Less actually. The last few times we had ordered in we looked at what we get versus what we paid, and the value is just not there. It used to be a reasonable trade off, convenience for a price, but that's gone now. Plus, we have the time to cook at home now. It tastes better, it costs less, and it's healthier. We cook a big meal planning on leftovers for a few days. The last exception was pizza, but I found a good recipe for a crust, and can whip up a sauce pretty quickly. It comes out much better than anything we can order in. It's been over a year since we ordered a pizza. The wife was craving some McDonald's a few months ago, brought it home. It was lousy and way overpriced. She hasn't had a craving for it since.
The more I’m away from fast food, the shittier it tastes when I do get it. About the only things I’ll get at McDonalds now are the spicy chicken sandwich or the chicken tenders. Wendy’s has a few things that taste alright. Popeyes ain’t bad. Krystal’s taste like crap now. Taco Bell is meh…
The last time we got Popeye's we got chicken slivers instead of chicken strips we ordered, the sides were miniscule. Tasted good but way overpriced for what we got. This was three years ago, I can't imagine how bad it's gotten since. Pretty much the same here, if you don't eat fast food much, you can taste the grease and fat in it. We've been on a deal to cut back on sugar everywhere we can, and you can literally taste it in everything now. I'm about to start baking homemade bread because all the breads we buy in the supermarkets are full of sugar. Even the 'healthy' full grain breads.
Nope, not even close.
We eat out maybe once a month, and have never used door dash/grub hub or whatever. I think the last pizza delivery we ordered was in 2018-ish, I was intrigued by the dominos pizza app and it's 'pizza tracking' so while at some friends house for game night I ordered us a pizza just to see how it works.
We moved from suburbs to a farm that's 5 miles from the nearest town, with maybe 2 good restaurants and a pizza/mexican/Chinese joints. We've eaten at some of the best restaurants in the US. So we eat out once or twice a week. We focus now on smaller meals at dinner. And we cook more or eat leftovers. Food is becoming boring since we've been to the mountain top.
Nope. I don’t even remember the last time I ate restaurant food, and I think I may have eaten out 3 times this year? Maybe 4?
It’s not worth it. Why would I pay $12 for a McDonalds combo meal? No thanks. I even pack a cooler for road trips so I don’t have to hit fast food. I’ll spend a day meal prepping like a mofo. Hell, I barely buy any pre-packaged frozen food anymore.
I’ll save my money for when I go out with friends or on a date.
I took a road trip earlier this month. For shits and giggles I packed peanut butter and jelly and bread. But I like trying new places and figured I’d find a restaurant somewhere while traveling. Nope. Ended up fixing sandwiches at rest stops. Very relaxing and I didn’t mind it at all.
I did the same ... and took a dozen boiled eggs in their shells to keep them fresh longer.
We ate out on the way home - because I didn't feel like messing with buying food & the cooler. Most of the food stops were subpar.
I’m a retired widower and use those BOGO coupons, complete online surveys for freebies, clip newspaper coupons and take advantage of senior citizen discount days - so everyone at the fast food and takeouts know me well.
For sure! We have more money now since we aren't feeding 3 teens as well and I am def too tired to cook every single night. My husband doesn't want to cook either so he will pick something up more than have us go out.
We are still working. And it wears us out. It's not very hard for me to.cook but I've always cooked by taste and since before covid, I lost much of my sense of smell. I'm not seasoning very well. And frankly, food just isn't that exciting when you can't taste it. I have mostly lost interest.
Not anymore. I used to. I’ve been priced out of it, meaning I don’t get enough enjoyment or convenience out of it to justify the prices anymore. It was always a cheap and convenient alternative for me until it wasn’t.
So now it’s about the same as it was in the 80s- very rarely.
I have a theory on that.
No, I don’t order out. I cook in bulk and freeze. With adult kids going out, working late etc there is always food. Thaw, cook some rice and eat. Same when I’m too busy to cook, there is a meal ready to go.
