Most you have ever paid for a restaurant meal

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

I have yet to eat a meal in a restaurant that I felt was worth the money I paid for it, I find everything ridicuously over priced.

Kristin, this is usually true.

I'd rather pay Thomas Keller $400 to roam freely in his kitchen for a day than pay for a meal.

Suzanne, Kristin is the new shogun-regent of the Japan board.

Why, when he does that for free anyhow. 505.00 is worth the experience I had. I don't eat out a lot at these type places, as I'm usually the one behind the stoves. It was all last minute, exciting stuff. I got the reservation through Thomas two weeks out. The minute I got confirmation from his republican guard via e-mail I called VISA and had my limit extended from 4700.00 to 11,000. I'm still paying the thing off but don't regret a moment. Someday soon I'll get to travel around and have others pay my way....

[Jinmyo]

I'd rather pay Thomas Keller $400 to roam freely in his kitchen for a day than pay for a meal.

Why, when he does that for free anyhow.

All day, no restrictions?

I'm in.

Ta very much. I'll mention your name.

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

I'd rather pay Thomas Keller $400 to roam freely in his kitchen for a day than pay for a meal.

Why, when he does that for free anyhow.

All day, no restrictions?

I'm in.

Ta very much. I'll mention your name.

Mention my name and you're sure to get---"That stalker guy from Memphis?"

[Jinmyo]

I'd rather pay Thomas Keller $400 to roam freely in his kitchen for a day than pay for a meal.

Why, when he does that for free anyhow.

All day, no restrictions?

I'm in.

Ta very much. I'll mention your name.

Mention my name and you're sure to get---"That stalker guy from Memphis?"

I've just found that out, thanks much. Now I've got a restraining order out against me.

[Smarmotron]

I have a question. Let's suppose I pay 500$ for one plate. And let's say it's 300$ without wine. Where does that money go? How much goes to the chef? How much goes to the ingredients, and where might I find some of these uber-expensive ingreidnents?? How much is profit? Utilities and rent are the same for a fancy restaurant as they are for McDonalds. So where does the money go?

[foodie52]

Six years ago at Emeril's in NO, a seven course tasting menu, three wines, cigars and brandy came to about $200 per person. Luckily I wasn't paying.

Last October, I forked over a $100 bill at Craft.

And left hungry, but impressed.

Oh well!

[foodie52]

oops....

Edited May 4, 2003 by foodie52 (log)

[tommy]

Utilities and rent are the same for a fancy restaurant as they are for McDonalds.  So where does the money go?

tablecloths cost money.

[Nick]

Good question Smarmotron. Rat control?

Edited May 4, 2003 by Nickn (log)

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

Utilities and rent are the same for a fancy restaurant as they are for McDonalds.  So where does the money go?

tablecloths cost money.

Rent and utlilities the same at a fine dining restaurant as they are at McDonald's. I'm going to work under the assumption that you've never run a restaurant smarm. First of all, you can't make that statement with any degree of accuracy because fancy restaurants vary in shape, size and location. The overhead of running let's say Gary Danko is going to put any McDonald's to shame.

Things that influence the bottom line in a fine dining restaurant:

Rent

Utilities

Higher Food Costs

Higher Labor Costs (it doesn't take a master chef to squirt some mayo on a warmed over bun and create the burger napoleon)

Flowers

Linen

Stemware

China

Liquor Taxes, Property Taxes,

Liquor Licenses

Advertising

Repairs

Contract Labor

Comps

Vent Cleaning

Ansul System Maintenance

Dish Chemicals, Routine Maintenance

I could go on and on into minute detail boring the socks out of everyone. But I won't. McDonald's usually gravitate toward low rent locales, fine dining in higher ones. The money slips away. You think you're going to make a mint because Drew Nieporent is. The guy's one in a million. Most upscale restaurants open up with a latent purpose of self-destruction. Give a neophyte a taste of the spoils and the next thing you know he's Slim Pickens riding the big one into the annals of restaurant mega failure. Food costs and labor costs alone need to be managed so goddamn closely that, if done properly, would leave a chef/owner little time to create food. Chef/owners and owners in general better get a tried and true system in place immediately upon opening or, like air through a slashed tire, the profits will disappear unaccountably.

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

Good question Smarmotron. Rat control?

Excellent Nick, add fucking pest control to the list.

[tommy]

Utilities and rent are the same for a fancy restaurant as they are for McDonalds.  So where does the money go?

tablecloths cost money.

Rent and utlilities the same at a fine dining restaurant as they are at McDonald's. I'm going to work under the assumption that you've never run a restaurant smarm. First of all, you can't make that statement with any degree of accuracy because fancy restaurants vary in shape, size and location.

are you referring to my comment?

ediot: upon review, i can't imagine that you are, although you've shocked me before.

