Anyone eating at home more these days? (Charlotte, Belmont: unemployment, buy)

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by anifani821

Just wondering about restaurants and their business . . . and wondering if most people in our area are, indeed, staying at home and cooking more often.

If you have changed your habits somewhat, are you making an effort to learn more about cooking techniques and looking for recipes? Are you going for simple recipes or trying to replicate the types of things you usually ordered in restaurants?

Indicators seem to suggest that this is a nationwide trend. True for Charlotte?

Two pocketbook indicators show people eating at home more, spending less on extras

Ani, I've always cooked most of the time. Nothing fancy, & rarely attractive (except Christmas cookies), but to me cooking is more of an adventure.

My mother's philosophy about cook books was to use them for ideas rather than recipes. Although I've found a handful of recipes in books over the years, I also use cookbooks for ideas.

[sheenie2000]

Originally Posted by anifani821

Sheenie, that sounds so good. Was the class here in Charlotte? Are they still running it or was this a one-time-only class? Maybe others would like to take it, too!

It was at CPCC. It's being offered again. I want to take another class, I think it's called seasonal eats. It teaches different recipes using veggies from your garden.
As another poster commented you definitely have to sign up for these classes early as the get full.

[spiderbear]

Not really. The coupons in the Carolina Clipper, Restaurant.com, and all the independent deals that local restaurants are offering entices us to eat out a good deal more. I'm a pretty light eater, so a $6 meal can feed me two or three times, without the pain of doing dishes.

Plus I'd like to support the local businesses, since most of the places we go out to are locally owned and operated. My husband and I love going out on dates anyways.

That said, when I do shop it's mostly Compare Foods and loss leaders. I can't remember the last time I paid retail on something.

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by spiderbear

Not really. The coupons in the Carolina Clipper, Restaurant.com, and all the independent deals that local restaurants are offering entices us to eat out a good deal more. I'm a pretty light eater, so a $6 meal can feed me two or three times, without the pain of doing dishes.

Plus I'd like to support the local businesses, since most of the places we go out to are locally owned and operated. My husband and I love going out on dates anyways.

That said, when I do shop it's mostly Compare Foods and loss leaders. I can't remember the last time I paid retail on something.

I know restaurants must be suffering at least to some degree. Some places look always busy (like Panera) and some folks have already folded.

Dates here involve food, too, LOL! Since hubby and I both work at home, we go out at lunch if we are gonna eat out. That makes it really nice - cause the lunch menu prices most places are a real bargain.

[CouponJack]

We rarely go out to a nice restaurant. Well, once in a while I guess (for special occasions). I can't justify eating out all the time and spending that money when I can work a little harder/plan a little better and have a list at the beginning of the week...it really helps us plan.

[sheenie2000]

Originally Posted by CouponJack

We rarely go out to a nice restaurant. Well, once in a while I guess (for special occasions). I can't justify eating out all the time and spending that money when I can work a little harder/plan a little better and have a list at the beginning of the week...it really helps us plan.

We eat out all the time, we haven't really cut it down. But we'd like to since it's a bit healthier at home and you can control what is in the food.
But there's just too much clean up and takes forever to cook. I can easily justify the money spent in eating out lol.

[repotted]

We went out last night, first to Hickory Tavern (20-30 minute wait--we left) then to Chili's (15-20 minute wait--we ate at the bar with only a 5 minute wait). Both places were packed with people out the doors. This was around 6:30pm.

[pink caddy]

^^^^^ ditto on several places Tues and Wed in Uptown. There's a place on North College a couple of doors down from Allen Tate, BBQ or southern style food, line was out the door. Epi center packed as well BUT this might have been drinks only. AKA "liquid dinner".

[smclarke4]

Late in here on this conversation but anyhooo..... We have always loved to eat at home so we haven't changed our eating lives too much. We love our fruit and veggies and try to have the required 35 a week but our big weakness is pie's - savoury I mean. I have been scared of preparing pastry for years but I think I have finally got it down pat. Now I can throw together a cornish pasty or meat pie very quickly and it is not a chore really. The great thing is that the cheaper cuts of meat are great in pies. We also love our crock pot and hubby is a bit of an expert in vegetarian dishes in that - most things involve beans though. Usually I can come up with something for most evenings and I think it's a throwback to when I was growing up, Monday was washing day so you always had leftovers from sunday, tuesday was stew, wednesday was shepherds pie, thursday was chicken pie, friday was fish, etc. Now I think these food days were a good idea because you knew what you needed to buy and you could budget.

[abcornwell]

Originally Posted by sheenie2000

It was at CPCC. It's being offered again. I want to take another class, I think it's called seasonal eats. It teaches different recipes using veggies from your garden.
As another poster commented you definitely have to sign up for these classes early as the get full.

Just looked at the description of this course, wow! Sounds like a great way to add to your cooking "repertoire"! I'd like to sign up but everything's so iffy right now - with not knowing if/when I'll find a job and what the hours might be.

There were a ton of other cooking classes as well. Here is their spring catalog for continuing education.

We eat at home mostly, we're in the "countryside" in Gaston County and although there are good restaurants to be found they are a distance. I like to cook, one of the pluses of unemployment is I have more time to do so. Learned to bake bread, grew some veggies and herbs this past year, it's therapeutic!

We're trying to eat less meat - have decided to bite the bullet and not buy grocery store meat. Looking for resources to buy locally, raised ethically and healthily, killed humanely. DH came up with one source that I'll check out: Grateful Growers Farm, LLC || Real Food, Real Farmers. It's more costly, which will also help us to eat less meat.