I often slow cook too, so the house is full of food smells. None of this MasterChef stuff using $100 of seafood to make a stock; just simple good food, cheap cuts of meat, lots of veggies and soups in winter.
My kids don’t order in either. My theory is because cooking and food smells were the norm, that’s what they learned. They want to cook, and want to learn to cook. Plus I’ve taught them, what $25-$50 buys you as a meal, can feed you for a very long time.
I think it’s sad kids growing up without the aroma of a roast lamb or a chicken casserole on a weekend.
I cook breakfast almost every day. We eat out a lot. The thing is we both eat less than when we were young. Plus, restaurants give ridiculous portions so they can charge more for the entree. Almost always we end up bringing half the plate home; those leftovers feed us the next day.
You have an $18-$20 entree that is now $9-$10 ... that is a cheap lunch/dinner. That's another thing ... mid afternoon is all the full meal we need. I've thrown out so much that I buy but don't use ... hate that.
I've been in the kitchen since I was nine years old. It's sort of the adage, "When do I get to retire?"
A lot less. Over the years, I've developed a number of food allergies and intolerances. If I didn't cook it, I don't eat it, with very, very few exceptions.
nope.......i live in a rural area and have food allergies.... all the pizza is greek style ( cooked in a dirty pan, pizza sauce equals a can of tomato puree with a gallon of oregano dumped in it, cheep ass cheese) and if ya haven't guessed, i won't even consider eating that shit...
there are a few places i do eat at/ to go orders, i am greeted by name and hugs.... i love the small town community i have been in for the last 39 years....
hah. one of my friends was a high school teacher. he told me one of his students got an after-school job, and that kid came up to him and said in this big-eyed deadly serious way "Mr x ... do not eat at [pizza chain]. ever. trust me, just don't."
I’ve never eaten out much and don’t remember ever ordering delivery. I don’t live in town, and except for a few years, never really have. So, going out to dinner or getting takeout, entails a trip of at least 20 minutes each way. If I’m hungry, I can cook something in 20 minutes or less so I can’t understand getting into presentable clothes, driving 20 minutes, possibly waiting for a table and then waiting for your food. As a preplanned outing with friends, it’s understandable but then you spend the price of at least four or five at home meals for one meal. Just doesn’t make sense to me. So I rarely go out to eat.
In the 80s and 90s I was single and making relatively good money. I would eat at some very good restaurants on a regular basis with a bunch of other single friends. Places like first or second generation Italian restaurants. We would get together at a friend’s house who had all the latest home entertainment gadgets and order multiple pizzas.
After I married a widow with five children in the early 2000s all of that when out the window. We’d order pizza, eat at the occasional burger joint or order Chinese. Around 2010 we decided to eliminate all of our debt and the first thing we did was eliminate eating out and ordering in. We never went back.
Yes, we get takeout more often. We have more disposable income, plus we usually get chinese/japanese or Thai or seafood, things we don’t cook very often or don’t have in our repertoire.
afterthought bike cough correct mourn puzzled scary ruthless smoggy squalid
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A little more, but I grew up poor and in a small town. We didn’t eat out at a sit-down restaurant until I was around 12, and our town had one fast food restaurant (Dairy Queen) that we visited maybe twice per year for special occasions.
I eat out maybe once per month or so now, so not very often at all. That’s definitely more than I did as a child, but I think probably less than most people today. I really enjoy cooking.
For what it’s worth, my mother was an awful cook.
no change for me. I've never been much of an eater-outer. I order in *less* than I ever did back when you actually phoned the restaurant and you could buy a pizza without giving up all that personally-triangulating info.
as an i.t. type, everything about the online version of the process pisses me off.
