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I fully agree. I used "Panda" as an example.
The original question was is eating out more affordable in Europe (sic generally)
The question of the food being good or healthy was not mentioned...
I have lived and worked in Europe for many years and I remember both ends of the spectrum of food being cheap and expensive and being good and bad. I remember a long time ago, eating in Barcelona in some "hole in the wall" place (literally!!) We had fish and it was incredibly delish. I also remember waiting for the train and had a snack, It was horrible. One bite and I threw it in the trash. It all depends!
If one is concerned about quality food prepared with care as one would do himself, then "I" would never eat out... I did mention in another post that I frequent restaurants where the owners know me by my first name. I also know the owners rather well. I trust that the food they prepare for me is of decent quality and prepared properly. Their food does taste good in "my" opinion! Most of these places I frequent are more than often "Family run", and often when I am with them, somebody from their family sits with us at the table and visits. I have even eaten a meal with them in the kitchen, at no cost to me!
In my posts, I used the words "imagine". I am not a cheapskate and live as frugal as I can. I watch my spending habits. I am not "in the market" for hoyty-toyty places! To each his own! My time to "woo" a Lady at some swanky place is long gone. I rather impress a loved one with my own capabilities as a cook!
So, in the end, is eating out in the USA (I am only speaking of the USA!) more affordable? The answer is yes. It can be more affordable, depending on what your expectations are.
Is it more common? Again, it depends. I think eating out is more common today, and not even comparing to other countries but to previous times.
Although you know maybe I'm wrong. I often go to a cheap cafe for lunch during my lunch break at work. So there is a salad + soup + second course + compote costs about 200-250 rubles. It turns out to be somewhere 2.5-3.5 dollars. And they cook there deliciously, almost as at home. So maybe cheap food in restaurants and cafes is not so bad? All It depends on how and from what it is prepared.:Ok:
It is a fair value, I will say that, and the quality of the food is better too.
But no, I'd say most Europeans prefer to cook at home, it is more healthy and generally, people across the continent live a healthier, more active lifestyle.
The US tends to be more expensive too. The easiest example is the fact you can find a fresh, beautiful baguette for well under a euro, even 0.50 euros. For me to find something even remotely comparable to the quality, but still not as good in the US, I had to spend close to....get this, the equivalent of 3 euros ($3.50 USD). For a baguette. Yikes. Somewhat undercooked, not even THAT fresh. But all it is is water, yeast, salt, and flour. I mean, was this bakery making personal trips and treks to the Himalayas to get this salt and using water from Fiji? How could it cost more than a dollar? My experience tells me prices are more reasonable and fair in most Euro countries (though outrageous IMO in Scandinavia).
Also there are cheap family friendly type restaurant chains, often under different names which are owned by the same company.
Mitchells & Butlers for instance tends to own cheap dining outlets such as Bar One, Miller & Carter, Nicholson's, Toby Carvery, Harvester, Browns Restaurants, Vintage Inns, Ember Inns, Son of Steak, Stonehouse Pizza & Grill, Crown Carveries, O’Neill’s, Premium Country Pubs, and Sizzling Pubs.
Whilst Whitbread owns cheap restaurant chains such as Brewers Fayre, Table Table and Beefeater and Greene King own the Hungry Horse chain. There are numerous other examples of cheap chains, and many independents are also affordable, especially outside of central London.
Slightly more upmarket restaurant chains include the likes of -
There are also a host of Italian chains including Bella Italia, ASK Italian, Franco Manca, Prezzo, Carluccios, Strada, Zizzi etc, and they offer pretty similar fare to the Olive Garden and other such US chains.
However the vast majority of UK restaurants are independents, and you can find a list of some of the best here, although they will be more expensive -
The US tends to be more expensive too. The easiest example is the fact you can find a fresh, beautiful baguette for well under a euro, even 0.50 euros. For me to find something even remotely comparable to the quality, but still not as good in the US, I had to spend close to....get this, the equivalent of 3 euros ($3.50 USD). For a baguette. Yikes. Somewhat undercooked, not even THAT fresh. But all it is is water, yeast, salt, and flour. I mean, was this bakery making personal trips and treks to the Himalayas to get this salt and using water from Fiji? How could it cost more than a dollar? My experience tells me prices are more reasonable and fair in most Euro countries (though outrageous IMO in Scandinavia).
It costs more than a dollar because it is a speciality item. In the EU, lots of people purchase baguettes on a daily basis. In the USA, baguettes are a luxury item. Fewer baguettes are made/sold so is priced accordingly. Two to three dollars a loaf is pretty typical. It's $5.00 USD or more for imported German pumpernickel bread.