Edited May 4, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Smarmotron]

Rent

I'll give you this, but it can't account for that much. After all there are often cheap places near fancy ones.

Utilities

Can't be more than for a cheap place.

Higher Food Costs

OK. How much higher are we talking, can I get some examples?

Higher Labor Costs (it doesn't take a master chef to squirt some mayo on a warmed over bun and create the burger napoleon)

Agreed

[Pan]

What is the most you have ever paid (averaged per person) for a meal in a restaurant?

The most _someone else_ has paid for a meal I participated in was about $125/person on average for lunch at Grand Vefour, I believe. The most _I_ paid for a meal (counting myself only, not a date) must have been something under $50/person. Oh, maybe on some occasion it came to just over $50/person. And that doesn't count the cost of dinner one place and drinks someplace else, but still.

Now, why did you want to know?

[torakris]

I have yet to eat a meal in a restaurant that I felt was worth the money I paid for it, I find everything ridicuously over priced.

Kristin, this is usually true.

I'd rather pay Thomas Keller $400 to roam freely in his kitchen for a day than pay for a meal.

Suzanne, Kristin is the new shogun-regent of the Japan board.

Jin,

I am with you, I would rather pay for the experience of being in the kitchen then actually eating the food!

shogun-regent, I like the sound of that!

The most ridiculously overpriced meal I ever ate was at Hyakkumangoku in Atami, Japan, it is an onsen hotel (hot spring resort) and the $700 per person price covered one night stay, use of the baths, and a dinner (kaiseki) and breakfast. I would estimate the dinner was about $200 or so of that, glad I didn't pay!

By the way since I don't drink alcohol all of my prices given are with out drinks. I normally only drink water in restaurants, I guess I was a pretty cheap date, no wonder I was so popular

[Schielke]

Yeah, it seems as if many of these meals have included high end wine, which can easily double or triple a bill.

Ben

[elyse]

I realized after reading these posts that I can fess up to $75 each. But that was with a $35 (?) bottle of wine, and after dinners. Same restaurant. And I thought I was cheap! Phew!

[lamb]

Business dinner at Daniel, my boss (the owner) hosting. Party of 5 with LOTS of wine - $3,000

I still dream about it.

On my own, with my husband, GreyCliff in Nassau, Bahamas. $600 for the two of us.

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

Utilities and rent are the same for a fancy restaurant as they are for McDonalds.  So where does the money go?

tablecloths cost money.

Rent and utlilities the same at a fine dining restaurant as they are at McDonald's. I'm going to work under the assumption that you've never run a restaurant smarm. First of all, you can't make that statement with any degree of accuracy because fancy restaurants vary in shape, size and location.

are you referring to my comment?

ediot: upon review, i can't imagine that you are, although you've shocked me before.

No,not at all Tommy. Sorry I didn't catch that question. From what I've deduced you're one of us.

[Jinmyo]

Smarmotron, decor and other elements (such as getting the elements to work and the fans to vent them) are often well over a $100,000 for a middle level restaurant. The start-up costs are staggering. And the difference between pre-cooked burgers shipped out and served from steam drawers and long dry-aged beef can't even be considered.

Very very few people make any money at this.

[elyse]

Business dinner at Daniel, my boss (the owner) hosting.  Party of 5 with LOTS of wine - $3,000

I still dream about it.

$3,000 each?

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

Business dinner at Daniel, my boss (the owner) hosting.  Party of 5 with LOTS of wine - $3,000

I still dream about it.

$3,000 each?

Hey, who's your boss, Donald Trump?

[tommy]

No,not at all Tommy.  Sorry I didn't catch that question.  From what I've deduced you're one of us.

uhhhh, doubtful.

Edited May 5, 2003 by tommy (log)

[lamb]

Business dinner at Daniel, my boss (the owner) hosting.  Party of 5 with LOTS of wine - $3,000

I still dream about it.

$3,000 each?

Hey, who's your boss, Donald Trump?

Not each - $3,000 total.

Not Trump - but pretty much in the same league.

Every now and then I get to go out to client dinners.

Our staff meetings usually consist of pizza and beer in the office. Don't need to impress us - we just work there.

[Malawry]

I don't drink expensive wines, much as I'd love to. They simply aren't within reach financially. I've spent about $150 apiece on 10 or so different meals, some of which had paired wines with each course but most of which didn't. They varied greatly in perceived value, but I think my perception of value depends partly on factors uncontrollable by restaurants (like my mood when I walk in the door, and so on).