So when do people stop going out to eat?

[fan4ever]

I have a customer who owns 5 Mexican Food Cafes here in the Phoenix area. The past few years we've reprinted their menus 6 times...always to accommodate higher prices. Their typical cost now is about $18.00 per entree...Mexican food.

On a personal note I stopped by a McDonald's today and paid $4.96 for a large order of fries. There's got to be a breaking point for most folks.

[Holladay]

No clue....I have learned to cook...kinda. When it is good, ok, when the dogs don't eat = bad.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Holladay

I was talking to a buddy today about this topic. He and his wife are good cooks. They are of means and can afford to go out a few times a week. The kids are gone and have business careers.

They would go out a few times a week because they don't have time to cook. Because they can cook and the prices are so crazy, they are trying to cook more at home.

His point is that you can go to Taco Bell for ~$20, but it is crap food.

So do you spend +$50 or more for quality or take your time, if you can cook, and cook at home?

Time = money.

That is the basic premise. or do mac n cheese and pop tarts?

But the time it takes to go out to eat a decent meal also = money? Of course, unless you're just running to a Taco Bell drive through.

I do a decent amount of meal prep, so a few hours on a Sunday afternoon when I'd be on my ass on the couch instead really pays off... throw a dozen eggs into a muffin tin with some chicken sausage, ham, whatever, repeat a few times... and you have a month's worth of breakfast stored in the freezer that comes out to a dollar or two per meal..... and most of the time is spent waiting for them to bake.

I also tried Hello Fresh at one point and holy **** was it a lot of work... could easily spend an hour to 90 minutes on prep, just to wait for it to cook for 45-60 minutes, and it wasn't exactly cheap. If I was spending that kind of time in the kitchen, I just might go out and eat every night.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

But the time it takes to go out to eat a decent meal also = money? Of course, unless you're just running to a Taco Bell drive through.

I do a decent amount of meal prep, so a few hours on a Sunday afternoon when I'd be on my ass on the couch instead really pays off... throw a dozen eggs into a muffin tin with some chicken sausage, ham, whatever, repeat a few times... and you have a month's worth of breakfast stored in the freezer that comes out to a dollar or two per meal..... and most of the time is spent waiting for them to bake.

I also tried Hello Fresh at one point and holy **** was it a lot of work... could easily spend an hour to 90 minutes on prep, just to wait for it to cook for 45-60 minutes, and it wasn't exactly cheap. If I was spending that kind of time in the kitchen, I just might go out and eat every night.

Our experience with services like Hello Fresh has been pretty much the opposite. Yes, some of them have complicated prep but not all of them. Keep in mind that you don't have to spend time or money going to the grocery store. Also, the up front price is offset by having almost perfect portions. We never have leftovers or waste at all. We eat everything we cook, the first time.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Our experience with services like Hello Fresh has been pretty much the opposite. Yes, some of them have complicated prep but not all of them. Keep in mind that you don't have to spend time or money going to the grocery store. Also, the up front price is offset by having almost perfect portions. We never have leftovers or waste at all. We eat everything we cook, the first time.

I had high hopes for it, but after a month it didn't seem to be helping in terms of budgeting or meal prep time. The food was great though, and I noticed that about portion sizes, too.

I'm relatively lazy in the kitchen, too... chop your own damn veggies, Hello Fresh.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Y They substitute tea for coffee. I mean, I could go on but I think you get the point.

that's crazy considering how many alternative coffee choices they must have at any given time.

A lot of times ours will say they're out of something and attempt to sub it, but you can walk right in the store and pick it up off the shelf. I'm assuming they limit online orders to ensure the shelves stay adequately stocked, but it still comes off weird as hell.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

I had high hopes for it, but after a month it didn't seem to be helping in terms of budgeting or meal prep time. The food was great though, and I noticed that about portion sizes, too.

I'm relatively lazy in the kitchen, too... chop your own damn veggies, Hello Fresh.

Yeah, it's not for everybody. My wife and I have turned it into a bonding time. I chop the veggies.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by crispystl

that's crazy considering how many alternative coffee choices they must have at any given time.

A lot of times ours will say they're out of something and attempt to sub it, but you can walk right in the store and pick it up off the shelf. I'm assuming they limit online orders to ensure the shelves stay adequately stocked, but it still comes off weird as hell.

Yeah, it's crazy. Sometimes their substitutions make no sense at all.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I hope this doesn't sound like a lecture, it's really not. I agree with pretty much all of what you're saying..

Not at all. We're saying the same thing. It's all calories in/out at the end of the day lol