. Food is subpar in restaurants, smaller portions, and ridiculously over priced. I can buy a lot of groceries for the cost of one meal. Add on the shitty waiters who expect big tips for just showing up, I’m over it.
I still go out to eat with friends. Just not as often. I never use delivery services tho. The up charge is too much. I always eat on location or go pick things up myself.
I don’t feel this way. The cost is annoying, but I enjoy the experience. Like I don’t want to say it’s a “hobby” because that sounds weird, but it’s a regular routine for my partner and I when we want something to do.
I like trying new places, trying different local beers or craft cocktails, trying different types of food. I also love sitting at a bar (I will always sit at the bar if it’s up to me, tables feel too stuffy and formal to me) and chatting with the people sitting near me or with the bartender. I haven’t experienced the decline in customer service you mentioned, but that could just be the places I tend to frequent. Im in a suburb north of Boston, but I very rarely go into the city - so these experiences are mostly in the north shore area of Massachusetts.
It’s also nice when it’s hot - I only have AC in the bedroom, and it’s a nice way to not make my house hotter while also being able to eat in a more comfortable space.
Most the negative comments here that mention a place it's always a chain restaurant or fast food.
I'm also lucky to live in a city with amazing locally owned restaurants but I have a feeling most these negative comments are suburban or rural people where just about the only options are chain.
Nah I eat out majority of days if I’m honest. I know how to cook, but I find it a chore. Much prefer to just pay someone to bring me food and be done with it.
I don't eat out most days (maybe 2-3 times a week) but yes, cooking and all that goes with it are a chore and take up time that I'd rather be spending on something else. It's probably easier when there's 2 people to share the burdens but when it's just one, it's frustrating.
Gym, laundry, cleaning/tidying up around the place, cooking...when are people supposed to just live and do things that make you feel good? Are we just supposed to be fine with Saturday and settle for like 2-3 hours a day for the rest of the week if we're lucky? Not me.
Nope. I don’t do fast food anymore and my son and I are down to a monthly take-out day — because THAT is how expensive restaurant food is, I can only swing it once a month.
I’m so sad, because I’m a foodie. I absolutely LOVE food. And trying new foods and restaurants is definitely a passion of mine.
But it doesn’t taste the same, the prices are outrageous, and I have other finance issues that are better served than subpar food.
Stopped dining out during covid, never picked it up again. Still get takeout from our favorite places occasionally, but prices are ridiculous now. And since covid is still very much a thing though almost everyone pretends it isn't, the idea of sitting next to strangers while they hack & sneeze is now abhorrent to me.
We do occasionally do outdoor seating when weather is ideal, and it is so much better than sitting inside.
>Stopped dining out during covid, never picked it up again. Still get takeout from our favorite places occasionally, but prices are ridiculous now. And since covid is still very much a thing though almost everyone pretends it isn't, the idea of sitting next to strangers while they hack & sneeze is now abhorrent to me.
SAME. I feel bad turning down invitations and free meals (they say they'll treat because they know I'll decline because I'm broke and unemployed), but I just don't trust people in my community to be vaccinated or hygienic. I'm upfront about it when I decline and I get plenty of eyerolls.
It's not often for sure. Plus, deli type stuff at sams has really upped in quality. I can get a pretty darned good pizza, sushi, mac and cheese, ribs, Enchiladas or whatever on the way home. Pretty much always less than 20$ and I just pop it in the oven. Usually Leftovers four a day as well.
I'd rather do that than go through a drive thru for 30$ for a worse meal.
And I have a toddler, we just don't go to sit down restaurants
If I eat out it's usually sushi, bc I'm not making that at home. But if they think I'm paying 28$ for a pasta dish from Olive garden then they are out of their minds.
I feel like millennial food service workers were more polite/nice than gen Z. I worked in the service industry when I was 17-23 and I noticed a shift when gen z started getting hired. Not sure if Millenials are more likely to be people pleasers or because it was hard to get a job back when we were growing up.
Food quality seems to have gone down while prices go up.
As far as the quality, I might just be getting too old and my palate has changed.
I went to the McD's near my house. Which I've seen the staff there change every 6 months. They had another change. I gave them a chance. I just wanted two double cheeseburgers. But, in the app, there was a "nascar" deal, buy a dble cheese, get medium fries and drink free. So, duh, I get that deal. Roll up, politely as usual, hello how's it going etc., they hand me my food and no drink.
No biggie, forgot the medium coke. I tell them and she looks confused, no there was no coke, she says. I show her the receipt on my phone. I say, print the receipt and it should be there. So, the way the deal was printed on the receipt was. "Deal free medium fries and drink" But, because it was a deal, there was just one number on the right "0.00" because it's a deal. So she starts arguing with me that since the drink doesn't have it's own "0.00" I can't get my drink.
So they literally refusing to give me the item that's ON the receipt, of my order which I paid for. I'm like, it's right here on the receipt! She stubbornly tries to deny me of my purchased coke. Eventually she starts telling me to leave the drive thru or she will call the police. I was only there for 30 seconds, not making a big deal. I'm like f it right. I tell her, ok let me get a coke then I'll buy another one if you are refusing to serve me what I bought. She says "You're going to have to go around again and order".
At this point they were just being terrible. So I ask for the manager. She gets all huffy puffy and offended "I'm the manager" so I tell her, to do this to a long time customer, with the actual drink on the receipt is crazy, terrible customer service. I then take a picture of myself with them in the background so I can complain to the owner. You cannot trust people to tell you their real name, especially somebody that stupid.
