#dining #FineDining #HighEndRestaurants #EatingOut #food
When you eat at a “high end” restaurant, do you come away wondering whether it was worth the price?
Some such restaurants are, indeed, worth the price. Others are just overpriced.
Most of us know the difference, especially when our meal is finished.
(Warning: If you know you can’t afford a high-end restaurant, don’t eat there).
Some restaurants like to up-charge because of their atmosphere. They may have white or black linen tablecloths and napkins, fancy dishes and silverware or even a dress code.
None of those things, by themselves, are worth paying extra for. In fact, having a dress code may be a reason NOT to eat somewhere.
Some restaurants may think their food is so good that they only need to give you little bites, or tapas. In such cases, one either walks out poorer and hungry, or orders too many separate things just to get satisfied.
Tapas restaurants have their place, but there is only so much one should be willing to pay to eat there.
A good rule of thumb here is if you are in the mood for a good steak, you do not have to go to a high-end steakhouse. Many moderately priced restaurants have just as good steaks for much less money.
But the restaurants that are clearly worth the high prices give you food you can’t find many other places. They give you plenty of it. In fact, they may give you enough to take home for a separate meal. Two meals for the price of one makes paying big bucks more palatable.
Some may have unique locations that you know they have to pay high rent for. Dining overlooking the water, or some other great view, has to be factored into the price.
Still, some high-end restaurants’ food is so good, and so plentiful, they can locate in a strip mall and still draw diners.
If you don’t know whether an expensive restaurant will be worth the price, ask people who have eaten there. Did they come out feeling good about splurging?
It may be a good time to give a shout-out to those restauranteurs who serve good food at a reasonable price.
Most diners will opt for that, but there are occasions when people want something out of the ordinary.
Sometimes, experiences are more valuable than things to give as gifts.
If you splurge, make sure your splurge is worth it.
Dining out is something most people like to do. Most people work hard for their money, so they want to spend it carefully.
Dining at high-end restaurants should not be a regular activity for those of modest income. But, sometimes, putting loose change into a jar can add up to a nice dinner out when the jar is full.
Just make sure, as best you can, that the experience will be worth the price.
Peter
Tag Archives: food
THE ECONOMY: PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY
#economy #wages #prices #PerceptionOfEconomy #EconomicData
The data show the economy is good, even robust.
But people don’t always see it that way. They see prices that are higher than a few years ago on almost everything.
So why the difference between data and perception?
First, almost everything costs more than a few years ago for a few reasons. First, some companies are trying to make up for their losses during the pandemic. Some may call that price gouging, but it becomes that only when prices stay up AFTER the losses have been made up.
Secondly, almost everyone is getting paid more than they were a few years ago. If you are not in this category, look around for other opportunities. They are out there, in many places.
To help pay for those higher wages, companies raise the price of what they sell or make.
There are certain categories of prices that have unique issues. Housing (rents and purchases) prices are up. There are lots of entities out there competing with individual families for housing. They buy properties for cash and rent them out at rents that are often unaffordable for many.
That takes many houses off the market for individuals, and raises rents for renters.
Auto insurance and repairs are another unique category. Today’s cars are a lot more complex than those from the past. What may look like a simple repair gets complicated because systems in the cars may have to be recalibrated. That could double or triple the cost of a simple repair.
The same could be said for home repairs. That may be why repair insurance companies have a market, and why auto and homeowner’s insurance in general have risen in price.
No matter who serves in the U.S. government, he or she can only do so much to bring prices down.
The good news here is that if you are making more money in your job, most data show that your higher pay is outpacing inflation.
That begs the question: would you prefer lower pay and lower prices, or the current situation? Before answering that, know that the data again shows price inflation coming down.
We may never see $1 a gallon gasoline again. Those pandemic prices, when no one was going anywhere, may not return unless there is another pandemic. No one wants that.
Food prices are also affected by distributors, who are raising their prices. Also, one has to consider climate issues that affect the growth of what we eat. If food can’t grow as well, or gets destroyed in storms, what is not affected is going to be more expensive.
Therefore, be skeptical of anyone who runs for public office who says he or she will lower prices.
There may be things they can do to mitigate inflation, but the government can’t subsidize everything, and it has limited ability to force producers and sellers to lower prices on what they make or sell. The main thing that will affect pricing is whether people buy things at the price charged. Some necessities have to be bought, but we may want to try to use less of those if we can.
The government can lower your taxes on certain things as one mitigation. But, the government can’t control pricing, nor do we necessarily want it to.
Certainly, your parents or grandparents paid less to live in their younger years than you do now. But, in that time, much progress has been made. Society, as a whole, has seen much improvement.
The betterment of society comes at a price. Most of us do not want to go back to the “good old days.”
Peter
The data show the economy is good, even robust.
But people don’t always see it that way. They see prices that are higher than a few years ago on almost everything.
So why the difference between data and perception?
First, almost everything costs more than a few years ago for a few reasons. First, some companies are trying to make up for their losses during the pandemic. Some may call that price gouging, but it becomes that only when prices stay up AFTER the losses have been made up.
Secondly, almost everyone is getting paid more than they were a few years ago. If you are not in this category, look around for other opportunities. They are out there, in many places.
To help pay for those higher wages, companies raise the price of what they sell or make.
There are certain categories of prices that have unique issues. Housing (rents and purchases) prices are up. There are lots of entities out there competing with individual families for housing. They buy properties for cash and rent them out at rents that are often unaffordable for many.
That takes many houses off the market for individuals, and raises rents for renters.
Auto insurance and repairs are another unique category. Today’s cars are a lot more complex than those from the past. What may look like a simple repair gets complicated because systems in the cars may have to be recalibrated. That could double or triple the cost of a simple repair.
The same could be said for home repairs. That may be why repair insurance companies have a market, and why auto and homeowner’s insurance in general have risen in price.
No matter who serves in the U.S. government, he or she can only do so much to bring prices down.
The good news here is that if you are making more money in your job, most data show that your higher pay is outpacing inflation.
That begs the question: would you prefer lower pay and lower prices, or the current situation? Before answering that, know that the data again shows price inflation coming down.
We may never see $1 a gallon gasoline again. Those pandemic prices, when no one was going anywhere, may not return unless there is another pandemic. No one wants that.
Food prices are also affected by distributors, who are raising their prices. Also, one has to consider climate issues that affect the growth of what we eat. If food can’t grow as well, or gets destroyed in storms, what is not affected is going to be more expensive.
Therefore, be skeptical of anyone who runs for public office who says he or she will lower prices.
There may be things they can do to mitigate inflation, but the government can’t subsidize everything, and it has limited ability to force producers and sellers to lower prices on what they make or sell. The main thing that will affect pricing is whether people buy things at the price charged. Some necessities have to be bought, but we may want to try to use less of those if we can.
The government can lower your taxes on certain things as one mitigation. But, the government can’t control pricing, nor do we necessarily want it to.
Certainly, your parents or grandparents paid less to live in their younger years than you do now. But, in that time, much progress has been made. Society, as a whole, has seen much improvement.
The betterment of society comes at a price. Most of us do not want to go back to the “good old days.”
Peter