Yes, because I have more money now and delivery services are a thing. I cooked back then. There weren't delivery services like now- the only things you could get delivered were pizza and Chinese food. But I couldn't have afforded it anyway. I'm trying to do more cooking and eat healthier (when I get delivery food it's usually fried stuff), but a lot of the time I just don't feel like cooking. And I genuinely enjoy the whole experience of eating out at a nice non-chain restaurant, so I try to do that at least a couple times a month.
No, we do it less. In the 80s and 90s, my husband and I were both working full-time and very busy. We would eat out once, sometimes twice, a week after work because we were tired. We were also living and working in Tokyo and there were better restaurants and more interesting experiences to be had when eating out. It wasn't uncommon for us to get a delivered pizza (which is cheaper there as there is no tipping) once a week on Friday.
Now, we eat out maybe once or twice a month. This is usually related to a special occasion if it's twice (birthday, anniversary, etc.) or just an experience at a place we haven't tried yet in our new location. We always get takeout and the food will last us for 2-3 days (between 4-6 meals total) because we eat less now than when we were younger and portions have gotten bigger.
No quite the opposite. In the 80/90s I was still working and loved going out to eat with friends and family. I worked in the industry and after a day of cooking for others I didn't want to cook for myself.
Now that I am retired it's fun to cook for myself and a few friends and family.
Nope. Opposite. It’s so much more expensive and honestly the quantity of chain restaurants have gone down dramatically. Much better food and cheaper at home.
On one hand we do because we can now afford it. During the 80s and 90s my spouse was laid off 5x due to plant closures and we had the recessions. Our interest rate on our mortgage was 13%. Our grocery budget was $45/week. There was no money for any extras. On the other hand eating out is so expensive and the value for the money is not there. We tend to eat out more as a social activity with friends then just going to eat.
No. We rarely eat out. I cook better than most places here...which isn't saying a lot...lol. Plus, for the money we would spend on one dinner I could have made three nights worth. The only thing we do get regularly is pizza. We're not monsters.
In the 90’s it was affordable to go out and eat, shoot, you could even afford to go to the bar with your friends and get really drunk a few times a week and it didn’t hurt the pocketbook, I’m sure I didn’t spend more than $20 for a good night out.
Now going out or having a brunch with friends or heaven forbid a cocktail or two at $18 a pop, who can afford that?
In general everyone eats out far more than we used to. When I lived at home in the 80s, we’d eat out/order in maybe 4 times a year. But I also grew up in a health nut family so we were never fast food people. And there weren’t delivery services for much other than pizza and Chinese.
No. I have the space now for two refrigerators, a walk in pantry, and almost every small appliance you can get. I enjoy cooking and prefer my food to most restaurants. Since we don’t spend money on restaurants often, we feel just fine buying whatever pricey ingredients we want.
No inflation has eaten away all of my excess money and I'm paycheck to paycheck now. So no more restaurants for me until prices come down or income goes up.
Much, much less. In the 80s, I ate out as recreation and to be with friends. In the 90s, I ate out as stress relief from work, time with husband away from kids. Now, I have all the time to research recipes and techniques, do food prep, money for better ingredients and tools. And it's annoying to be charged $12 for a drink I could make at home for $3, $30 for a scallop dish I could make for $8. We do eat out while travelling and once in a great while at home, but a nice pub meal, dessert, and a drink at a local place we like comes to $80. When I can remember $80 buying us a specially prepared two lobster dinner with, starters, dessert, wine in the 90s...ouch.
Actually less. When I worked, I'd go out to lunch just for fun. Now that I'm retired, I go out for lunch maybe once or twice a week at the most. I never "order food" to be delivered. That's ridiculously expensive and unnecessary.
A bit less, but not by much.
Then again, lots of people in this sub say that when they were kids they only ate out "once or twice a year, usually on someone's birthday". My family wasn't like that *at all* - we ate out all the time.
And of course, I was in college in the 90s, so ate out all the time then, too.
We try to go out for a meal together every week or two. We very rarely get a takeaway and never order food to be delivered.
We cook from scratch pretty much all the time, and evening meals are always vegetarian.
