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[honeybun]

I think I'm probably a little bit out of touch....but how much are you prepared to spend on a meal out.
We are on our holidays and my son is coming to join us tomorrow night.

We were thinking about going out for a meal on Friday.....Not my favourite thing to do due to anxiety but I'm sure I would manage.
There are a couple of pubs we have tried before but would not eat in again and one very posh restaurant that's within reasonable driving distance.
We were looking at the menu and we reckon that a meal for three with wine and coffee would cost at least £150. Now I know my son would pay but that's not the point.
I have always been reluctant to spend a lot of money on meals out because I am very critical having trained and worked as a chef.
I would rather spend my money on something I could take home with me.

I just wondered how much others think acceptable for a meal.

Now we are in the wilds of Scotland so things are obviously cheaper than the cities.

So how much is to much and is that what you want to spend your money on ?


Honeyb
x

[CLKD]

Depends where we eat?  Once I find a place locally that we think is good value I tend to judge food outlets across the country.

Does being in the country side mean cheaper food, it certainly doesn't down here.  Someone asked a restaurant waiter 'is the food sourced locally?' - yes; 'where?' - Stressco ……. you really couldn't make it up !

We have Tesco tickets for Pizza Express so when I am able to 'fancy' a pizza we eat there - they do a range of good drinks, Lemoncello, various pizzas and pasta dishes - have never got as far as the sweets    - 

I expect we would pay between £10-25 each ……… for an evening meal unless it was a top notch place.  Will have a look-see if I remember when we are out and about.

However Honeybun - as a family you have a LOT to celebrate so ENJOY [anxiety allowing  ]

[littleminnie]

I think a lot of the time you get what you pay for (but not always).
I'm like you HB I don't like to spend too much because the next day you have nothing to show for it.
We have been to a few very expensive restaurants, but not many.   I think if you pay less than £15 it's usually up to much.   
Also it depends on the occasion, as a one off I think it's nice to splash out.

[bramble]

As a once off meal in a very nice restaurant then £50 each is ok. I go to an Italian rest. every so often and with wine it works out to about £30-40 each so not much better. That is 3 courses with sides and coffee. I would grudge the £50 if it wasn't up to much. But good company, a glass or two of wine, a nice meal and memories in the bag, it's cheap. Enjoy!

Bramble

[dazned]

I would expect to pay £50 per head at a very good restaurant,not including wine as we don't drink 

However that is not far from London ,if we go out and about for a normal meal wouldn't normally pay more £20/25 per head unless special reason .
It's usually Chinese or pizza hut 

[Dorothy]

How much is too much?  Any amount that you a) can't afford or b) will feel so bad about spending that you can't enjoy eating the food anyway. 

I eat out about once every two years.  £20 is the most I've ever spent but I don't drink alcohol which keeps the price down 

[Limpy]

For a decent quality meal, £50 - £70 a head sounds very good, we are talking about the wilds of Wales here. That does not include wine, we do drink but haven't included it in the price for this.

I assume Friday will be a Bank Holiday in Scotland, could that put the demand / price up?

[honeybun]

When we do go out which is rarely these days we go to our local pub and the food is reasonable. I just grudge spending a lot on food 

Guess I'm a miserable Scot.. We are not known for our deep pockets 

Also the fact that I'm really picky and think I could do it better myself doesn't help either. Drives my hubby up the wall.


Honeyb
x

[Joyce]

£50 a head isn't unusual for some places. Have you checked out TripAdvisor for places nearby? We did that on holiday in Jersey couple of years back. 

However, I think as a treat it might be worthwhile.

[clio]

For a 3 course meal with drinks a maximum of £40 each is enough to pay I think, anymore than that I would be 

Clio

[Scampi]

Hubby and I eat out quite often (maybe every couple of weeks) - we usually spend about £20 a head for 2 courses and non-alcoholic drinks.  But for a special occasion we would (and have) pay £70 a head for 3 courses and wine in a good restaurant (hubby has spent more than that when he's been entertaining clients at work).

It comes down to what you are 'happy' to pay - you can be very happy with a £70 a head meal and feel you've got a good deal in one place, but be very unhappy with a £5 meal from somewhere else!

[littleminnie]

When we went to Vegas we went to a very expensive restaurant.  It was one of those where they will do anything for you (so they should the price we payed).  The food was fabulous and the service was amazing.  Wine was £125 a bottle 

[Joyce]

Very extravagant! Most we've paid for a meal for two with wine was in Jersey two years ago. It was for hubby's birthday. Mark Jordan restaurant. Meal was totally scrumptious. Only problem was we felt out of place. Awfully posh. Maître D looked down his nose at us. Hubby was dressed smart casual which they had said was acceptable dress code, but somehow he felt uncomfortable. There was someone there in a football shirt, jeans & baseball hat splashing the cash, that was acceptable.

I'd rather pay less & be comfortable in my surroundings.

[Greyhoundgal]

Hm, difficult one really.  Depends a lot on the circumstances I suppose.  My sister and I were down in London the week before last and had a lovely meal at an Italian right on Kensington High Street - two courses each, shared pud, bottle of prosecco and coffee came to a very reasonable (for London) £75.

[babyjane]

I dislike eating out because I don't know what goes into the meal and something always upsets my IBS.  That said we do occasionally go for a meal somewhere we know and trust but due to our financial situation we would never go anywhere that cost more that £30 for the 2 of us, perhaps a bit more for a special occasion, so its usually a local pub rather than a hotel or a restaurant.