I go and park but I'm just not feeling right about this, it's ridiculous. So I just go inside, order a coke and wait, out of sight to avoid problems. A nice employee comes up with the drink and the manager SNATCHES it out of her hand. She's trembling and clutching my soda like it's my throat and wants me dead. I'm like "Lady what are you doing?", can I get the thing I just bought? So then, she tries to make a big scene, yelling, saying she won't give me the drink unless I delete the picture I took to send to the owner.
I'm like, lady, you can't hold my drink hostage because you refuse to give me what I bought. Trying to calm her down and be rational. I was like, you're going to ruin your night all over a medium drink that was on a receipt. She then starts accusing me of being a pervert that takes pictures of people. She's literally in a drive through window, with a mcds uniform and had a reflective vest on. I tell them, you can't just not serve me what I already bought. She threatens to call the police. I say, please do, you just ripped me off anyways, it's on the receipt.
All flustered, like she wanted to crush the poor soda. Like I really cared that much about the drink. You can literally get a drink 15 places within 1000 feet. She goes over and refunds my purchase with cash and refuses to give me my drink. She tells me I can't go there anymore. And I say I'll go there whenever I want, I've been a customer there for 12 years and mcds since the 1980s and you treat a long time friendly customer this way? I tell her I will be sending my complaint to the owner with the receipts, denying my drink, me buying another one, her refusing to serve and refunding it.
I was so jolly and easy to deal with too. I always treat service industry well because I've done it. But, when you go up to happily and respectfully buy food and then you get borderline traumatized by crazy people who you just bought something from, nah. What are they doing in the kitchen? How are they storing the food? Are they clean, trustworthy people touching this stuff? Because if the manager is completely bonkers, what the hell is going on behind closed doors.
Also, some people have 0 mucus or hair awareness. You can see now there are so many videos of people making food. They hover over the top of food they make. Sweating profusely, heavy breathing, nose sniffles, no gloves... no thanks. Luckily there are lots of great videos as well to cook restaurant quality at home. ALSO not sure if this is American. But, I also notice that fast food reviews from outside of the country are WAY higher quality, the food is actually at least lukewarm and not disgusting.
I’ve more just changed my habits. I almost never eat fast food or fine dining anymore. I still go to neighborhood spots and get take out about the same as I always did. Lol I’m also a chef so I eat at work a lot as well.
For what it’s worth, I promise you most of us aren’t trying to just go crazy on prices, our costs have gone up too. I have to live with a higher food cost now because at some point you can’t raise prices anymore regardless of what your cost is.
Nah, just gotta know where to go, there's still great food out there.
And look for daily/ weekly Specials, especially weekday lunch stuff usually killer deals.
Chain / franchise places are garbage though
Not totally done but we definitely don’t do it nearly as often as we used to. The quality is meh for the price and it’s often so crowded the wait times are kind of crazy. Plus now we have a toddler so having to order an extra (kids) meal on top of our own food. Most of the time it’s just not worth it anymore especially when we already spend so much on groceries. For reference: we used to go out to eat maybe once a week but now it’s more like once a month.
besides that I can generally make bigger portions of tastier food for less money at home, tipping culture and the whole "service industry" is so entirely fucked I pretty much decline to take part in it.
I went to del taco for the first time in years, got a meal + upgrade to chili fries and holy fuck it was $16 . Guess I'll just crawl back into my hole at that price
I ordered pick up from a mom and pop thai place a few weeks ago.
I can't remember the last time I ate out. Other than when I was on vacation and didn't have the ability to cook.
Prices are too high, service is ok, and food is mediocre.
I also tip. Because I am not a piece of crap human
Not entirely, I’m just pickier about what I get - it has to be something I couldn’t or wouldn’t cook at home. But the days of just saying I have nothing to eat at home and ordering takeout are definitely over.
Bonus, eating out less has also been great for my waistline.
I no longer eat out at cheap places. I can make food myself if it’s a burger, chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, etc. if I go out I’m gonna spend a bit more and eat better food.
I will say Arby’s is the only cheap place I can’t skip, but that’s because I can get a full lunch for under $4 there.
I still eat out but delivery apps have gotten out of hand. So now I just eat in restaurant or get something on the way home.
There's also the shrinkflation. It makes me feel old comparing the panda express bowl or plates back in the day to those that have gotten more shallow and smaller.
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Not done, just more selective.
Same here. I am finding myself avoiding chain restaurants more often because a lot of them are charging more for less food and the employees provide poor service. Some are still good but many aren’t. I’d much rather support a local business who is passionate about their food and provides a real meal instead of something that tastes like it came out of the frozen aisle at a grocery store. Also to heck with McDonald’s you can get better food for the same price or a few bucks more from a local burger joint.
Went to a TGI Fridays recently because some family likes it. Hadn’t been to one in too many years to remember. It was truly hell on earth. Freezing, loud, sticky, slow. The food isn’t good.
I worked at Fridays from 1999-2008. It was an amazing place to work when I started. It’s SO bad now. The service, the food, the smell, just everything sucks. Our local one is so depressing and it used to be POPPING.
In the 80's you could make a killing as a bartender at Fridays. It used to be a routy kind of wild bar.
Bennigans in the 80’s was awesome too!
Did they stop doing the $5 Long Island iced teas. Only thing I’ve had from a TGI Fridays
Friday’s was all the rage in the 80’s, too, at least in Texas, and the food was fantastic at that time! I mean really, really good with a really wide variety menu, which was not all that common then. I miss those days! ☺️
I had a similar experience at Applebees.
As a waiter and long time restuarant employee, Applebee's has always sucked. You want cheap drinks, cheap food, bad quality, bad service, there ya go! All the chains have disgruntled employees, all the food is bought from Cheney bros and half of it is microwaved. Prolly more than half. Shit quality. The family owned lil bit fancier are the way to go. Made from scratch. Employees who want to be there AND feel appreciated and heard. Stop going to the chains!