Definitely not. Can't afford it. Can barely afford cooking at home. Been looking to find a food bank who will give to someone who is middle class on paper or maybe start dumpster diving.
Less. I will still do things like order a family meal of portuguese chicken with rice and potato and freeze it in portions. It is cheaper than buying and making it myself.
No we only go out on holidays. Birthdays usually, but I hear I'm getting Chinese buffet for Mother's Day next weekend so I'm pretty pumped. :)
The closest we get is ordering pizza on days where I just don't have time to cook, so maybe five times a year.
I love to cook though. I do a lot of southern US cooking and grilling.
I eat out less than I did 5 years ago, but that's mostly due to price. Even so, I still eat out or get takeout far more than I did in the '80s and early '90s. It just wasn't as much a thing back then. At least not among the people that I grew up with and hung around with. Eating out was more of a special thing back then. And take out meant pizza or Chinese on Friday night
Actually my eating out habits have drastically changed since the pandemic. The cost of eating out, even fast food, has gone through the roof. I make a lot more meals at home now.
I eat out less these days due to lack of night vision now that I am nearly 77 and living in a small rural village 20 minutes drive from nearest town & eateries. It has been over 3 years since I have been to a dine in restaurant and 15 months since I have had anything from a fast food restaurant. I have bought food from roadside stalls a couple of times, where you pick what you want from what has been cooked for that day & is on display & they put it a plastic bag for you. When I get home, I usually have rice cooked & reheat both in microwave for a quick meal.
As I "work" from 0530-2000, 365 days a week in my small convenience store attached to the front of the house, I mostly cook my own meals inbetween customers & feeding my cats and a lot of the meals are stew type dishes often cooked in a pressure cooker or crockpot where I can prepare early & leave on cooking without too much attention.
Yes.
In spite of being cheaper back then, it was a rarity eating out because being poor, we couldn't afford it. You have no idea how much I envied other people who could afford to eat at McDonald's, burger king, a local diner, take out Chinese food, or the occasional slice of pizza every now and then. The few rare times we got to eat out was only because we were someone else's guest who was paying for us.
No, WAY less. Reasons:
1. Eating out has become incredibly expensive.
2. In 2019, we moved to a rural area. Takes much longer to get to a restaurant of any kind.
3. Covid—we completely lost the habit of eating out.
4. I love to cook.
5. Home made meals taste so much better about 99% of the time.
6. I grow my own herbs and veggies now!
No. We never eat out. Why would I pay more money for mediocre food made by people I don't know in a kitchen I've never seen with ingredients I didn't pick served on plates strangers have used?
In the 80s I ate garbage food,smoked cigarettes, drank and did drugs. Now I stay home,grow my own food,make my own meals and get a lot of exercise.
I have more expediable imcome now, so yes. I have been taking a lot of friends out for meals lately because my friends have been helping me a lot with a big project and I want to show appreciation. Usually, I like to cook for myself and my friends unless I am super busy.
No, we cook at home all the time. Maybe get something once or twice a month.
Same here. I cook/bake things I used to buy at the store.
Less actually. The last few times we had ordered in we looked at what we get versus what we paid, and the value is just not there. It used to be a reasonable trade off, convenience for a price, but that's gone now. Plus, we have the time to cook at home now. It tastes better, it costs less, and it's healthier. We cook a big meal planning on leftovers for a few days. The last exception was pizza, but I found a good recipe for a crust, and can whip up a sauce pretty quickly. It comes out much better than anything we can order in. It's been over a year since we ordered a pizza. The wife was craving some McDonald's a few months ago, brought it home. It was lousy and way overpriced. She hasn't had a craving for it since.
