A lot of restaurants aren’t doing well these days.

[ksblazer]

I know that we talked about our gripes with restaurants a little while ago.

Frustrated that the prices have gone up. Portions being less than they used to. A change in the quality of food. Service and cleanliness has gone downhill in some places.

We were all saying that we were cutting back on dining out due to this.

I’m not sure if it’s just where I live. But when I do go out now. I see a lot less people in the restaurants. I mean only 2-3 other tables with customers dining in.

Went out to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants on Monday after work. This place used to always be about half full at least. I was the only customer in the place!! The have a good 25 or so tables there too. I saw 2-3 people come in for takeout orders.

Saw some good reviews on line about a Mexican taco shop. So I decided to check it out. There a a family of 3 at 1 table and the rest were empty. The table of 3 took off as there food was to go. I sat down and ate my meal there. Only 2 people showed up. 1 was a food delivery driver and the other was to go. To be honest this wasn’t the best place as far as dining in. More of a to go place.

Same thing with a teriyaki place I went to. Only 1 guy eating in. Then just before I finished up another guy came in and placed an order to go. This place used to usually be about half full. But it’s a smaller place with about 8 tables.

Yesterday I decided to stop by this hamburger place that had good reviews and reasonable prices for the 1st time. To my surprise 3 of the 5 tables were occupied. Another 2 people came in and sat down. Then on my way out another person was coming in.

While I was there it had me wondering. Why was that little burger place so much busier than any of those other places?

The burger place was a couple of $$’s less. But not as good IMO as to the Mexican or Chinese place. I know hamburger’s are popular too. So maybe that was why. But I think it’s really coming down to $$. A lot of people can’t afford to pay $20+ on basic food places going out.

Just saw a YouTube video and have seen news articles about how the restaurant chains are going bankrupt and will be downsizing.

It’s sad to see that all this is happening. But times are changing.

Just curious if you noticed that this trend going on in your area as well?

 

[fpancoe]

In my area the restaurants are always busy- and they aren't cheap. Maybe its because incomes are a bit above average here......

 

[Lightcs1776]

My wife and I primarily do take out, unless we are going out with friends or family. We have changed our eating so it is typically wings, salads, or sushi ( we try to eat low carb, but sushi is a requirement). We will not overpay for restaurant food, so it better be decent quality at a good price.

 

[ButterfaceX]

Yes.. We cook at home mostly. Kitchen is a great gathering and sharing zone. We go out mainly for events (others organize) but if we create it, we will have it at home.. BFX This way we control the quality and the cost....but mainly it is about the food and connections.. We just keep the tip bucket full of love and fun...

 

[brucered]

We cook at home. Although we can afford to eat out as much as we want, I am usually disappointed in the quality of food and the costs are crazy for a family of 4 with 2 teenage boys (17 & 19).

This was supper yesterday. DIY, personalized calzones from scratch.

We serve them on aluminum pizza plates with take out wrappers to give us the "take out" ambiance.

 

[DesertIguana]

Restaurants do well if things are consistent, food is quality, food quantity is good, service is good, and last fair prices.

 

[Hairy Callahan]

Nothing to do with the subject at hand, but there's a pizza joint in our area that has Coke decor everywhere. Napkin dispensers, light chandeliers, wallpaper, wall art, Santa Claus advertisements all over the walls. And, you guessed it, you can't order a Coke in there. Darnedest thing ever.

 

[Mojo88]

Most of the sit down restaurants in our area seem to be doing well. The chain fast food restaurants on the other hand never seem to be that busy with the exception of McDonalds, Chipotle and Taco Bell. My son took his family of 5 to Wendy’s and the bill was over 50.00. Factor in that included two kids meals and that’s a pricey fast food night.

 

[helicopter]

I prefer to cook my own food. Most restaurant meals make me sick because they are too fatty for me to tolerate on glp1 blockers. Anything that isn't fatty is usually not worth the effort, like 4oz of grilled chicken on a crappy salad. The big exception is sushi, which I can actually enjoy.

Normally I would rather make some chicken breast or pork loin at home and spend the $100 on shaving stuff that will stimulate my olfactory sense without making me feel like crap.

 

[Rushman2112]

I'd say the middle to high end places here not as busy as pre-Covid. A few places did not survive but conversely there are new restaurants taking over their spaces. Of my favourites, 2 are picking up again but it has taken a while. I think some people got out of the habit of eating out, and they are the ones the F&B industry needs to re-excite.