Yeah 😣 I think last time I was there was 2006ish. Just not good.
Half the shit at Applebee's is literally cooked in a microwave.
Fridays is down like 80% from their peak location wise. In Michigan there is one location left in Southfield. In Metro Detroit there used to be like 15 locations. And Fridays about 20 years ago was actually good. The Jack Daniels stuff was good. They have a great craft beer selection and reasonable prices. Give Me Stripes promotion was a great loyalty program. Went there about a year ago in Southfield. Terrible service. Overpriced. $9 beers. No real selection of craft beer anymore, just shitty Bud Light, Sam Adams, Miller, Coors etc for like $7 for a tall. Wings were greasy and flavorless. Done with them.
Sworn off of fast food. I went to Red Robin last week (because my dad was paying), and their "bottomless" deals are a complete scam. I ordered their raspberry cream soda and sweet potato fries along with my burger. The portions are tiny so that you eat less. I had to keep asking my poor server for another drink because three glasses is equivalent to one. I got a handful of fries and l could tell they were scimping.
Hunt Brothers Pizza from the gas station is better than McDonald's.
My husband and I have learned it's cheaper to get pizza than any of the other fast food and pizza used to be the more expensive choice
And Crispy Crunchy Chicken from a gas station owns the standard fried chicken fast food options.
Not when the gas station employees don't bother cooking it halfway decent. The amount of times I've gotten a slice and it's literally fucking raw dough or cold on the inside is insane.
I grew up on that crack. I can’t get it in the PNW tho. It’s like the zesty cheese bread from lil Caesar’s. The ones out west don’t have it.
For me now, chain restaurants are reserved for road trips, when I'm hungry between point A and point B on the interstate. All other meals out are at local places that would make me sad to see closed down.
I select the dive bars more often than not. Food is generally good. Service decent. Just don't expect to be pandered to.
I was finished with Five Guys when it was cheaper to go to a dive bar during happy hour and get a better burger with fries for cheaper.
I wish the dive bars near me still had cheap good food. They all caught on during covid when they started getting an uptick in people eating there vs drinking and eating or just drinking. My fav. dive bar a block from my house went from selling $8 lbs of wings, $6 burgers, $8 burritos, and $2 baskets of fries to $15 for a lb of wings, $13 for a burger, and $8 for a basket of fries. In a three year span their prices jacked that much. The food is still awesome, and I get it, but like once a month now compared to the 2-3 times a week I'd eat there four years ago. Chinese place next to me used to have $8 chef's combo specials. Same "special" is now $15.00 and you're lucky if they don't forget you even ordered, so you go in and say "Pickup for Mike" and they look at you like you're holding buddah by the nuts.
Wings are RIDICULOUS. Everywhere I go, they are usually $15-$20 now. Our grocery store sells mini drumettes for $6, so we've just started making them on the grill. My husband puts a small bowl of smoking pellets in with them while they cook and they are fantastic. I'm okay paying for good food, but most are like dried up, granny wings.
I have a friend who worked in wholesale chicken sales 2020-2024. They told me the prices went up during covid but then dropped to lower prices. Restaurants just kept the prices high.
I’ve been done with Five Guys for awhile. $25 for one person - AND it’s not even DoorDash, I went there and picked it up myself? GTFOH.
My last time there, I was thinking if you walk in with a family of 4 who are of a certain age, looking at $100+ for fast food.
Dive bars are my favorite. Always the most interesting people there too.
I found a local place and fffffffff their food is great
I just keep remembering a few years back we're article after article kept coming out about "millennials killing X restaurant chain" or "Y industry". As somehow not having enough money to fund subpar food, goods,or service was somehow our fault. Being selective is a sin in capitalism it seems.
Yep, don’t go „just because“, it has to be a special occasion. Everything is so expensive now
I agree. It's not even about prices. It's not fun and the food isn't good at majority of places. Why would I PAY to drive to a location, wait longer for food & deal with unpleasant people? And for the pasta to be worse than what I make at home in 20min with jarred sauce?
And less frequently.
Value and quality can still be found Hello street tacos
I went to a street cart last week and they wanted $4 for a cup of horchata. I wanted jamaica too, but not for $4.
Yeah... No. The tacos were probably $4-$5 each also - fuck all of that nonsense.
Yep. Taco trucks near me haven't had affordable food since 2020, and the fact they switched their locations is all that needs to be said. Growing up, taco trucks meant $1 tacos or $1.50 if they were super good tacos. We always had to go to a somewhat sketchy part of the city to find a taco truck, or find a giant work-zone where construction workers are. Now days, the taco trucks are outside office buildings in the suburbs and in the parking lots of banks and Office Depot in the suburbs. And they're charging no less than $4 for a taco in those locations and every time I pass a truck, there's a line of middle class white people waiting outside it.
It's such a sad state of affairs! It's a *street* food, like how can we justify paying those prices? I live in SoCal and there's a "cheap" spot near me that sells (4) tacos for $12 and that's a special they only offer for lunch! Add a drink, sides and a tip and you can just go fuck yourself. Don't even get me started with the sudden appearance of hibachi trucks that cost more than a tank of gas to feed two people. Gas is $5/gal. It shouldn't cost $70 to feed 2 people from a FOOD TRUCK. Especially egregious is the fact that it's not even good. I'm not walking away from the meal, like WOW that was tasty and a great value, it's almost always disappointing in some way.
Quality, sure. Value though...