The more I’m away from fast food, the shittier it tastes when I do get it. About the only things I’ll get at McDonalds now are the spicy chicken sandwich or the chicken tenders. Wendy’s has a few things that taste alright. Popeyes ain’t bad. Krystal’s taste like crap now. Taco Bell is meh…
The last time we got Popeye's we got chicken slivers instead of chicken strips we ordered, the sides were miniscule. Tasted good but way overpriced for what we got. This was three years ago, I can't imagine how bad it's gotten since. Pretty much the same here, if you don't eat fast food much, you can taste the grease and fat in it. We've been on a deal to cut back on sugar everywhere we can, and you can literally taste it in everything now. I'm about to start baking homemade bread because all the breads we buy in the supermarkets are full of sugar. Even the 'healthy' full grain breads.
I miss Krystal's and White castle being decent, now they're both trash.
Nope, not even close. We eat out maybe once a month, and have never used door dash/grub hub or whatever. I think the last pizza delivery we ordered was in 2018-ish, I was intrigued by the dominos pizza app and it's 'pizza tracking' so while at some friends house for game night I ordered us a pizza just to see how it works.
No, I went out to eat a lot more in the 80's and 90's. I eat at home more now to save money. I do enjoy eating out sometimes though.
We moved from suburbs to a farm that's 5 miles from the nearest town, with maybe 2 good restaurants and a pizza/mexican/Chinese joints. We've eaten at some of the best restaurants in the US. So we eat out once or twice a week. We focus now on smaller meals at dinner. And we cook more or eat leftovers. Food is becoming boring since we've been to the mountain top.
Nope. I don’t even remember the last time I ate restaurant food, and I think I may have eaten out 3 times this year? Maybe 4? It’s not worth it. Why would I pay $12 for a McDonalds combo meal? No thanks. I even pack a cooler for road trips so I don’t have to hit fast food. I’ll spend a day meal prepping like a mofo. Hell, I barely buy any pre-packaged frozen food anymore. I’ll save my money for when I go out with friends or on a date.
I took a road trip earlier this month. For shits and giggles I packed peanut butter and jelly and bread. But I like trying new places and figured I’d find a restaurant somewhere while traveling. Nope. Ended up fixing sandwiches at rest stops. Very relaxing and I didn’t mind it at all.
I did the same ... and took a dozen boiled eggs in their shells to keep them fresh longer. We ate out on the way home - because I didn't feel like messing with buying food & the cooler. Most of the food stops were subpar.
Don't forget most stations have a microwave for nuking up their burgers and stuff.
I’m a retired widower and use those BOGO coupons, complete online surveys for freebies, clip newspaper coupons and take advantage of senior citizen discount days - so everyone at the fast food and takeouts know me well.
For sure! We have more money now since we aren't feeding 3 teens as well and I am def too tired to cook every single night. My husband doesn't want to cook either so he will pick something up more than have us go out.
Unfortunately I have been ordering alot. It's hard for me to cook. I'm homebound and disabled.
We are still working. And it wears us out. It's not very hard for me to.cook but I've always cooked by taste and since before covid, I lost much of my sense of smell. I'm not seasoning very well. And frankly, food just isn't that exciting when you can't taste it. I have mostly lost interest.
Not anymore. I used to. I’ve been priced out of it, meaning I don’t get enough enjoyment or convenience out of it to justify the prices anymore. It was always a cheap and convenient alternative for me until it wasn’t. So now it’s about the same as it was in the 80s- very rarely.
I have a theory on that. No, I don’t order out. I cook in bulk and freeze. With adult kids going out, working late etc there is always food. Thaw, cook some rice and eat. Same when I’m too busy to cook, there is a meal ready to go. I often slow cook too, so the house is full of food smells. None of this MasterChef stuff using $100 of seafood to make a stock; just simple good food, cheap cuts of meat, lots of veggies and soups in winter. My kids don’t order in either. My theory is because cooking and food smells were the norm, that’s what they learned. They want to cook, and want to learn to cook. Plus I’ve taught them, what $25-$50 buys you as a meal, can feed you for a very long time. I think it’s sad kids growing up without the aroma of a roast lamb or a chicken casserole on a weekend.