The lower end, what are called hawker centres here, which are collections of family run staffs selling all kinds of local fare (watch the recent episode of Masterchef from Singapore aired last week and on iPlayer, the finalists had to cook in one) are always busy, day and night. Most Singaporeans don't cook at home and eat at them every day.

We do cook at home but not that frequently now and are just as likely to get Deliveroo to send something over.

 

[musicman1951]

Most restaurants seem to be doing well in my area. When we go out it's often with the grandchildren and we usually end up in a chain like Junior's where we can get away with around a $100 bill for the 6 of us. The place is always mobbed.

My problem with going out is not too little food, it's too much. I usually end up taking half of the entree home. I have a salad every night at home, but it's not the size of a dinner plate.

 

[Old Hippie]

We cook most of our own. An hour-plus round trip to town to get takeout seems a little pretentious. Besides, once I've had something that I like, I usually figure out how to make it myself. Not only do I get to eat it while it's still hot, but often I can do at least as good a job as the restaurant cook plus I use better ingredients. Having some kitchen skills is a bonus.

On the rare occasion when I'm in town at meal time, usually lunch, I'm often satisfied with some fresh fruit and a cookie. Or hit the town's one "Mexican" restaurant for a fish taco and some refritos. I've noticed that the Natcherl Foodz Store and Old Hippie Lifestyle Boutique has some good sandwiches, but they're all over $10.

On my upcoming trip I'll eat enough restaurant food to last me a while. I tend to be a sandwich guy. (Ooohhh...stir the pot! Burritos are a sandwich.) My daughter and I have been going to the same Thai restaurant for her birthday for about the last 12 years. Looking forward to that. My son and I will eat at some nice place; up to him. I may also get to buy a dinner for his girlfriend, whom I have yet to meet.

O.H.

 

[njpaddy]

Maybe every 2-3 years I get a Big Mac or Texas Weiner. My wife's not a fan, so we only eat out a couple times a year, usually birthday, anniversary, or when kids/grandkids visit. Last Nov, we attempted to go to Maggiano's for our 54th anniversary but, with traffic, couldn't reach it. We doubled back, and decided to eat at an Italian restaurant down the street from where we live that we usually order pizza from. We ate in and ordered Shrimp fra Diablo. It was the best we've had since a place in Jim Thorpe Pa, back in the 1990s.

 

[Doc4]

the prices have gone up. Portions being less than they used to. A change in the quality of food.

All of which falls back to the current problem around inflation. IMHO restaurants are one of those businesses that get the triple-quadruple-quintuple-whammy of inflation because they don't just need to keep up with inflation ... they need to keep up with it after the cost of all their supplies have gone up due to inflation ... and wages have to go up to keep up with inflation ... and then people don't eat out as much due to inflation so sales are down ... so prices have to go up more to keep the profits from drying up ... so that drives customers away even more.

we try to eat low carb, but sushi is a requirement

Low carb sushi is called "sashimi".

 

[ksblazer]

All of which falls back to the current problem around inflation. IMHO restaurants are one of those businesses that get the triple-quadruple-quintuple-whammy of inflation because they don't just need to keep up with inflation ... they need to keep up with it after the cost of all their supplies have gone up due to inflation ... and wages have to go up to keep up with inflation ... and then people don't eat out as much due to inflation so sales are down ... so prices have to go up more to keep the profits from drying up ... so that drives customers away even more.



Low carb sushi is called "sashimi".

I think that’s the biggest problem around my area.

In the national headlines I saw that grocery prices have dropped a little.

I don’t really see any drop. It seems like they have leveled off though.

There has been an increase in minimum wage to $16.28. So that’s why I believe the average places I go to are charging on average around $15 for just the dinner entrée. Like I mentioned in my earlier post. These are just little local owned business. Selling Teriyaki, Chinese, Thai, burger baskets, Mexican food. Not fancier places either.


Once you add something to drink, sales tax and tip. Your looking at $20+ $$’s by the time you leave.

It’s no wonder why take out appears to be more common lately.

 

[DesertIguana]

Buddy just got back from Newport Beach California, he sad the good places are doing well.

Rick people are still live good life. His dinner one night was $300.00 for one. He said everything on menus was market price, and everything was super.

 

[Doc4]

Rick people are still live good life.

They will never give it up.
They will never let us down.
They will never run around after the dessert tray.

 

[GR5233]

My son took his family of 5 to Wendy’s and the bill was over 50.00. Factor in that included two kids meals and that’s a pricey fast food night.

Last time I went to Wendy’s it was over $15. I can understand that during Covid when they were having trouble getting food deliveries but not 2024 when supply chains are back to normal