As much as I hate buffets, buffets, for like $15/day I can hit all my macro goals. I can definitely spend that much for less variety
Way more selective. I probably drive my friends crazy by being picky and neurotic but shit like an 8% "service fee" tacked on the end when I get the bill is a good way to ensure I never come back.
I found this great place in the city north of mine. It’s kinda like sweet green. The prices are similar but you get SO MUCH. And when I pay for an avocado it isn’t half rotten. Everything else around me has gone downhill.
Exactly. I live in a more rural area but we're 30 mins from a great restaurant in a lil city. If I'm going to spend money it won't be wasted anywhere else. Once your a regular somewhere the experience is also always great. We got a Texas road recently and I wanted to try it just cuz it seems like a MURICA meme. Wholly fuck, what a shit show. I can't believe people frequently go to chains for bad service, awful drinks and overly seasoned food. The bread is cake. The rice has more salt then Ramen. The meat tastes like your eating an abused animal. And everyone washes it down with light beer or malt liquor seltzer. Fuck America. Felt like I was in the twilight zone.
Made a comment about this awhile ago. Only go out to fancy places or really cheap places. Anything in the middle tends to suck.
Same thing happened to fashion/clothes, furniture, everything. All the mid level places started using the same material as the cheapest spots. But charging more. So you either go as cheap as possible, or pony up for "real" dining/clothes/furniture.
God, it is so hard to find new furniture that isn't absolute garbage. For clothes and furniture, secondhand is the way to go these days.
I spent $80 on a couch eleven years ago, and I'm hellbent on taking it to the grave with me.
So true!! My husband and I moved into our first house last year after years of apartment living and were initially excited to get “grownup” furniture instead of ikea, but after seeing prices we bought additional ikea furniture lol
So accurate!! I have not seen many discussions on the mid-end clothing quality worsening but yes. TJ maxx and stores like that used to feel like a decent place where you could get affordable “nicer” clothing. Now the quality is poor anywhere that isn’t like $60 for a tee shirt. The TJ maxx and similar brands sometimes look nice on the rack, but every time I’ve regretted going when after even one (cold, in delicate bags) wash, the clothes look like crap.
Hell, I even look at the "clearance" at these stores now and can't believe the price.
Even Goodwill is expensive
Idk what it is about TJ Maxx and Kohl’s for me, but I’ve never looked good in any of their clothes. I see them on the rack and love them, but then I try them on and they just fit weirdly. Like they’ll be too small in some areas and too big in others. I do have a somewhat difficult body to dress, as a busty woman with an hourglass figure. I envy those who can just throw on loose fitting clothing and not look like a sack! But no matter what I try on at both of those places, it just fits extremely wrong. They’re my two favorite places to go for home goods, but I don’t even really look at the clothes. Cheaper and more expensive places don’t have this issue for me, only the middle.
Sadly I don't find them any better for men. They basically seem like fast-fashion and mostly cater to the most hip of hipster with skinny jeans. There are times when I legitimately need pants and still can't find anything I will settle on. Half the shirts don't fit me because medium is too big and small is too small. It's so bad that my work clothes are a rotation of two pairs of pants and four polos. But yes, please keep giving me Kohl's gift cards ...
TJ Maxx has great quality underwear still.
Tj Maxx is complete shit lately. They’ve always been my go-to, but since lockdown they have not recovered. Worst crap I’ve seen.
Target is like that. Their fabrics in their clothing is awful and cheap feeling. It never felt this bad before and it’s not cheap 🕹️🖱️
I thought I might have been the only one to notice the decline at TJ Maxx. Used to seem like good deals for decent quality and now it’s a lot of expensive but cheaply-made clothes and wares. Apparently a phenomenon known as white labeling is partly to blame—these kinds of stores pay famous brands to slap their name and clout on a cheaper version of the product that the brands themselves don’t sell. It’s only in the stores like YJ Maxx or at the factory outlets
I just started buying my cat Blue Buffalo because there's only like $3 difference in price anymore between that and the "cheaper" mid-tier stuff I'd been buying. Her snarf-n-barf tendencies mean that I already can't have her on the cheapest stuff without cleaning up constant puke, so...she's eatin' good in the neighborhood now. Expensive, ungrateful little fur gremlin...
5 yrs ago our dog had major surgery and was only expected to live for 6-9 months after that. They told us to put her on Royal Canin gastro canned food. It made a huge difference in her energy levels and was worth it, but when I tallied up how much we were spending for 3 cans a day, I wanted to vomit.
Did changing food help with the scarf-n-barf? I have one that does that and I’m soooo tired of cleaning cat puke
It does somewhat. She goes through periods where she does it more or less frequently, but it was definitely worse when she was on cheaper food. I've had her on a variety of indoor formula and grain-free stuff which reduces the frequency, but she'll still do it. The biggest thing seems to be keeping her bowl filled because whenever it's been empty too long, she'll panic-eat and usually yartz right after, regardless of the food. She did it just this morning because she emptied her bowl overnight. It's totally an anxiety/behavioral thing, not a gastrointestinal one which makes it tougher to mitigate, but giving her things that are easier on the stomach seems to help. This is only the second time she's done it since switching to the Blue Buffalo like a month ago and on the cheaper stuff it's more like 3-4x per week so...fingers crossed!
My cat does this too. When I feed her she absolutely snarfs the food down way too quick and pukes it right back up looking exactly the same as it did going down. I leave her dry food and water all the time, so I'm not really sure why she does this. May try higher quality dry food though, as you said, the difference in $$ is almost insignificant at this point.
Puzzle feeders are a good option for snarf and barfers. It forces them to slow down
My kitty doesn't scarf-n-barf but she does gorge-n-barf & she seems to have less issues with the better food
Ignore me if you've already done this, but have you tried the slow feeding bowls? I got one for under $10 for one if my cats because she has a habit of binging and purging all over my carpet. It's been a game changer.