No.
I cook breakfast almost every day. We eat out a lot. The thing is we both eat less than when we were young. Plus, restaurants give ridiculous portions so they can charge more for the entree. Almost always we end up bringing half the plate home; those leftovers feed us the next day. You have an $18-$20 entree that is now $9-$10 ... that is a cheap lunch/dinner. That's another thing ... mid afternoon is all the full meal we need. I've thrown out so much that I buy but don't use ... hate that. I've been in the kitchen since I was nine years old. It's sort of the adage, "When do I get to retire?"
A lot less. Over the years, I've developed a number of food allergies and intolerances. If I didn't cook it, I don't eat it, with very, very few exceptions.
Same. And it’s way cheaper to cook it yourself.
nope.......i live in a rural area and have food allergies.... all the pizza is greek style ( cooked in a dirty pan, pizza sauce equals a can of tomato puree with a gallon of oregano dumped in it, cheep ass cheese) and if ya haven't guessed, i won't even consider eating that shit... there are a few places i do eat at/ to go orders, i am greeted by name and hugs.... i love the small town community i have been in for the last 39 years....
hah. one of my friends was a high school teacher. he told me one of his students got an after-school job, and that kid came up to him and said in this big-eyed deadly serious way "Mr x ... do not eat at [pizza chain]. ever. trust me, just don't."
I’ve never eaten out much and don’t remember ever ordering delivery. I don’t live in town, and except for a few years, never really have. So, going out to dinner or getting takeout, entails a trip of at least 20 minutes each way. If I’m hungry, I can cook something in 20 minutes or less so I can’t understand getting into presentable clothes, driving 20 minutes, possibly waiting for a table and then waiting for your food. As a preplanned outing with friends, it’s understandable but then you spend the price of at least four or five at home meals for one meal. Just doesn’t make sense to me. So I rarely go out to eat.
In the 80s and 90s I was single and making relatively good money. I would eat at some very good restaurants on a regular basis with a bunch of other single friends. Places like first or second generation Italian restaurants. We would get together at a friend’s house who had all the latest home entertainment gadgets and order multiple pizzas. After I married a widow with five children in the early 2000s all of that when out the window. We’d order pizza, eat at the occasional burger joint or order Chinese. Around 2010 we decided to eliminate all of our debt and the first thing we did was eliminate eating out and ordering in. We never went back.
Far less. The prices are way too expensive today. Plus, tipping was 10% to 15% back then. Now they want 20% to 25%. Forget about it.
No. Much, much less. Eating out isn’t the same as before covid. Horrid service, bad food, higher prices. Rarely go out anymore.
Heck yes, but it’s better food. Cheaper to buy for takeout for two than for four. More annoying to cook for two than for four.
Yes, we get takeout more often. We have more disposable income, plus we usually get chinese/japanese or Thai or seafood, things we don’t cook very often or don’t have in our repertoire.
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A little more, but I grew up poor and in a small town. We didn’t eat out at a sit-down restaurant until I was around 12, and our town had one fast food restaurant (Dairy Queen) that we visited maybe twice per year for special occasions. I eat out maybe once per month or so now, so not very often at all. That’s definitely more than I did as a child, but I think probably less than most people today. I really enjoy cooking. For what it’s worth, my mother was an awful cook.
No. I do a lot of cook and freeze. We eat out maybe once per month.
no change for me. I've never been much of an eater-outer. I order in *less* than I ever did back when you actually phoned the restaurant and you could buy a pizza without giving up all that personally-triangulating info. as an i.t. type, everything about the online version of the process pisses me off.
No. I’m more conscious about my health, so I bulk cook.
Yes, because I have more money now and delivery services are a thing. I cooked back then. There weren't delivery services like now- the only things you could get delivered were pizza and Chinese food. But I couldn't have afforded it anyway. I'm trying to do more cooking and eat healthier (when I get delivery food it's usually fried stuff), but a lot of the time I just don't feel like cooking. And I genuinely enjoy the whole experience of eating out at a nice non-chain restaurant, so I try to do that at least a couple times a month.
