How often?

[gimmethesimplelife]

Do you eat out? I've been reading online that the casual sit down full service segment of f and b has been hurting for some time with no quick fix in sight, so I'm curious if you'all have cut back on meals out? Rob

[Tradd]

Do mean actual sit down restaurants or fast food (McD’s, Subway, etc.)?

[Teacher Terry]

Twice a week.

[iris lilies]

2-3 times a week, at least one of us.

[Alan]

Before retirement last year we'd do carry out about twice per week and a sit down dinner at a restaurant every two weeks or so. After retirement I've taken up all cooking duties and have done such a good job we're now doing carry out maybe once per week and a sit down at a restaurant maybe once per month.

[bae]

Once every week or two.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Probably averaging about once a week. Some weeks twice, some weeks none (but on the weeks I don't go out I tend to hit the grocery salad/prepared food bar once or twice instead which is kind of an in-between going out and cooking I guess).

If it was purely up to me it would be less, but there is often some compromising with other humans who like to eat out more than I do, going on

[Yppej]

A few times a year. This includes pizza takeout and delivery.

[sweetana3]

I would have to say once every month or so for a sit down dinner. They are 1. expensive and 2. high in calories. So we limit our eating out. No fast food, pizza (unless part of the once a month), coffee out, etc. But when we do go out, I want a very good meal. We use Yelp and Google to check reviews. Our next one will be Salvadoran.

[catherine]

Here are the numbers of times I've eaten out over a year or so:

September: Took out our neighbors because they repaired our stairs and gave us a handrail. We regretted that decision because the food was mediocre, the service bad, and the bill was high.

Sometime last winter/early spring: We went to our long-standing sushi place with BIL.

2018: I think we went to the pizza place last year and sat at the bar and ordered pizza and watched a football game.

So, we go out to eat maybe twice a year.

[rosarugosa]

Good job Alan. I've gone in the other direction and am eating out more since retirement. DH is still working and he is the cook though. Mom and Sis like to go out to lunch a lot, but Mom always insists on picking up the tab. It's one of the few areas in life that still make her feel empowered and I'm more than happy to oblige. :) So overall, I would say an average of 1 - 2 times per week.

[herbgeek]

Maybe once a month, but often less (quarterly?). The food around here just isn't that good: lots of deep fried pub food. We had one restaurant we really liked for special occasion meals, but they just retired this summer. I'm usually just deeply disappointed compared to my own cooking. Its often heavy on meat, light or absent vegetables and way over priced for what it is.

[Rogar]

Lunch maybe once a week. I can drop by a Whole Foods close-by and get a healthy lunch that doesn't cost a lot. Dinner every month or two. I don't particularly care fore being waited on for a real sit down meal but it's unavoidable for some social things.

[Teacher Terry]

My husband has been gone for 2 weeks and I have eaten lunch out daily and then I am done eating for the day. I have lost weight.

[Gardnr]

2-3 times a week, at least one of us.

Ditto. But we don't do fast food joint except for the occasional burger/fries at a local family owned place that cuts their fries and makes their burger patties right there.

We go out to eat what I don't make at home.

[frugal-one]

A few times per month sit down and rarely fast food (except Subway on occasion). Like Alan, the food eaten out usually is not as good as my own.

[SteveinMN]

Takeout/delivery? Hardly ever. I'm home to cook and between wanting to eat ketogenic and what DW prefers to eat, the pickings are either slim or rather expensive (Bite Squad, DoorDash, etc.). The closest I get is rotisserie chicken, which will feed us for two or three meals and provide a soup carcass for later.

Fast food: both of us maybe 6-8 times a month, usually with work friends, so it's a social event more than an interest in eating the food at wherever.

Sit-down restaurants: maybe 8-10 times a year; not every month. Same deal as with takeout -- it can be tough for me to find something to eat that's not another salad or a meal in which I don't have to pass on the sides or the sauce or whatever.

This is a marked reduction from what we did while I was still working and even a reduction from what we did a few years ago before I went keto. I still like the idea of going to restaurants, but making it a reality just often seems like more effort than we want to expend.

[happystuff]

I'm going to over guesstimate and say once a month. If we eat out as a family - even if it is fast food, the bill usually ends up being about $40+. Sit down dining is usually $65+. When our weekly groceries run $55-75, it's hard to justify paying a full week's worth of groceries on one meal. That said, we do go out for birthdays and Airplane Days (special family celebration). So, all of that said, we are probably eating out about the same - which, again, was never much to begin with.

[ToomuchStuff]

Sit down and have a waiter, maybe once a year. Drive through/fast food/sandwich at local convenience store at least a couple times a week, since I am out and about picking stuff up for work.

[pinkytoe]

Maybe brunch/lunch once a week. Dinner out has to be an occasion or while traveling. We both love to cook, try new recipes and have the time to do so. IMO, many restaurant meals do not offer a good value other convenience for the price paid. Plus who knows what is in it or how processed it is. Excess sodium, sugar etc.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Do mean actual sit down restaurants or fast food (McD’s, Subway, etc.)?Either or, Tradd. What I'm getting at is meals away from home. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

This one is interesting for me as I eat out every day I work - a shift meal is provided, and when I work lunch and dinner as I often do, I can access two meals a day at someone else's expense. Other than that, I rarely eat out these days unless I'm travelling. I've got my favorite place in Algodones now and they make excellent chicken/shrimp/chipotle/avacado/mango salads. Rob

[Selah]

Once a week. We've cut WAY back on fast food. Our average spend for a dinner for two adults is around $15-23 total. We don't drink alcohol and usually get just one soft drink, or none at all, and no desserts or appetizers.

[rosarugosa]

Off topic a bit, but when I first became interested in living more frugally, the two biggest wins for us were a dramatic decrease in recreational shopping (me) and a decrease in dining out. There has clearly been a lot of backsliding in the dining out dept. We tend to spend in the range of $80 - $150 for the two of us. We went to the Legal C-Bar the other night and spent $150 including tip: 1 beer, 2 glasses of wine, a shellfish trio sushi roll, 6 oysters on the half shell, a smoked salmon avocado toast appetizer, and a crab cake with shrimp and scallops entree. On the one hand, that's a lot of money, but on the other hand, everything was perfectly wonderful and it's not stuff we have at home. We both thought it was worth it.

[bae]

One of the reasons I don't eat out much is that, as a tourist community, prices here are insane.

A burger and fries at the local pub, nothing special, will cost a bit over $20 with tip, and that's before you order any drinks.

I can cook a nice steak at home for less than that by far.