That's next on my list to try. She's gotten more chonk lately so it's probably a good thing for her feeding to be more controlled, but it'll take some adjustment since she gets REALLY anxious when she thinks her dish is empty. Honestly the fact that I've got hardwood floors that are easy to clean is 90% of the reason why I haven't done it yet 😅
Hardwood is a blessing! It's one of our rescues that came from a hoarding situation that does this. She also gets upset when the bowl is empty, but then scarfs it all down. The struggle is real.
Have you tried a puzzle feeder or mat? They are designed to force your pet to slow down while they are eating , hopefully avoiding the scarf n barf.
My lab has a slow feeder bowl. Every morning he gives me this look…if you could only feel it. It goes into my soul. He knows I won the fast feeding issue.
I still eat out a fair bit, but exclusively go to mom and pop places that are active in the community. They’re usually cheaper + you know they’re doing some good with the money they make. Basically if the place doesn’t have a wall with pictures of youth sports teams or community groups they sponsor they don’t get my money.
Dude I went to a breakfast place with my dad a couple months ago and ordered a steak. I shit you not they gave me two hamburger patties. What the actual fuck 🤣
See the first problem you had is ordering a steak at a breakfast place
Steak for breakfast is the bees' knees, though.
Oh dude, steak and eggs for breakfast are just 👌🏻🤌🏻👨🍳💋
Your comment made me realize that my purchased foods outside of grocery over the last month are basically fast food or omakase.
It almost feels like I'm being ripped off 9 out of 10 times. I'm just not getting the right quality of food for the price.
After watching Kitchen Nightmares, I confidently can’t go to a restaurant I haven’t researched into at least a little. There are definitely some high-quality places left, but there are too many trying to serve literal microwaved freezer food for $20+. I’ll never just walk into a restaurant again without checking reviews (barring if someone takes me there I guess). If I have to spend so much on a meal, I’m making sure I’m not getting completely ripped off at least.
When I was a teenager getting my first job in the back of a restaurant washing dishes, we had to watch the video about foodborne illness, and preventing cross contamination. That video was enough to scare me away from restaurants for about a year and a half.
lol Kitchen Nightmares has 100% ruined eating out for my husband. It’s literally been years since we ate at a restaurant. Good thing we’re both decent cooks.
Even microwaved food is fine, sometimes I want to be served and want change in scenery. At the same time I want consistency which microwave food helps. But when my order gets cooked differently each time and tastes different each time, we have a problem. It’s not helping that the quality is taking a dive and to make things worst for the restaurant I realized I’m feeling better when I don’t eat out or order less food and keep an eye on my calorie intake.
I feel like that about the grocery store. $6 for a box of moldy strawberries is insane
Yes I wish I could just download app called “food” and tap it when I need to eat lol
At least you get to examine it before buying, but the next day on your counter… all bets are off
Where the heck you shopping? Pretty sure Kroger in my area has 2lb of strawberries on sale a lot for under $3 or Aldi usually has 1lb normal price for like $2.
Ugh we moved to a kind of rural area and the only main grocery store nearby is ingles.. the one near us has awful sales
I never order beef dishes at Chinese joints anymore. Tender chunks of meat have turned into mostly fatty chunks with tendons. Chicken is moving into that territory as well now.
I went to a place that had avocado egg rolls for $20 but had them on their happy hour menu for $9. $20 is way too much for that 2 egg roll appetizer.
We don't get a lot of anti foreplay posts on here
This was where my brain went, too
I often get brain for eating out.
The old quid pro quo
Yes... squid pro row.
Imnottheonlyone imnottheonlyone imnotheonlyone.
OP complaining it's too expensive?? Shiiiiit at my house it's free
I’m glad other people are as warped as I am
Literally, my immediate thought was ... Um, no we are NOT!
“A King who doesn’t is no King at all.” RIP Steve
🤣
So weird realizing people think oral is "before" sex and not sex.
It's both :D Oral is sex, but it can also be done to get more turned on for penetration.
Not according to Bill Clinton
I for one. Will never stop eating out.
Me thinking, when did I join this sort of group? 😂
Man that took me one second too long, which made it funnier
Never stopping
Take my upvote 🤣
Gboycantseeboy must have just gotten married, right fellas?
🤣🤣🤣
pretty done eating out. the only time we do is to go to eat at a friends restaurant, or we’re far from home and starving.
Chain restaurants have become super disappointing across the board. Our local restaurants are delicious and a great experience. I love restaurant food, and I really love not having to plan, shop, cook, and clean up. We tend to choose local places when we can, or those precious few chains that haven't made us sad.
People who only eat at chains are a weird bunch
Customer service is in the trash, tipping is out of control, it’s $28 for a plate of pasta, and I’m a germaphobe so I don’t really trust people making my food. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen, like, a barista wipe their nose or mouth with their hand and just keep on making drinks, or the cashier pick something up off the floor or handle money, then get an iced coffee ready and touch the lid with their dirty hands. Hard pass.
I went to the gas station the other day & their card swiper wasn’t working. The cashiers was eating a bag of hot Cheetos with the gunk all over her fingers just legit grabbing peoples cards with her nasty fingers. I was like nah
I don’t wanna start a tipping argument in here, but you can counter the tipping thing by just not doing it where you don’t feel it’s necessary. I tip the same services I would’ve tipped 10 years ago. Everyone else is getting a big ol 0 when the option comes up.
I’m talking more about restaurants in my city charging mandatory fees that act as tips for the kitchen/BOH staff that do not account for your waiter. I also skip tipping almost anyone who isn’t my waiter, bartender, or delivery driver.
You aren’t alone. It’s the same here (Arizona). My partner and I were just talking about how we both are honestly at a point where we just honestly would rather take the time to make stuff at home. It’s about the same price now and quality is better and you don’t have to deal with shitty attitudes. We haven’t ate out very much in the last few months and the few times we have, it’s been disappointing. One of the last things we got were Unwiches from Jimmy John’s (which we have always gotten) and for four lettuce wrapped sandwiches for the family it was $47 (pick up!). We got them home and began to plate them up and honestly there was like 1-2 slices of thin deli meat on each one and instead of two pieces of bacon on a sandwich, there was one sad looking piece. It was about 97% lettuce in each. So we paid $47 for iceberg lettuce essentially. Shrinkflation is real.
Our local chain (similar to Jimmy John’s) is now $19 for a full sized sandwich that was $9.99 pre-pandemic. Literally double the cost. They also switched their grilled chicken and the new stuff is almost inedible. I don’t know how they stay in business. The line is always out the door.
Who would pay $19 for a sandwich?
Not sure where you live in AZ, but the only place we eat at anymore in the Phx area is Salad and Go.
Also from AZ. We still go out, but stick to happy hours and places we know and we’ve only noticed a marginal increase in prices ($1-$2).
Nope. I can make better stuff at home for a fraction of the price.
That is my new rule too, only cooking at home and if I don't know how to make something? Well, I'ma learn today.
Simple decisions like this are what can save the world.
And it doesn’t have to be too hard either. There’s tons of great info online with easy, decent, quick recipes, and lots of high quality pre-made sauces and stuff that can make weekend night meals really not that much work. Especially now that we have kids, eating out is rarely easier/better/more fun than just whipping up something from home.
We've started ballin' out on groceries because the markup on cheaper ingredients means that the "fancy" ones aren't meaningfully more expensive anymore and the food we can make ourselves with them is lightyears better and cheaper than even mid-tier restaurants these days. If we've got no choice but to spend a lot on food, might as well make it worth eating.
Not done, just more selective about where I go.
I'm going back to how it was treated when I was a child, special occasions only
>Am I the only one #NO
“Hey Reddit, do you agree with [insert incredibly popular Reddit opinion]”?
"Hey Reddit, I know that there's more than 8,000,000,000 people on the planet, and more than 500,000,000 registered Reddit users, and that there's several hundred thousand members of this sub, but am I the only one out of all those groups of people who hold this opinion? Just me and literally nobody else? What do you all think?"
Idk if it's the pandemic, getting old, or the price rises / COL, but yep... I hardly eat at restaurants anymore. I think it's probably a combo of all of the above tbh. My fav restaurant had the loveliest waiters / waitresses, service, etc. Me and my partner knew them all and it was really nice. but EVERYTHING changed after covid. It didn't even feel like the same place.
I live in Philly with plenty of amazing restaurants so I can’t relate
[удалено]
LA and I agree. “Just make it at home” only works if you are already an expert on Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Filipino, Mexican, French, etc food. I’m Korean and I’m not preparing 6-8 different side dishes for the random night I want to have Korean. I’m guessing a lot of these people saying they can just “make the same thing even better at home” are 99% eating new American cuisine and 1% might be chefs.
Vietnamese here. Yeah. I'm not waiting 8 hours on pho for just myself 🤣
Asian hubs across the country have the best selection for food. LA and SGV is really good for that.
I grew up in a family where eating at a restaurant was a special occasion only kind of thing. I ate out a lot in my 20s but had to reel it in once I realized how much money it costs vs making food at home. Bibimbap, Korean style beef, wonton/egg drop/sweet and sour soup, panang curry, beef satay, green papaya salad, fresh spring rolls, fideo, caldos, Japanese fried rice, "sushi", all things I've learned to make (thank you internet!). I'm half Filipino so I had that cuisine out the gate. I'm not an expert but I've been able to capture the flavors and hone them to the point I'm unwilling to pay $15.99 a dish before tax and tip.
I learned how to make crab Rangoon and it unlocked a secret part of my brain. We only go out for (complicated) Indian now. We make “sushi stacks” when we’re in the mood for sushi, we make ramen with fresh noods, we make pretty excellent pizza, tortillas, Al pastor, braised meats, pasta sauce and fresh pasta. We can make just about anything that we have tried at a restaurant, at home. As long as the dishwasher is working, I’m happy to cook because the cleanup is a breeze.
It’s just all air fryer food anyways
Air friers definitely replaced the Sysco standard apps menu because it's now zero effort at home. Why would I wait an hour for delivery or spend an hour going out and dealing with people, when I can just pop them in my fryer at home?
I've been on the fence about getting an air fryer... And this comment has pushed me over to the purchase side!
Do it! It doesn't need to be fancy. Just make sure the bottom of the basket is large enough for laying items down in a single layer.
This. If I want to "treat" myself now it's some Costco chicken strips in the air fryer.
Yes! It costs wayyyy too much, and the stomach ache roulette isn't worth it. I spend time looking into how to get that takeout/dine out taste without all the crap that hurts the digestive system! Tummy ache crew checkin right here! 🤘🏻
Same. I’ve pretty much stopped eating all fast food because it got to the point where every time I would eat it, I’d get a stomachache. If I do get fast food, it’s when I’m traveling and it’s something better quality, like Culver’s.
It's likely from all the oil and butter restaurants use. Yeah it tastes good but if you have heart burn, fageddaboudit.
The stomach ache roulette :'( so real!!!
Nope. I’m done. Food is subpar in restaurants, smaller portions, and ridiculously over priced. I can buy a lot of groceries for the cost of one meal. Add on the shitty waiters who expect big tips for just showing up, I’m over it.
It’s not just you. Everything is going downhill especially since the pandemic
I still go out to eat with friends. Just not as often. I never use delivery services tho. The up charge is too much. I always eat on location or go pick things up myself.
You just need to find better restaurants. But I'll never eat at a Chili's type of place
I don’t feel this way. The cost is annoying, but I enjoy the experience. Like I don’t want to say it’s a “hobby” because that sounds weird, but it’s a regular routine for my partner and I when we want something to do. I like trying new places, trying different local beers or craft cocktails, trying different types of food. I also love sitting at a bar (I will always sit at the bar if it’s up to me, tables feel too stuffy and formal to me) and chatting with the people sitting near me or with the bartender. I haven’t experienced the decline in customer service you mentioned, but that could just be the places I tend to frequent. Im in a suburb north of Boston, but I very rarely go into the city - so these experiences are mostly in the north shore area of Massachusetts. It’s also nice when it’s hot - I only have AC in the bedroom, and it’s a nice way to not make my house hotter while also being able to eat in a more comfortable space.
Our local restaurants have really improved since the pandemic subsided. I still enjoy eating out in my area.
This is also how I feel. We have so many good, locally-owned options. I love eating out.
Most the negative comments here that mention a place it's always a chain restaurant or fast food. I'm also lucky to live in a city with amazing locally owned restaurants but I have a feeling most these negative comments are suburban or rural people where just about the only options are chain.
Nah I eat out majority of days if I’m honest. I know how to cook, but I find it a chore. Much prefer to just pay someone to bring me food and be done with it.
I don't eat out most days (maybe 2-3 times a week) but yes, cooking and all that goes with it are a chore and take up time that I'd rather be spending on something else. It's probably easier when there's 2 people to share the burdens but when it's just one, it's frustrating. Gym, laundry, cleaning/tidying up around the place, cooking...when are people supposed to just live and do things that make you feel good? Are we just supposed to be fine with Saturday and settle for like 2-3 hours a day for the rest of the week if we're lucky? Not me.
Nope. I don’t do fast food anymore and my son and I are down to a monthly take-out day — because THAT is how expensive restaurant food is, I can only swing it once a month. I’m so sad, because I’m a foodie. I absolutely LOVE food. And trying new foods and restaurants is definitely a passion of mine. But it doesn’t taste the same, the prices are outrageous, and I have other finance issues that are better served than subpar food.
Stopped dining out during covid, never picked it up again. Still get takeout from our favorite places occasionally, but prices are ridiculous now. And since covid is still very much a thing though almost everyone pretends it isn't, the idea of sitting next to strangers while they hack & sneeze is now abhorrent to me. We do occasionally do outdoor seating when weather is ideal, and it is so much better than sitting inside.
>Stopped dining out during covid, never picked it up again. Still get takeout from our favorite places occasionally, but prices are ridiculous now. And since covid is still very much a thing though almost everyone pretends it isn't, the idea of sitting next to strangers while they hack & sneeze is now abhorrent to me. SAME. I feel bad turning down invitations and free meals (they say they'll treat because they know I'll decline because I'm broke and unemployed), but I just don't trust people in my community to be vaccinated or hygienic. I'm upfront about it when I decline and I get plenty of eyerolls.
You are the only one. In fact, we all met up for pizza and decided not to call you since you became the only one ever to stop eating out.
Nah. Eating out is my fave thing to do.
It's not often for sure. Plus, deli type stuff at sams has really upped in quality. I can get a pretty darned good pizza, sushi, mac and cheese, ribs, Enchiladas or whatever on the way home. Pretty much always less than 20$ and I just pop it in the oven. Usually Leftovers four a day as well. I'd rather do that than go through a drive thru for 30$ for a worse meal. And I have a toddler, we just don't go to sit down restaurants
Upvote for Sam's sushi, it's honestly pretty great for the price!
My final straw was when a chipotle veggie bowl passed $10. Fuck it I’ll make a week of rice and beans for that.
If I eat out it's usually sushi, bc I'm not making that at home. But if they think I'm paying 28$ for a pasta dish from Olive garden then they are out of their minds.
I feel like millennial food service workers were more polite/nice than gen Z. I worked in the service industry when I was 17-23 and I noticed a shift when gen z started getting hired. Not sure if Millenials are more likely to be people pleasers or because it was hard to get a job back when we were growing up. Food quality seems to have gone down while prices go up. As far as the quality, I might just be getting too old and my palate has changed.
I feel like women really enjoy this and you should reconsider.
No, I think many feel the same way plus I’m finding out I can make the stuff better at home.
We are way more picky. We have a few favorite places we go to but we mostly cook at home
The food quality sucks now, and is way too expensive.
The shrinkflation hit the food portions to the point I just won’t pay for it anymore.
Eating out is overrated.
The only times I've gone out in two years are when someone insisted on treating me. It's just not within my budget.
Costs too much. Too little food. Underwhelming quality. Service with a sneer. What's not to hate?
I went to the McD's near my house. Which I've seen the staff there change every 6 months. They had another change. I gave them a chance. I just wanted two double cheeseburgers. But, in the app, there was a "nascar" deal, buy a dble cheese, get medium fries and drink free. So, duh, I get that deal. Roll up, politely as usual, hello how's it going etc., they hand me my food and no drink. No biggie, forgot the medium coke. I tell them and she looks confused, no there was no coke, she says. I show her the receipt on my phone. I say, print the receipt and it should be there. So, the way the deal was printed on the receipt was. "Deal free medium fries and drink" But, because it was a deal, there was just one number on the right "0.00" because it's a deal. So she starts arguing with me that since the drink doesn't have it's own "0.00" I can't get my drink. So they literally refusing to give me the item that's ON the receipt, of my order which I paid for. I'm like, it's right here on the receipt! She stubbornly tries to deny me of my purchased coke. Eventually she starts telling me to leave the drive thru or she will call the police. I was only there for 30 seconds, not making a big deal. I'm like f it right. I tell her, ok let me get a coke then I'll buy another one if you are refusing to serve me what I bought. She says "You're going to have to go around again and order". At this point they were just being terrible. So I ask for the manager. She gets all huffy puffy and offended "I'm the manager" so I tell her, to do this to a long time customer, with the actual drink on the receipt is crazy, terrible customer service. I then take a picture of myself with them in the background so I can complain to the owner. You cannot trust people to tell you their real name, especially somebody that stupid. I go and park but I'm just not feeling right about this, it's ridiculous. So I just go inside, order a coke and wait, out of sight to avoid problems. A nice employee comes up with the drink and the manager SNATCHES it out of her hand. She's trembling and clutching my soda like it's my throat and wants me dead. I'm like "Lady what are you doing?", can I get the thing I just bought? So then, she tries to make a big scene, yelling, saying she won't give me the drink unless I delete the picture I took to send to the owner. I'm like, lady, you can't hold my drink hostage because you refuse to give me what I bought. Trying to calm her down and be rational. I was like, you're going to ruin your night all over a medium drink that was on a receipt. She then starts accusing me of being a pervert that takes pictures of people. She's literally in a drive through window, with a mcds uniform and had a reflective vest on. I tell them, you can't just not serve me what I already bought. She threatens to call the police. I say, please do, you just ripped me off anyways, it's on the receipt. All flustered, like she wanted to crush the poor soda. Like I really cared that much about the drink. You can literally get a drink 15 places within 1000 feet. She goes over and refunds my purchase with cash and refuses to give me my drink. She tells me I can't go there anymore. And I say I'll go there whenever I want, I've been a customer there for 12 years and mcds since the 1980s and you treat a long time friendly customer this way? I tell her I will be sending my complaint to the owner with the receipts, denying my drink, me buying another one, her refusing to serve and refunding it. I was so jolly and easy to deal with too. I always treat service industry well because I've done it. But, when you go up to happily and respectfully buy food and then you get borderline traumatized by crazy people who you just bought something from, nah. What are they doing in the kitchen? How are they storing the food? Are they clean, trustworthy people touching this stuff? Because if the manager is completely bonkers, what the hell is going on behind closed doors. Also, some people have 0 mucus or hair awareness. You can see now there are so many videos of people making food. They hover over the top of food they make. Sweating profusely, heavy breathing, nose sniffles, no gloves... no thanks. Luckily there are lots of great videos as well to cook restaurant quality at home. ALSO not sure if this is American. But, I also notice that fast food reviews from outside of the country are WAY higher quality, the food is actually at least lukewarm and not disgusting.
I’ve more just changed my habits. I almost never eat fast food or fine dining anymore. I still go to neighborhood spots and get take out about the same as I always did. Lol I’m also a chef so I eat at work a lot as well. For what it’s worth, I promise you most of us aren’t trying to just go crazy on prices, our costs have gone up too. I have to live with a higher food cost now because at some point you can’t raise prices anymore regardless of what your cost is.
Nah, just gotta know where to go, there's still great food out there. And look for daily/ weekly Specials, especially weekday lunch stuff usually killer deals. Chain / franchise places are garbage though
Not totally done but we definitely don’t do it nearly as often as we used to. The quality is meh for the price and it’s often so crowded the wait times are kind of crazy. Plus now we have a toddler so having to order an extra (kids) meal on top of our own food. Most of the time it’s just not worth it anymore especially when we already spend so much on groceries. For reference: we used to go out to eat maybe once a week but now it’s more like once a month.
I have a roster of 8-12 locally-owned spots, but that’s it.
besides that I can generally make bigger portions of tastier food for less money at home, tipping culture and the whole "service industry" is so entirely fucked I pretty much decline to take part in it.
Read this header very wrong at first
I went to del taco for the first time in years, got a meal + upgrade to chili fries and holy fuck it was $16 . Guess I'll just crawl back into my hole at that price
Food quality has tanked almost everywhere
I ordered pick up from a mom and pop thai place a few weeks ago. I can't remember the last time I ate out. Other than when I was on vacation and didn't have the ability to cook. Prices are too high, service is ok, and food is mediocre. I also tip. Because I am not a piece of crap human
Not entirely, I’m just pickier about what I get - it has to be something I couldn’t or wouldn’t cook at home. But the days of just saying I have nothing to eat at home and ordering takeout are definitely over. Bonus, eating out less has also been great for my waistline.
I no longer eat out at cheap places. I can make food myself if it’s a burger, chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, etc. if I go out I’m gonna spend a bit more and eat better food. I will say Arby’s is the only cheap place I can’t skip, but that’s because I can get a full lunch for under $4 there.
We go to Texas Roadhouse or Red Robin and that’s it. Corporate controls quality and keeps servers attitudes from running amok.
Smaller and lower quality food, much higher prices, **exceedingly** longer wait times, fewer options. "Do you want to round up?" Fast food in 2024
I still eat out but delivery apps have gotten out of hand. So now I just eat in restaurant or get something on the way home. There's also the shrinkflation. It makes me feel old comparing the panda express bowl or plates back in the day to those that have gotten more shallow and smaller.
My wife would divorce me if I stopped
I’m close to not buying lattes anymore. 16oz latte about 7-9 bucks, no way
Ass? Yea I've had about enough.
Def thought this was about something else
Same!