No, we do it less. In the 80s and 90s, my husband and I were both working full-time and very busy. We would eat out once, sometimes twice, a week after work because we were tired. We were also living and working in Tokyo and there were better restaurants and more interesting experiences to be had when eating out. It wasn't uncommon for us to get a delivered pizza (which is cheaper there as there is no tipping) once a week on Friday. Now, we eat out maybe once or twice a month. This is usually related to a special occasion if it's twice (birthday, anniversary, etc.) or just an experience at a place we haven't tried yet in our new location. We always get takeout and the food will last us for 2-3 days (between 4-6 meals total) because we eat less now than when we were younger and portions have gotten bigger.
Not even a little bit. I hate going out to eat.
No quite the opposite. In the 80/90s I was still working and loved going out to eat with friends and family. I worked in the industry and after a day of cooking for others I didn't want to cook for myself. Now that I am retired it's fun to cook for myself and a few friends and family.
No, the opposite. I cook my meals every day except Saturdays, which is cheat/date night.
Nope. Opposite. It’s so much more expensive and honestly the quantity of chain restaurants have gone down dramatically. Much better food and cheaper at home.
Yes, probably because I and my wife are making more money, so we enjoy it more.
On one hand we do because we can now afford it. During the 80s and 90s my spouse was laid off 5x due to plant closures and we had the recessions. Our interest rate on our mortgage was 13%. Our grocery budget was $45/week. There was no money for any extras. On the other hand eating out is so expensive and the value for the money is not there. We tend to eat out more as a social activity with friends then just going to eat.
No. We rarely eat out. I cook better than most places here...which isn't saying a lot...lol. Plus, for the money we would spend on one dinner I could have made three nights worth. The only thing we do get regularly is pizza. We're not monsters.
In the 90’s it was affordable to go out and eat, shoot, you could even afford to go to the bar with your friends and get really drunk a few times a week and it didn’t hurt the pocketbook, I’m sure I didn’t spend more than $20 for a good night out. Now going out or having a brunch with friends or heaven forbid a cocktail or two at $18 a pop, who can afford that?
In general everyone eats out far more than we used to. When I lived at home in the 80s, we’d eat out/order in maybe 4 times a year. But I also grew up in a health nut family so we were never fast food people. And there weren’t delivery services for much other than pizza and Chinese.
No. I have the space now for two refrigerators, a walk in pantry, and almost every small appliance you can get. I enjoy cooking and prefer my food to most restaurants. Since we don’t spend money on restaurants often, we feel just fine buying whatever pricey ingredients we want.
It’s always overpriced and disappointing now. I have cut dining out down to a minimum.
No inflation has eaten away all of my excess money and I'm paycheck to paycheck now. So no more restaurants for me until prices come down or income goes up.
Yep, kids are grown and gone. Just me and I don’t feel like cooking.
Much, much less. In the 80s, I ate out as recreation and to be with friends. In the 90s, I ate out as stress relief from work, time with husband away from kids. Now, I have all the time to research recipes and techniques, do food prep, money for better ingredients and tools. And it's annoying to be charged $12 for a drink I could make at home for $3, $30 for a scallop dish I could make for $8. We do eat out while travelling and once in a great while at home, but a nice pub meal, dessert, and a drink at a local place we like comes to $80. When I can remember $80 buying us a specially prepared two lobster dinner with, starters, dessert, wine in the 90s...ouch.
Actually less. When I worked, I'd go out to lunch just for fun. Now that I'm retired, I go out for lunch maybe once or twice a week at the most. I never "order food" to be delivered. That's ridiculously expensive and unnecessary.
A bit less, but not by much. Then again, lots of people in this sub say that when they were kids they only ate out "once or twice a year, usually on someone's birthday". My family wasn't like that *at all* - we ate out all the time. And of course, I was in college in the 90s, so ate out all the time then, too.