Most USA prefer pre-packaged sliced white bread. In second place is pre-packaged sliced whole wheat bread. It's easier to make sandwiches and toast on pre-package sliced bread. Pitas and taco/tortillas are also used for sandwiches.
It costs more than a dollar because it is a speciality item. In the EU, lots of people purchase baguettes on a daily basis. In the USA, baguettes are a luxury item. Fewer baguettes are made/sold so is priced accordingly. Two to three dollars a loaf is pretty typical. It's $5.00 USD or more for imported German pumpernickel bread.
Most USA prefer pre-packaged sliced white bread. In second place is pre-packaged sliced whole wheat bread. It's easier to make sandwiches and toast on pre-package sliced bread. Pitas and taco/tortillas are also used for sandwiches.
Bread culture in the English-speaking world is just not the same as in continental Europe. On a basic level it's very much centered around the old staple - the ham sandwich and its variations i.e. the turkey and chicken breast sandwich plus (mostly for schoolchildren) the bologna sandwich.
Everything needed for that is available cheaply and broadly. Beyond that, you're starting to look at specialty items aimed at immigrant communities and trendy people.
In the UK and Ireland this has been modified to some extent by increased EU immigration over the last few decades and easy consumer good trade with the continent.
In the U.S. of course there hasn't been any European immigration on a notable scale in 100 years or so, and food trends have gone toward the regions from which there has been massive immigration i.e. Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. Tortillas are much more of a mass market item in the U.S. than any type of freshly baked European-style bread.
Dining out in Europe is significantly less expensive than in the US when comparing like restaurants. In general it's probably 30% less. Add alcohol and it's even less expensive in Europe.
Some European countries cost 50-75% more than eating out in the US. You can't really generalize about this.
On average, it is close to the same, but in reality, some in European countries eating out is cheap, and in others it is so expensive that even the locals only eat at restaurants for a treat.
Some European countries cost 50-75% more than eating out in the US. You can't really generalize about this.
On average, it is close to the same, but in reality, some in European countries eating out is cheap, and in others it is so expensive that even the locals only eat at restaurants for a treat.
Not sure where you are talking about, but Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Turkey all have lower restaurant costs than the US when comparing like restaurants. Throw in alcohol and the price is significantly less than the US.
The UK is expensive for sure. I have never been to a Scandinavian country, so i wouldn't know.
Not sure where you are talking about, but Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Turkey all have lower restaurant costs than the US when comparing like restaurants. Throw in alcohol and the price is significantly less than the US.
The UK is expensive for sure. I have never been to a Scandinavian country, so i wouldn't know.
I’ve travelled extensively in Europe, and IMO you are totally correct, and in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark it’s marginally more than in Netherlands or Belgium.
I don’t think that U.K. prices are exorbitant, but I live there, if you take the £/$ exchange rate into the equation, then U.K. prices probably seem high to Americans.
Not sure where you are talking about, but Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Turkey all have lower restaurant costs than the US when comparing like restaurants. Throw in alcohol and the price is significantly less than the US.
The UK is expensive for sure. I have never been to a Scandinavian country, so i wouldn't know.
When you talk about dining out, it all depends what you mean.
Are you talking about exclusive fine dining, local family friendly restaurants, casual dining including restaurant chains etc.
There is a hell of a lot of difference between Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Golden Coral etc and fine dining.
Similarly in the UK there is a big difference between Harvester, Toby Carvery, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater etc.
There are also UK chains serving all kinds of global food such as Wagamama (Pan Asian), Bone Daddy (Pan Asian), Busaba (Thai), Giggling Squid (Thai), Rosa's Thai Cafe, Chiquito (Mexican), Wahaca (Mexican) Comptoir Libanais (Lebanese, Las Iguanas (Latin American ), Bistrot Pierre (French), Turtrle Bay (Jamaican) etc etc, and then you have Italian chains such as Bella Italia, ASK Italian, Prezzo, Carluccios, Strada, Zizzi etc.
How expensive a meal is very much depends as to what kind of restaurant you are talking about, if it's in a big city, if it's award winning and numerous other factors.
A local family run restaurant, may be far cheaper, as might a restaurant chain, when compared with an award winning fine dining restaurant in London or NYC.
Last edited by Brave New World; 10-02-2021 at 03:58 AM..
European restaurants make their margin on drink. U.S. restaurants make it on food. No free refills in Europe and drink bills will pile up quickly.
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I often go to a cheap cafe for lunch during my lunch break at work. So there is a salad + soup + second course + compote costs about 200-250 rubles. It turns out to be somewhere 2.5-3.5 dollars. And they cook there deliciously, almost as at home. So maybe cheap food in restaurants and cafes is not so bad? 
All It depends on how and from what it is prepared.:Ok:
