Dining out – the rule of diminishing returns

PSmith · July 24, 2012

Prompted by a comment made by MaLO in this thread

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php/topic/143085-the-cube-by-electrolux/

http://www.independe...e1-7893421.html
I did consider going but decided it was too expensive. I booked a short break to Milan with flights and hotel for less £ instead.
Claude Bosi was going to be cooking when I considered going.

It got me thinking about my own thoughts on dining out.

I guess that I will eat out somewhere very "posh" about once or twice a year. Mostly I will spend about £30-£40 a head on a nice meal out, including wine.

Last time I ate somewhere spectacular it was with a friend at Searcy's at the Gherkin in London. Cost was about £140 for two including a half bottle of wine (driving). But to be honest, whilst it was extremely nice and the food was very good and beautifully presented, I am not sure that it justified the extra spend over my normal establishments. Although the view was pretty spectacular.

For me personally, the law of diminishing returns applies to eating out. I cannot justify eating out at very expensive restaurants on a regular basis, even though I could afford it - it just feels like I am being ripped off. It is the same with wine. I am not sure that a £200 bottle of wine taste £170 better than the £30.

Anyone feel the same as me? And to those of you who dine out regularly at expensive restaurants - how do you deal with it morally?

Harters · July 24, 2012

Eating out regularly (once a week) is something that has only come to me in later life and, even more specifically, since retirement (on the basis that, as they say, you cannot take it with you). I enjoy "posh" meals but cannot regularly afford them so the vast majority of our eating experiences are of the pub/bistro/ethnic sort of place. Even so, we eat out with more regularity and, generally, spend more than anyone else we know amongst family, friends and acquaintances.

We spend within our means on things which give us pleasure, whether that is meals out, food at home, holidays, etc. I have never considered that there was a moral issue with that.

PSmith · July 24, 2012

Wow - over 100 views, but only one response. Lot of shy people on egullet. :unsure:

Thanks Harters. I guess we eat out about once a fortnight and like you it is mostly pubs/bistro and local restaurants. Personally I find the London dining scene a bit overblown. I can eat out locally, just as well for a third of the cost of the city. I get far more pleasure seeking out a reasonably priced restaurant that give a good dining experience.

We could afford to pay more, but I guess it is not totally a moral issue but also feeling like I am paying over the odds. But then I have never been one for designer clothing either....

DickL · July 24, 2012

For me personally, the law of diminishing returns applies to eating out. I cannot justify eating out at very expensive restaurants on a regular basis, even though I could afford it - it just feels like I am being ripped off. It is the same with wine. I am not sure that a £200 bottle of wine taste £170 better than the £30.

That's pretty much how I feel, too.

I also have problems paying $45 for a wine I can buy at retail for $15-- I'd be better off spending my $45 at a wine shop, where I'd likely get a much better wine for the money. Wine prices (plus the issue of driving) have gradually reduced my inclination to go out to eat, to the point where my wife and I now rarely do so except when traveling.

Edited July 24, 2012 by DickL (log)

RDB · July 24, 2012

For me personally, the law of diminishing returns applies to eating out. I cannot justify eating out at very expensive restaurants on a regular basis, even though I could afford it - it just feels like I am being ripped off. It is the same with wine. I am not sure that a £200 bottle of wine taste £170 better than the £30.
That's pretty much how I feel, too.
I also have problems paying $45 for a wine I can buy at retail for $15-- I'd be better off spending my $45 at a wine shop, where I'd likely get a much better wine for the money. Wine prices (plus the issue of driving) have gradually reduced my inclination to go out to eat, to the point where my wife and I now rarely do so except when traveling.

It has crept into beers and ales as well, I have seen some beers retail £1.85 being sold in restaurants for £8.50.

david goodfellow · July 24, 2012

For me personally, the law of diminishing returns applies to eating out. I cannot justify eating out at very expensive restaurants on a regular basis, even though I could afford it - it just feels like I am being ripped off. It is the same with wine. I am not sure that a £200 bottle of wine taste £170 better than the £30.
That's pretty much how I feel, too.
I also have problems paying $45 for a wine I can buy at retail for $15-- I'd be better off spending my $45 at a wine shop, where I'd likely get a much better wine for the money. Wine prices (plus the issue of driving) have gradually reduced my inclination to go out to eat, to the point where my wife and I now rarely do so except when traveling.
It has crept into beers and ales as well, I have seen some beers retail £1.85 being sold in restaurants for £8.50.

Where?

RDB · July 24, 2012

Sorry David I got it wrong, my old memory was playing up, it was actually £9.50. :wink: :wink:

http://www.galvinatwindows.com/pdf/Wine_and_champange.pdf

MaLO · July 24, 2012

Those beer prices are interesting. When I say interesting I mean unbelievable.

Panaderia Canadiense · July 24, 2012

For me, since I generally can't afford the $100 a plate/a head places more than once a year, it comes down more to simple economics. I can (and do) eat very well at places that charge $2.00 (yes, you're reading that right, just under 1 pound sterling) for three, generally beautifully presented, courses that will fill me up and fuel me well until the next meal rolls around.

ETA - I should mention as well that here at least, the most expensive restaurants will serve me far, far less than the comedores I prefer, and as a result I'll leave feeling more than a little cheated for having paid so very much to leave the table hungry. Modernist/Molecular/Whatever you want to call it has hit big here, and we do have some truly amazing chefs, but the end result is those annoyingly small plates of beautiful things that are gone before you really have a chance to evaluate whether you like them or not. This irks me.

Being the pragmatic type that I am, I don't see the sense in paying more for less, no matter how "advanced" or "artfully presented" that less might be.

Edited to clarify things.

Edited July 24, 2012 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

MaLO · July 24, 2012

I just got back from Milan today. Very nice too. I will be adding some bits and bobs on the Italy pages in the next few days (for anyone interested).

In terms of this discussion, sometimes no matter the cost you get value, other times not. I do tend to spend quite a while picking places where I will be happy to pay the bill. I tend to eat out at lunchtime too, so I have to option of the 'cheap' menu, or whatever else is available depending on the £ I want to spend or the feel at the time.

Gary Marshall · July 25, 2012

Those beer prices are interesting. When I say interesting I mean unbelievable.

wow yes, 9.50 for black sheep and i assume 'timothy' is timothy taylors landlord? certainly sub £2 bottles , usual mark 70% gp is 3.3 x cost plus vat, that's pretty much 4x.

Though it does have the view and is in an expensive part of London, not the place for a session as i found out to my ruin once. From Marcus Wareing to windows bar, cost wise deffo out of the frying pan into the fire!

Food at windows looks good though and I do fancy trying it one day.

Harters · July 25, 2012

Gawd knows what they might charge if they served Ferran Adria's lager.

Andrew · July 25, 2012

One of the things I look for when eating out is whether it is something I can't cook at home. Far to often the 'local Italian' or Gatro-pub produce something that I could cook just as well at home (if I had the time!). Personaly I'd prefer to eat out less often and go to somewhere really nice than pay £40 a head for something I can produce at home.Needless to say it never works like that and I still frequent the 'locals' on a regular basis........

Andrew

RDB · July 25, 2012

Gawd knows what they might charge if they served Ferran Adria's lager.

That is the interesting point. One of the Byrnes at D Byrne in Clitheroe told me of a champagne style beer that was produced at Bowland brewery, however he could not get his hands on it as it was a one off that was goind straight to Northcote. Now in this instance you would like to pay a bit more for A) Something rare B) Something Indiviudally produced. C) Something unique in taste. However charging that for Black Sheep or TT landlord is bizarre.

Interestingly Black sheep is dearer on the menu than Duvel, however retails cheaper? Not sure in the logic?

Matthew Grant · July 25, 2012

Don't bother with Adrias beer if you see it, Its not bad but not worth the premium and why should it be any good? A bit like paying £200 for a meal cooked by a brewer at Timothy Taylor's.

Gary Marshall · July 25, 2012

Estrella Enerdit i had at Anthony's a while ago was an interesting 'champagne' beer.

i was never that keen on the Deus? champagne beer they had first, we had some Matt years ago.

Keith Orr · July 25, 2012

I tend to dine out at lunch time. Mostly Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Mexican. Pretty hard to spend $10. I dine out in nice for Portland places four or five times a year and spend $50 to $100 each. Typically we buy a bottle or two of modestly priced wine and pay corkage on another one or two.

I'd really rather dine at home or at friends most of the time as opposed to dining out. I know a lot of fine cooks and I'm glad to bring the wines.

Matthew Grant · July 26, 2012

I liked the Deus, I've had it a couple of times since but when drinking it never feels like a beer, not sure if thats a good thing or not.

Shalmanese · July 26, 2012

I actually find that there's a canyon of enjoyment in the mid-range of dining out. The times I do go out to eat, I love cheap, ethnic eats under $15 and I appreciate the artistry of a $200 tasting menu but every time I eat at a place that's $25 - $45, I inevitably look down at my plate and think "I'm paying $30 for this I can make this better at home from $5 worth of ingredients!". Just tonight, I was grabbing drinks with a friend at a hip new place that just opened up and she ordered a $22 ricotta ravioli that came with FIVE ravioli and some wild mushrooms and arugula.

I'd much rather forgo 6 $30 meals for one $180 meal.

Julian Teoh · July 26, 2012

I actually find that there's a canyon of enjoyment in the mid-range of dining out. The times I do go out to eat, I love cheap, ethnic eats under $15 and I appreciate the artistry of a $200 tasting menu but every time I eat at a place that's $25 - $45, I inevitably look down at my plate and think "I'm paying $30 for this I can make this better at home from $5 worth of ingredients!". Just tonight, I was grabbing drinks with a friend at a hip new place that just opened up and she ordered a $22 ricotta ravioli that came with FIVE ravioli and some wild mushrooms and arugula.
I'd much rather forgo 6 $30 meals for one $180 meal.

Amen to that!!!

Simon_S · July 26, 2012

I think the law of diminishing returns can apply, but these days I'd sooner save up my shekels for one occasional blow-out meal rather than lots of mid-range (and frequently disappointing) meals. I agree with the mid-range canyon mentioned upthread, and since I eat pretty well at home I'll also either lean towards ethnic or multi-course taster when out.

While paying several hundred Euro/Pounds/Dollars for a meal is immoral to some, I certainly don't consider it so. Food is one of very few things I can experience at the very top level, where I can actually see, taste and experience the state of the art (if such a concept exists for food). Some top-end meals have been sufficiently impressive that the happy memories will last a lifetime. I firmly believe that money spent on experiences is money well-spent.

Andrew · July 26, 2012

Couldn't agree with Simon_S more.

Pam Brunning · July 26, 2012

I find it reassuring that many of you think these expensive restaurants and popups are OTT. We too mainly lunch out, it is normally much better value.

As a primary producer, who knows the raw ingredient cost, I never fail to be flabbergasted at the price a tiny piece of meat or fish can command in a high end restaurant. The other day I saw a ¼ of a seared mackerel served with some pickled cucumber and a dollop of cream fraîche as a starter for £10. I don’t care if the head chef had got a Michelin star that is just plain robbery, the ingredient cost was under a pound.

You are moaning about the mark up on beer prices - what about wine mark ups? In the same restaurant we had two 125ml glasses of a Côtes du Rhône Villages - the cheapest wine by the glass - at £10 a glass that equates to £60 a bottle for a wine that retails at £14! On a hot sunny day a bottle of Prosecco is always my first thought when I am lunching but we now have an upper limit of £25 for that, some place are now asking anything up to £40 a bottle and I don’t like being ripped off.

Many years ago a friend said that they liked to go out for a steak ‘it saves cooking’. Why? If you have a supply of good beef there is nothing to cooking a steak. I eat out to experience new ingredients and flavour combinations I don’t have at home. I look for inspiration but at a reasonable price. I also look for ambiance. I have no desire to eat food, however good it is, in a place with hard chairs, no table clothes, that looks like a factory canteen such as Dabbous. I don’t know how those sort of places have the cheek to charge so much.

I am sure that a lot of people who pay these mega bucks for the dining experience would not rate the food so highly if they paid a fraction of the price for it.

Yes, I know they all have overheads but the parade shop restaurant with no table cloths has nothing like the overheads of a country house restaurant with a large building and acres of grounds to maintain but they all charge similar prices.

PSmith · July 26, 2012

Some interesting POVs – many of which are different to mine.

Personally I view expensive restaurants in the same why that I view designer clothing and I find it hard to understand why someone would kit themselves out in fashion labels when you can get the same (or near similar) look from the High Street at a fraction of the price.

So what is it that attracts a number of you to the high end restaurants? Do you find the food that memorable as I doubt I could recall exactly what I ate at Searcy’s earlier this year. Do you ever come away thinking “That wasn’t really value for money?”, because I know I do.

Maybe I am just lucky because I know of at least three excellent restaurants local to me that can match the food and service (but at a third of the cost) of anything I have ever tried in London or overseas that would have been classed as a “designer” restaurant.

Or maybe that is the problem………