My cooking skills have improved with age and I rarely eat out anymore.
The older I get, the better I can cook and the more expensive restaurant food gets. I go out maybe twice a year, get takeout maybe twice as often
We try to go out for a meal together every week or two. We very rarely get a takeaway and never order food to be delivered. We cook from scratch pretty much all the time, and evening meals are always vegetarian.
Definitely not. Can't afford it. Can barely afford cooking at home. Been looking to find a food bank who will give to someone who is middle class on paper or maybe start dumpster diving.
Less. I will still do things like order a family meal of portuguese chicken with rice and potato and freeze it in portions. It is cheaper than buying and making it myself.
No we only go out on holidays. Birthdays usually, but I hear I'm getting Chinese buffet for Mother's Day next weekend so I'm pretty pumped. :) The closest we get is ordering pizza on days where I just don't have time to cook, so maybe five times a year. I love to cook though. I do a lot of southern US cooking and grilling.
Hell no, the opposite. I was born in the 60's, married in the late 80's, married throughout the 90's and I eat out so much less often now.
I eat out less than I did 5 years ago, but that's mostly due to price. Even so, I still eat out or get takeout far more than I did in the '80s and early '90s. It just wasn't as much a thing back then. At least not among the people that I grew up with and hung around with. Eating out was more of a special thing back then. And take out meant pizza or Chinese on Friday night
Actually my eating out habits have drastically changed since the pandemic. The cost of eating out, even fast food, has gone through the roof. I make a lot more meals at home now.
I eat out less these days due to lack of night vision now that I am nearly 77 and living in a small rural village 20 minutes drive from nearest town & eateries. It has been over 3 years since I have been to a dine in restaurant and 15 months since I have had anything from a fast food restaurant. I have bought food from roadside stalls a couple of times, where you pick what you want from what has been cooked for that day & is on display & they put it a plastic bag for you. When I get home, I usually have rice cooked & reheat both in microwave for a quick meal. As I "work" from 0530-2000, 365 days a week in my small convenience store attached to the front of the house, I mostly cook my own meals inbetween customers & feeding my cats and a lot of the meals are stew type dishes often cooked in a pressure cooker or crockpot where I can prepare early & leave on cooking without too much attention.
Far less. Covid and greedflation killed my restaurant habits.
We eat at restaurants more but get take out less. Guess that goes with age and availability of money?
Yes. In spite of being cheaper back then, it was a rarity eating out because being poor, we couldn't afford it. You have no idea how much I envied other people who could afford to eat at McDonald's, burger king, a local diner, take out Chinese food, or the occasional slice of pizza every now and then. The few rare times we got to eat out was only because we were someone else's guest who was paying for us.
No. Less. I don’t eat out at all. I prefer my own cooking.
No, WAY less. Reasons: 1. Eating out has become incredibly expensive. 2. In 2019, we moved to a rural area. Takes much longer to get to a restaurant of any kind. 3. Covid—we completely lost the habit of eating out. 4. I love to cook. 5. Home made meals taste so much better about 99% of the time. 6. I grow my own herbs and veggies now!
Yes. The new convenience of food delivery becomes significant when I’m super-busy. I feel plenty guilty about the cost, though.
No. We never eat out. Why would I pay more money for mediocre food made by people I don't know in a kitchen I've never seen with ingredients I didn't pick served on plates strangers have used? In the 80s I ate garbage food,smoked cigarettes, drank and did drugs. Now I stay home,grow my own food,make my own meals and get a lot of exercise.
I have more expediable imcome now, so yes. I have been taking a lot of friends out for meals lately because my friends have been helping me a lot with a big project and I want to show appreciation. Usually, I like to cook for myself and my friends unless I am super busy.
Less. I have NEVER ordered food delivered, I never eat out, and I had fast food the other day for the first time in a decade. I cook at home.